Teplice will announce a contract for the construction of an ice rink

Teplice - A new winter stadium is expected to be built in Teplice in about two years. The city council will announce a public tender in the summer, which anticipates a maximum price of 155 million crowns without VAT. The city will try to secure a grant for the sports facility, but the stadium will be built even if the grant is not obtained, said Mayor Jaroslav Kubera to ČTK.

The spa town of fifty thousand is the only comparably large city in northern Bohemia that does not have a covered ice surface. The stadium is to be built next to the sports hall. Initial estimates indicated costs of 100 million crowns, but according to the project documentation, they will be higher. For the city, the ceiling is 155 million crowns without VAT. "We are setting this as a limit, and we believe that the winning company will do it for less money than stated. We fundamentally exclude all companies that exceed what we have said is acceptable for us," Kubera told ČTK.

The project's costs have increased due to, for example, the expansion of facilities for athletes. Additionally, it will not only be about the stadium itself. "It consists of several buildings, including a winter stadium, a parking lot, the rerouting of sewers, and other constructions associated with it," Kubera stated.

The city council will announce the public tender on August 1. According to Kubera, it is hard to estimate when construction will begin. "We would like construction to start this year. To start preparing the work," the mayor said. The planned completion date is August 31, 2018, but the tender and subsequent construction may be delayed by possible appeals from unsuccessful bidders.

The town hall is also trying to obtain a state grant. "We would like to, we have negotiations with the Ministry of Education, but the grant is very uncertain," Kubera stated. The city will build the stadium even if it does not receive the grant. "We have the funds for it," the mayor added.

The original winter stadium served from the 1970s until 2010, when local hockey players began using the stadium in nearby Bílina. The ruins of the building were purchased by the Teplice entrepreneur Jaroslav Třešňák. The building was demolished.