ODS rejects the purchase of the company owning the spa in Plzeň, the region is set to approve it on Friday

Plzeň - The representatives of the opposition ODS and TOP 09 in the Plzeň region reject the purchase of the company TWB Praha, which owns the building of the former city baths in the center of Plzeň. The purchase of the dilapidated, partially monumentally protected building for 120 million CZK was approved by regional councilors from the ANO, STAN, and Pirates coalition at the end of August, and on Friday, it is to be confirmed by the representatives at an extraordinary meeting. The building is to house halls, exhibition spaces, a gallery's depository, children's clubrooms, and an environmental center.

The regional leadership stated that it responded to all requests from ODS and TOP 09 and called an extraordinary meeting regarding the purchase of the baths. On Friday, according to Governor Rudolf Špoták, representatives of TWB, lawyers who prepared the purchase agreement, and possibly experts who created the report will also be present. Other requests from the opposition, which the region received today, are perceived as obstruction.

According to Pavel Karpíšek, the head of the ODS parliamentary club, the purchase is non-transparent and very risky for the region and especially for the representatives who would vote for it. "Among other things, the public procurement law is being circumvented and the documents are very purposefully prepared to justify something that they had agreed upon in advance," he stated. The region did not present an audit evaluating the risks of the purchase, he added.

"We are fundamentally opposed to acquiring business shares of TWB Praha s.r.o., which is owned by three legal entities, making it difficult to trace ties and especially potential liabilities that may exist. These would then have to be paid by the region," stated councilor Marcela Krejsová (ODS). Another oddity, according to her, is the price because analyses show that the accounting value of the company is 32 million crowns. She does not understand why the market price should be 120 million when the baths are "totally devastated and dilapidated." The report received by the representatives, in her opinion, compares the baths with residential buildings in the center, which are in good condition.

"We have a proposal for some use, which is not final, and we do not know the cost of reconstruction and realization," Krejsová stated. Špoták mentioned that it is understandable that the price of reconstruction is not clear. "I do not even know how much electricity will cost on January 1. However, we could just sit down and do nothing, halt all roads and repairs," he stated. According to him, the purchase of the baths will not limit the region's investments but could reduce them due to the electricity cost in the next fiscal year.

According to Krejsová, the regional leadership's aim is to finalize the purchase of the baths before the municipal elections. "And what will happen then, we are no longer interested," she stated. Špoták rejected the claim that the preparation of the purchase is a populist move. "We have been dealing with this issue for a long time. Even when ODS and TOP 09 were in the regional council, a feasibility study for the baths was commissioned, and they did not mind back then," he said.

According to Krejsová, part of the purchase includes a building permit for 20 million CZK for a nine-story residential building with a hall, which the region does not need. "If the region wants to have a glass building for a new gallery, then we are at the beginning and need to start with land-use planning," she stated. Špoták confirmed that the project would need to be revised, but the region will request a change of construction before completion, which will expedite preparations and possibly allow demolition work to proceed.

"The region has many other obligations it must fulfill, and it must fit within all its investments. It is unrealistic," stated the head of the regional TOP 09, Petr Suchý. According to him, there are comparable buildings in the center of Plzeň - Peklo, the former headquarters of the Communist Party, and the Faculty of Law and Komorní dovadlo - that are unsellable and very close to the baths. "We have obligations, but ODS wanted to build a new gallery for 1.7 billion, and they did not mind," Špoták stated. According to him, the region plans to utilize EU subsidies for the baths, which will only be announced later, and intends to invest in them gradually according to its financial capabilities.