Minutes of the Leudal Municipal Youth Council Meeting | May 19, 2026

1. Opening and Welcome

Two young people are coming today for a trial period as members of the youth council. They will be warmly welcomed.

2. Announcements

There are no announcements.

3. New items for this meeting 

There are no new items on the agenda for this meeting.

4. Speakers: Pump Track

A number of mothers and children talked about their initiative to build a pump track in the municipality. You see pump tracks in more and more towns and cities. On a pump track, you can ride bikes and scooters and do tricks. Pump tracks come in all kinds of different designs, and you can always take a different route. A motocross track, on the other hand, is mostly just a loop.

For older kids, there isn’t much to do in Heythuysen besides the traditional playgrounds, which many children have outgrown. As far as they’re concerned, a pump track would be a great addition. The pump track is for all ages and free to use. It also promotes health and physical activity among young people. Young people often get together on a pump track, so this is also a great place for them to socialize.

They are therefore collecting signatures to build a pump track in Heythuysen, both at school and online.
They are considering the sports park in Heythuysen as the location for the pump track. This is because there will be a bit more social oversight there, and because the location would not cause any nuisance to the neighborhood.  

They have also already Synthese with the youth and community workers at Synthese , who are very enthusiastic about this. The speakers would like to hear what the youth council thinks of the initiative, because it’s important that the initiative has broad support among young people.  

5. Discuss the Pump Track

The Youth Council has posed the following questions—shown in italics—to those who spoke out regarding the pump track. The organizers’ responses are listed below.

• Isn't there already a pump track in Heythuysen?
  There's a motocross track. A motocross track has more sand, and scooters and skateboards can't be used on it. A pump track is paved with asphalt.
  Also, the motocross track has deep holes and is located in an unsupervised area.
• Is it a requirement that the pump track be located in Heythuysen?
  As far as the organizers are concerned, yes, because there isn’t a facility like this in Heythuysen yet. The Youth Council wonders whether young people will go to another village to use the pump track. They think this depends on the age of the young people or children.
• What do people think of a gravel pump track?
  Gravel isn't as comfortable if you fall. Also, young kids mostly ride scooters on the track, for example, and asphalt is more comfortable for that.  
• How big would they like the pump track to be?
  The pump track in Reuver is 150 meters long. They’d prefer a larger track. There also needs to be enough space for tables and benches.
• How much does a pump track cost?
  The cost of a pump track is approximately €50,000. However, this depends on the size and complexity of the track. It’s a significant expense, but you likely won’t have to spend anything on maintenance for the first 10 to 15 years afterward.  
• How do you make sure everyone follows the rules?
  The idea is that this is achieved through social control. Use of the track is also at your own risk. For example, you could ask the special enforcement officers to check in more often if it turns out that people aren’t following the rules.  
• Does it require a lot of maintenance?
  Under normal use, it requires very little maintenance. You mainly need to mow the grass around it and empty the trash can. You’ll have to lay the asphalt yourself, and it needs to be maintained every few years.
• Is the number of signatures collected typical for an initiative like this?
  Given Heythuysen’s population, they had expected to collect more signatures. They’ll have to give it a little more attention themselves.
• What will happen with the petition?
  The petition can be used to show the municipality that residents think it's important to build a pump track.
• How should we deal with loitering youth?
  These young people will need a place to gather. If they use the pump track for that, that’s fine. You just don’t want it to become a nuisance. The Youth Council suggests that it might be a good idea to put out some benches so that the older teens also have a place to sit and aren’t just standing in the middle of the track.
• Has anyone thought about collecting signatures at the high school in Heythuysen?
  They're discussing this here.
• Has the municipality been contacted about this initiative yet? 
  A meeting was held with the municipality in week 20. 
  It became clear that there are two options: 
  1. Heythuysen is on next year’s agenda for the playground policy. Residents will be asked for input on the playgrounds in Heythuysen. During the public participation sessions, residents could express the need for a pump track. However, it will likely take several years before a pump track is built.  

  2. Launching as a citizens’ initiative. They’ve already taken tentative steps in this direction. But then it’s up to the project group itself to apply for grants to build the pump track.

     Now they need to decide which option they want to choose. The municipality will also begin assessing the proposed locations to determine whether it’s even possible to build the track there. The Youth Council asks if it’s possible to receive the flyer with more information about the pump track. It is agreed that the organizers will forward it.

     The Youth Council thinks it’s a great idea and believes that many young people will take advantage of it. They also think it’s an accessible way to get some exercise—for example, by starting with scootering. They believe this should be incorporated into the playground policy.

     They would like to draft a recommendation on this matter to build more support for the initiative.
     It is agreed that this recommendation will be discussed at the next meeting of the Youth Council.

6. Pause

There is a 5-minute break

7. Approval of the minutes of the previous meeting

The minutes of the March 24, 2026, meeting are hereby approved.

Pien will still be overseeing the planning of the play area policy.
There is a question about when input can be provided on the new Ursula building. Pien will look into this.

8. Renewal of Youth Council Membership

The members of the Youth Council are appointed by the Mayor and Aldermen for a term of one year. At the end of this term, a member may be reappointed twice, for one year each time.

