The city architect for the development concept of Šumperk will be Tomas

Šumperk – The Šumperk city hall has selected its city architect, who will care for the development of the city starting January next year. The role has been taken by native Šumperk resident Štěpán Tomas. The thirty-seven-year-old architect won the selection process in which seven candidates participated. In his new role, he is also expected to act as a liaison for negotiations with investors and developers, and will provide consultations for the city’s residents. In the near future, he will also be involved in preparing significant changes in the city, spokeswoman for the city hall Soňa Singerová informed ČTK.

Štěpán Tomas currently works at the Brno-based company ATX architekti, and the selection committee chose him unanimously. "In November and December, I will be familiarizing myself with the structure and functioning of the office, and from January, I will fully commence my activities. I expect to be available to the public one day a week," Tomas stated.

One of the first tasks of the new city architect will be preparing the reconstruction of the cultural center, the concept for the Main Street, which is overcrowded with advertisements, and changes in the zoning plan. "The potential of the city of Šumperk lies in the fact that it could truly become an entry point to the Jeseníky mountains, thereby developing tourism. Currently, it is more of a transit point between the south of the country and the ski centers. I would like to change that,” added the new city architect.

Tomas will perform the role of city architect externally, with a workload of about 60 hours per month. He will sign a contract with the city in the coming days, and in mid-November, he will be introduced to the heads of the relevant departments of the city office. His main duties will include overseeing the appearance of Šumperk and providing consulting and advisory services in architecture and urbanism.

For example, neighboring Jeseník has its own city architect, where local residents can reach her during office hours. Since last September, she has been available for consultations every Wednesday in the meeting room of the city office on Tovární Street, said Jeseník city hall spokesperson Richard Kapustka to ČTK.