Jihlava approved the contract for the subsidy for the arena as well as the contribution to the complainants in the surrounding area

Jihlava - The Jihlava City Council approved the signing of a contract for the acceptance of a regional subsidy of 500 million crowns for the construction of the Horácká Multifunctional Arena (HMA) at today’s extraordinary meeting; the county leadership approved the same contract on Tuesday. After a lengthy debate, the representatives of Jihlava also decided to provide up to three million crowns to three residential buildings on Tyršova Street for measures against the impacts of demolishing the old stadium and new construction. They want to unblock the completion of preparations for the construction costing 1.9 billion crowns, which has been halted by objections from these residents.

In addition to a range of technical measures to reduce noise and dust, including protective walls, each of these three homeowner associations will also be able to access up to one million crowns from the city for protective measures in their buildings. "At this moment, we believe that it is in the interest of the city, both economically and socially, for the construction to begin as soon as possible," said Mayor Petr Ryška (ODS) at the beginning of the debate. He stated that if it is not possible by September, the agreement will not be valid.

The arena will replace the old ice rink. Residents of three residential buildings on Tyršova Street filed objections in March regarding the issuance of the demolition order, and subsequently also filed an objection with the Ministry of Regional Development due to possible systemic bias of the Jihlava building authority and the regional office. The proceedings are being delayed because of this. According to the mayor, this could take up to half a year.

David Beke (ODS), city councilor and HMA construction manager, said that even if everything goes well now, construction will not start until at least mid-summer, likely towards the end. The city originally wanted to start demolition at the beginning of summer, when traffic is lighter and schools in the vicinity of the stadium will be empty.

During the debate, the councilors mostly indicated that on one hand, they understand the residents' interest in protecting their living comfort, but on the other hand, they believe that they have known about the plans for a long time and are now taking advantage of the situation when the city is in distress.

"From my perspective, there is a risk that we could really create future problems during any construction or reconstruction," said Radek Hošek, a councilor for the opposition STAN. He stated that he would not support the allocation of three million crowns. "Personally, I would lean towards a transparent approach, to ensure that the objections are properly addressed," he said.

The city had to apply for the demolition order again because it failed to start demolition last year. The preparations for the construction of the arena took longer also due to higher price offers received in the tender than Jihlava expected.

Other councilors pointed out that there are more houses in the vicinity of the construction site that will also be affected by the construction. The mayor said that he would negotiate with everyone.

The city wants to assign the construction of the arena to the company GEMO, which offered the lowest price. "In the coming days, we would like to sign the contract," Beke said today. Then the city will submit the investment documents to the National Sports Agency, from which it expects a subsidy of 300 million crowns.

The old ice rink in Jihlava has been closed since last year due to poor roofing; the hockey team Dukla is playing its matches in Pelhřimov and Jindřichův Hradec.