The new leadership of the Plzeň Region will have the construction of the gallery in Plzeň reassessed

Plzeň – The new leadership of the Plzeň Region, which took office on February 14 this year, has ordered an up-to-date assessment from architects and builders for the planned construction of the building of the West Bohemian Gallery in the center of Plzeň. They will pay 199,000 crowns for it. The coalition is concerned that due to the rise in construction material and labor costs, the current price of the new building, which should according to the valid building permit be in the center of Plzeň, could increase by up to half from 1.2 billion crowns. The economic deputy of the governor, Roman Zarzycký (ANO), said he is currently not convinced that the region can afford this investment.

"I don't understand the necessity of the assessment, because the architectural office Kuba & Pilař, which is the author of the project and the execution documentation, evaluates the cost updates every year and knows the project in detail. The real price for the potential implementation will only be shown by the supplier competition; recalculating will be of no use to us," said opposition councillor Marcela Krejsová (ODS), a long-time advocate for the gallery's construction. According to her, the region has been violating the law for 20 years by not protecting valuable artworks. "We must manage the assets properly. In the case of the collections entrusted to the gallery, we are talking about a value of 1.5 to two billion crowns," she stated.

Zarzycký said that precisely because the region behaves as a prudent manager, he commissioned an analysis of the decisions of the previous council from experts associated with the Czech Technical University. "I had the investment amount assessed, as well as the availability of materials and the prediction of whether we can even obtain a subsidy. And then we will turn to Martin Baxa (Minister of Culture for ODS, until recently the Mayor of Plzeň), and he will be able to say whether the gallery or the depot (the reconstruction of the cultural and creative area DEPO2015 for nearly one billion crowns) is a priority for him in Plzeň, because we can only apply for one subsidy," said the governor's deputy. The region will call on the ministry to allow co-financing from national sources, but first, it must know the current value of the work.

According to opposition councillor and MP Marek Ženíšek (TOP 09), who was the deputy governor for culture until February 14, the amount of 199,000 crowns seems amusing because a recalculation typically costs 20,000 to 50,000 crowns. "The price was already recalculated last December 21, so you can add ten to 12 percent for inflation to it, and the amount will be current," he stated. He expressed concern that the processed material would serve the new coalition to derail the project. "In that case, I would recommend that the 199,000 crowns be better directed to those collections that are in unsatisfactory facilities," he said.

According to Governor Rudolf Špoták (Pirates), a resolution still stands that the gallery's construction will begin if the region secures 480 million crowns from external sources. "Costs of 1.2 billion at today's prices are unrealistic when you consider how much the main proposed materials, like glass concrete and reinforced concrete, have increased in price. After validation from the Czech Technical University, I expect the sum to be 1.5 to 1.8 billion crowns," said Zarzycký. According to him, the city now needs to set its priorities. In a resolution valid until October, it states that it will give the land to the region as an investment contribution if national grants are secured.

At the same time, the region is exploring the possibility of utilizing the devastated listed building of the city baths in the center of Plzeň. "The new coalition has it in its election program. For now, it's in the stage of considerations, but it is definitely not excluded," said regional councilor for culture Libor Picka (STAN). The coalition cannot yet specify how much their reconstruction would cost. The head of the ODS council club and senator Pavel Karpíšek, who was the deputy for the economy until February 14, said it would not be good for the region to spend money on the former baths, which do not belong to it, as they are owned by an Italian company. "We haven't spent anything on them so far," said Špoták. He added that no decision has been made about using the baths building as a gallery. Špoták, Karpíšek, and Picka all stated that they are very discontented with the poor condition of the baths. The Italian owner has commissioned a project for their reconstruction, which includes a new residential building on the land behind the baths.