The region wants to build a library in Ostrava according to a new project

Ostrava - The region wants the planned Moravian-Silesian Scientific Library to be built in Ostrava by 2014. The city has been waiting for its construction for years. The existing library has been located in inadequate premises since its establishment in 1951, and the start of construction of the new one has been postponed several times due to funding issues, among other things. The total costs for the construction must be a maximum of 850 million crowns, which will be one of the conditions for selecting the contractor. The state and the region should pay for the construction of the library. The deputy governor, Svatomír Recman (KSČM), said this to reporters today.
    The region postponed the long-planned library construction in April, justifying it by stating that the Ministry of Culture will not allocate the planned 220 million crowns for its construction this year due to the economic crisis. Governor Jaroslav Palas (ČSSD) later promised that the region would build the library, but cheaper than the original project estimated. The construction of the library and the accompanying parking facility was originally projected to cost around 1.5 billion crowns.
    The library has become the subject of a dispute between the current (ČSSD and KSČM) and former (ODS and KDU-ČSL) regional leadership. The new regional leadership criticized its predecessors for the fact that the ministry did not release the funds not only due to the crisis but also because the region canceled the tender for the contractor under the previous leadership. On the other hand, the ODS defended itself by stating that the cheapest bid at that time exceeded the planned costs by 200 million, and the current regional representation had ample time to announce a new tender.
    The original library was to be financed not only from regional and state funds but primarily from the European Union. The European Commission approved 600 million crowns for the construction of the library. However, this money will now be redirected to the areas of education and healthcare. The new library project should use 490 million crowns from state funds, which the region has been promised, and an additional 360 million crowns should be covered by the region.
    Thus, the region is completely abandoning the original project, in which the library's design derived from an architectural competition. Therefore, the new design of the library should be proposed by candidates for its construction. Palas claims that although the price will be an important criterion, the appearance of the building will also be evaluated. "Of course, we wouldn't want a horrendous building to be here," he stated.
    The original construction site remains unchanged against the House of Culture of the City of Ostrava. Construction should begin in 2012. The library's construction should cost 700 million, with equipment and technology costing an additional 150 million crowns.
    Opposition councilor Zbyněk Stanjura (ODS) believes that the region is throwing away tens of millions of crowns with its decision, which have already been spent on the library's preparation.
    The Moravian-Silesian Scientific Library is currently located in rented premises of the New Town Hall. It has over a million titles in its collection and is among the largest in the country. On average, it is visited by up to 1,000 people daily.