Jihlava is starting to select a director for the city company that will take charge of the arena

Jihlava - Jihlava has begun the selection process for the managing director of the municipal trading company that will oversee the operation of the arena after its completion in 2025. The conditions for the tender were approved by the city council today and will be published on Tuesday. The deadline for submitting bids will be six weeks. If a manager for the arena is selected in November, the new municipal company could be established in February or March of next year, said Mayor Petr Ryška (ODS) to reporters today.

The arena is intended to host sporting, cultural, and social events, and will provide accommodation and catering services, for example. The plan to establish a trading company with 100% participation from the city, which will operate the arena, was approved by the Jihlava city council last week.

"It doesn't end with just posting it on the city's notice board," said the mayor regarding the announcement of the tender for the new company's director. He stated that in addition to the media, the city will also try to utilize agencies that could recommend candidates. According to him, it will be important to select a person capable of managing such an organization and ensuring that the hall operates effectively in all respects. According to the mayor, the Jihlava arena could potentially host junior championships in Europe or the world in nearly all sports.

The director of the new municipal company is expected to be well-compensated, although the mayor did not specify a particular amount. "We will be within the range of how managers of similar facilities are compensated in the Czech Republic," he said.

The Horácká multifunctional arena (HMA) will be built at the site of the old ice rink, which has been torn down by the construction company GEMO since August. The overall project costs 1.9 billion crowns.

The above-ground part of the old rink is almost completely demolished, and the focus now is mainly on removing debris. "There is still an ice surface, which is used by machines for sorting (materials) and for transport on the construction site," said city councilor David Beke (ODS). He pointed out that there are three ice surfaces one on top of the other in the old rink, two of which have strong steel pipes underneath. "There was no saving back then," he noted. Construction work is already underway on the foundations of the new arena.

"Minor corrections are already appearing, but they are currently details that do not affect either the progress or the cost of the construction," Beke said regarding the overall project. According to the city council, residents of neighboring houses have not yet complained about the construction. There has been one inquiry from a roof structure on Jiráskova Street.

The Vysočina Region will provide half a billion crowns for the multipurpose arena, and the National Sports Agency (NSA) will contribute 300 million crowns. The remaining costs will be covered by Jihlava from its own resources and through loans. The arena is expected to be completed by the fall of 2025.