Jičín has a new ice rink for 108 million CZK, it will be opened on Saturday

Source
Zdeněk Rychtera
Publisher
ČTK
08.11.2011 20:10
Czech Republic

Jičín

From the construction of the stadium photo: KASPER CZ
Jičín - The seventeen-thousand-strong Jičín has completed the construction of the roof and new facilities for the winter stadium. The investment will cost the city about 108 million crowns. This is almost a fifth more than originally planned. The city hall is preparing to open the stadium on Saturday. City officials told reporters today. Jičín was the last larger city in the region that did not have an artificial ice surface with a roof.

The new stadium, located near the Kníže pond, has an interesting architecture. The wooden structure of the roof, made of glued trusses, creates the impression of an overturned ship lying under the dam of a large water surface. Inside, next to the new rink, there is a facility with changing rooms, a restaurant, and a stand for 500 seated spectators. Only the refrigeration machinery from the original stadium remains, said the head of the city's investment department, Jan Zachoval.
Various cultural and social events can also be held at the stadium, including a part of the program of the well-known festival Jičín - the city of fairy tales. Off-season, it will be available for use by tennis players and other athletes.
The city began construction last September, intending only to complete the first phase for about 90 million crowns. However, this spring, the city hall decided that it would be more practical to also carry out some works from the second phase, such as completing the restaurant, fencing, closing the terraces, or the changing rooms under the stand. The price was also increased by the purchase of a new snow groomer, which was overlooked in the original budget.
Despite the price increase, the cladding of two corners of the stadium and the installation of air conditioning in the total cost between six and eight million crowns will not be completed in the second phase. Therefore, the stadium will remain partially open and will have natural ventilation. The city also expects possible future expenses for the refrigeration condensers, which come from the original technology and are now at the end of their lifespan. Zachoval estimated the costs for their potential replacement at about one million crowns.
The city took out a 90 million crown loan for the construction of the stadium, and the rest intends to repay next year from returned value-added tax. The decision of the previous city leadership to build the stadium only with borrowed money is not liked by the current deputy mayor, Tomáš Frýba (TOP 09). He believes the city should have some savings for such a large construction or should have obtained a subsidy. Frýba also disapproves of the fact that the construction company was chosen through a so-called lottery.
Mayor Martin Puš (ODS), who led the city in the previous electoral term, countered Frýba. According to him, the city has been trying to obtain a subsidy. He claims that the city will also be able to repay the loan early, for example from the sale of other property. According to Puš, without narrowing the number of tender participants through a lottery, delays caused by unsuccessful applicants would be a risk. The competition was won by the VCES company, with an offer roughly corresponding to the project price.
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