In Bílovice today, they began the renovation of Mill Island, part of which will serve the school

Bílovice nad Svitavou – In Bílovice nad Svitavou in the Brno region, the adjustments of the Mill Island, located on the Svitava River, were ceremoniously initiated today. The demolition of old and unused buildings finished a few days ago. In their place, two buildings will arise, serving education, leisure activities, as well as a microbrewery and restaurant, said the mayor Miroslav Boháček to ČTK. The municipality is also waiting to see if it will succeed with its grant application; if so, it will also begin revitalizing another part of the island.

The Bílovice Mill has not served its purpose for about a quarter of a century, despite being located almost in the center of the village. Therefore, the municipality has long been working towards transforming this place and its new utilization. It obtained a grant of 206 million crowns from the State Investment Support Fund, and the construction will cost 213 million crowns. Approximately 55 million crowns were spent on the demolition.

Two buildings will be built on Mill Island, and they are expected to be completed by the beginning of December next year. The first will be seven stories high. Four floors will be used by the Bílovice school, whose capacity has already been insufficient for the growing number of children in Bílovice and the surrounding villages. "There will be preschoolers and the first two grades. The school has a total of 570 children," said Boháček. Thanks to the increased capacity, students from Babice and Řícmanice, who currently have to travel to other schools nearby, will also be able to attend school in Bílovice. The fifth floor will host the ZUŠ Šlapanice, which currently operates in Bílovice under a commercial lease. "Half of the fifth floor will also be dedicated to clubs falling under the SVČ Lužánky. The sixth floor will have a large conference room for 100 people and the seventh floor will have a small club room," Boháček added. In the second smaller building, the municipality wants to have a microbrewery and a pub, above which there will be a kitchen for school meals. Both buildings will be connected by a glass corridor so that students do not have to go outside when going to lunch.

Mill Island is one of the few places that can still be developed in Bílovice, as the municipality has experienced a relatively turbulent development of residential housing over the past 20 years. Approximately 1,500 residents have moved into new buildings, leading to an increase to 3,700 residents.

In the second phase, the municipality plans to revitalize another part of the island for leisure activities. "There will be facilities for teenagers, a playground with water features, two large multifunctional fields with a preparation for an inflatable hall, and also a small amphitheater. The question is whether we will also engage in the construction of a small wellness center. We will have to reconsider that in light of finances," said Boháček. For this part, Bílovice already has a valid building permit and is waiting to see if it will be successful with its request for a hundred-million crown grant. "We will find out probably in the summer; the total cost is 150 million crowns. If we succeed, we want to start construction in the fall so that we have everything ready as soon as possible," said Boháček.

Bílovice is a popular excursion spot for Brno residents and has also become a sought-after place to live. However, previously, it did not have a square or a village green, so in the past decade, a new square has been created in the place of old buildings along with the construction of the municipal office, a ceremonial hall, and a post office.