New leadership will build the stadium in Hradec, wants to change the ZUŠ project

Hradec Králové - The new leadership of Hradec Králové wants to change the approach to the reconstruction of the Elementary Art School (ZUŠ) Střezina. They consider the plan with costs of nearly 200 million crowns including VAT as megalomaniacal. The city hall will continue with the project of building a new football arena costing around 400 million crowns. This was indicated by statements from city officials at today's press conference. Since the end of October, a coalition of ANO, ODS, and Changes for Hradec has governed Hradec Králové.

The reconstruction of Střezina began in January, but the work fell several months behind schedule, and the city hall decided to terminate the contract with the construction company Prima. At the end of June, the company itself withdrew from the contract, citing poor project documentation submitted by the city. The former city leadership proposed that as part of a peaceful conclusion to the contract, the city hall would give the company 8.5 million crowns.

According to the Deputy Mayor for Property Věra Pourová (ANO), the project for the reconstruction of Střezina was megalomaniacal and had fundamental flaws. "It needs to be finished; the best way would probably be to reevaluate the project," she said. According to her, the city will have to build upon what has already been demolished at Střezina.

The agreement on compensation with the company proposed by the former leadership of the city is not seen by Mayor Alexandr Hrabálek (independent for ODS) as a fortunate one. "I am not convinced that we should go down this path," Pourová added, stating that the city is negotiating the matter with the legal representative of the company Prima. The deputy did not rule out that the case of the unsuccessful reconstruction of Střezina might have repercussions for some city hall employees due to possible mistakes.

The competition for the construction of the new football stadium was announced on October 31, just one day after the inaugural meeting of the city council. Thus, the new city leadership did not have the opportunity to influence the competition. "We are somewhat in a trap. Something was initiated without our ability to influence it, and now we have to go along with it," Pourová said. According to her, the city will try, although under pressure, to find ways to finance the construction from sources other than just the city budget. Pourová stated that she was shocked by the amount of the construction costs.

The city does not intend to cancel the tender. The contracting authority can only cancel the competition for legally defined reasons and cannot do so at its own discretion.

The current competition for the stadium is the second one in order. The original tender announced in July was canceled by councilors in September due to an error made by the competition administrator. At the same time, they decided to announce a new competition. The competition has two rounds. In the current first round, applicants will demonstrate their qualifications. Applications must be submitted by December 4. In the second round, applicants will submit their price offers.

The stadium construction is expected to be the largest investment by the city in recent years. The stadium, prepared for about 15 years, will be built on the site of the outdated multi-purpose stadium from 1960.

The competition is announced for the construction of two stands, a new playing field, parking spaces, and lighting in the shape typical for stadiums' candy canes. The main western stand will include facilities for the club, players, journalists, and fans. The northern stand will be behind the goal in the direction from Orlice. The construction of the remaining two stands will come later, depending on the city’s financial capabilities. The stadium for 10,000 spectators is also intended to serve as a multifunctional arena for outdoor cultural events.