Přerov city councilors approved the plan to announce a contract for the massive renovation of Emos

Přerov – The Přerov councilors approved today the intention to announce a public procurement for the reconstruction of the future city hall building on Masaryk Square known as Emos. The city purchased the property for 38 million crowns two years ago, and approximately 160 officials are expected to move into it. The five-storey unattractive administrative building is to be transformed into a modern headquarters according to the winning architectural design by Anagram&Gruppa. The costs were originally estimated at 130 million crowns, but the estimate has now climbed to 300 million crowns. The price has become the target of criticism from several councilors.

According to the project documentation, for which the city paid 18 million crowns, the current building is to be completely stripped down to its load-bearing structure. Originally, the competitive proposal considered an amount of 130 million crowns, but the price increased due to the finalization of the proposal, and the rise in construction material prices significantly influenced it. According to Mayor Petr Měřínský (ANO), the current cost estimate is 301 million crowns. "The public procurement is financially covered today to the amount of 223 million crowns. If the councilors approve the intention of this public procurement, it will be announced and by autumn we should know the contractor with the price. The selection of the contractor would be decided or not decided by the council," the mayor stated.

Councilors today criticized primarily the price increase. "The city leadership originally assumed 130 million crowns, and I was already saying then that it is an unrealistic amount. The purchase of the building cost 37.7 million, the architectural competition was 270,000 crowns, the project documentation was 18 million crowns, the estimated construction calculation is 301 million crowns, interior design 40 million crowns, IT technology estimated at 20 million crowns, and the unit exchange for ten million crowns. In the end, we are at nearly 430 million crowns," commented councilor František Hrabina (Prosperita). "We want to repair the facade, but it will cost the city an outrageous amount of money. We as a club will not support this material," added councilor Radek Pospíšilík (Prosperita).

However, according to councilor Petr Vrána (ANO), it is not possible to compare the price of a bare building with the price of a fully equipped one. He also pointed out that officials could move into the building from six workplaces, and the reconstruction would significantly revitalize the central square. "We want to tender to determine the real price," said Deputy Mayor Hana Mazochová (ANO). She added that the city plans to cover the financing with a 150 million crown loan for 15 years, and it would also like to use one hundred million crowns from dividends and grants. Therefore, according to Mazochová, the city's finances should not jeopardize the reconstruction.

The building dates back to the late 1960s and has long been the target of criticism for its appearance, which disrupted the historical character of the central square. The winning proposal from the foreign company Anagram&Gruppa aims to transform the building into a modern facility with space for officials, a café, and a lookout over the city. Their project was selected by experts last year from proposals in the so-called architectural dialogue.