Ivar’s first year of membership ends on July 1, 2026.
He was asked if he would like to renew his membership for another year. He would like to renew, but since he will turn 18 in November 2026, he will have to stop at that time.  

9. Publication of recommendations, agenda, and minutes  

The Youth Council's meetings are open to the public. At the meeting on March 24, 2026, it was therefore decided to publish the Youth Council's agenda, recommendations, and minutes as well.

Pien shows the Youth Council how the agenda, recommendations, and minutes can be published on the website.
The Youth Council likes how this is now posted on the website. They also appreciate that the recommendations are published there.

It was agreed that it is acceptable to list only first names in the minutes.
Everyone also agreed that the agenda should be sent to the members two weeks before the meeting. This will give them one week to provide feedback before the agenda is posted on the website.

A member of the youth council points out that the website still lists old meeting dates. Pien will update them.  

10. Proposal from the St. Ursula Class

A class at Sint Ursula Heythuysen has come up with a number of proposals for the municipality of Leudal.
The municipal council has asked the youth council if it would like to discuss these proposals.  

The Youth Council discusses each recommendation:

According to the Youth Council, there are already enough festivals and parties for young people. The question is whether enough of them are actually organized in Leudal itself. But then again, the question is whether there is enough interest in a festival in Leudal, because often young people from the village where it’s being held only go to that village themselves.
It’s not a bad idea, but the Youth Council does not recommend it.

Every village already has something going on for Carnival. So there’s no need to organize a separate event for it.

Some people think the idea of combining villages to create a larger fair is a good one, because the fairs are sometimes quite small these days. But the question is whether people from other villages will actually come there. 
Some feel that it’s not so much about the rides as it is about coming together in the village. That’s why it’s important that each village continues to organize its own fair. At large fairs, you also often find that tickets are more expensive. It is decided that the topic of the fair will be discussed at the next meeting.

The Youth Council believes that organizing outdoor gym classes is a matter for the gym and the athletes themselves.

The Youth Council has already issued its recommendation regarding soccer fields in various villages.  

The main point about adding more benches is to place them around the school so that students can hang out and chat for a while after school.
Everyone thinks this is a good idea. We do need to keep in mind that the schools are now located in a residential neighborhood. Perhaps this could be taken into account in the school’s new construction.

There is a need for places for young people to hang out, because right now they can’t go just anywhere without it being seen as a nuisance. The question is: what counts as a nuisance? We’ll put this on the agenda to discuss at the next meeting.

Pien is going to ask if the youth council can contribute ideas to the streetlight plan.

A member of the youth council asks about the status of the bike path on the road between Neer Roggel, and about the bike crossing on the provincial road. Pien will look into this.

The Youth Council believes that it is not necessary to replace all bike paths, but if people are really bothered by potholes and bumps on bike paths, they should report them via the BuitenBeter .  

The Youth Council has not experienced any problems with detours due to roadwork.
The Youth Council also no longer agrees that cyclists should be given greater right of way on busy roads.
The Youth Council believes that instances of illegal parking should be reported and that enforcement should follow. Pien is requesting more information on this matter from the municipality.

A lot has already been arranged, but apparently many people aren’t aware of that. So the committee members are also asking: how can we communicate differently to reach young people? The Youth Council recommends:

• Wanting to get the information mainly through parents 
• Posting information on the municipality's website
• Post information on the Leudal municipality’s Stories

11. Contributing Ideas Through the Buiten Beter App

At a previous meeting, the Youth Council recommended promoting the Buiten Beter app more among young people. A press release was issued regarding this.

The Youth Council thinks the press release is a good idea and approves the text. Bram’s name may be included in the press release. Next time, a photo will be taken that clearly shows the Youth Council using the Buitenbeter app. This photo can then be used with the press release. 

A short video would be even more engaging to post. A script will be written for this before the next meeting and submitted to the Youth Council for approval.

12. Recruiting New Members

Photos of the Youth Council were taken during the meeting on March 24, 2026. We would like to use these photos to promote the Youth Council and thereby recruit more members. A communication plan has been drawn up for this purpose.

The Youth Council thinks the text of the press release is fine. The only thing that needs to be added is a link to the Youth Council’s webpage. The photos in the current release are good.
You could also include it in the school’s newsletter.

It has been agreed that the other photos will be forwarded to all members, and that they will then decide together which photos to use.  

The Youth Council also thinks it would be a good idea to publish an article in *Hallo* featuring a Youth Council member.

Everyone says they were successful in distributing the flyers and posters in the villages.

13. Annual Calendar

A draft annual calendar has been drawn up, listing topics on which municipal employees would like to seek advice from the Youth Council.

The annual calendar is updated as follows:  

• A More Affordable Fair
• Places Where Young People Hang Out
• Parking Spaces
• Ursula Horn

14. Dates of upcoming meetings

1. July 7
2. July 28, 2026
3. September 1
4. September 29, 2026
5. November 17, 2026

July 28 is canceled due to the vacation. Pien will send out a new poll. The other dates are fine.

15. Questions?     

No questions are asked.