In Ostrava, a petition was created for the construction of the original scientific library

Ostrava, June 16 (CTK) - A petition has been created in Ostrava to support the original project of the Moravian-Silesian Scientific Library, whose design emerged from an architectural competition. CTK was informed today by Jaroslav Němec, a member of the petition committee and an artist. A few days ago, the Moravian-Silesian Region decided to completely abandon the original project. They want to build the library at a lower cost, and its design should be proposed by candidates for its construction. The spokesman for the regional office, Šárka Vlčková, told CTK today that the region would comment on the petition at the earliest at a press conference on Wednesday.
   According to the original project, which was developed during the regional government of the ODS and KDU-ČSL, the construction of the library and the associated parking facility was to cost approximately 1.5 billion CZK. The new leadership of the region, led by the ČSSD and KSČM, now wants the costs of building the library not to exceed 850 million CZK, which will be one of the conditions for selecting a contractor.
   Originally, according to the architectural design by Ladislav Kuba and Tomáš Pilar, the library was to take the form of a black glass cube. "We consider the project to be high-quality, distinctive, and worthy of a public building of such significance as a public library with a scientific focus," explained Němec.
   He added that the initiators of the petition would demand that the region withdraw its negative decision regarding the implementation of the construction according to the original project. The petition can now be signed on the website www.cernakostka.cz. Its initiators want to inform not only the region but also the city, the Ministry of Culture, or the European Commission, which approved a grant of 600 million CZK for the original project. The region now wants to use this money in the areas of healthcare and education. They intend to finance the library's construction only with the help of a state grant and the regional budget.
   The library has become the subject of a dispute between the current (ČSSD and KSČM) and former (ODS and KDU-ČSL) leadership of the region. The former leadership claims that their successors could have long ago announced a new competition for the construction of the library, which is now also being demanded by the members of the petition committee. "We demand that the regional office announce a selection procedure for the construction contractor and that it begins the realization as soon as possible," added Němec.
   The existing library has been located in inadequate spaces since its inception in 1951, and the start of construction of a new one has been postponed several times, among other reasons due to funding issues. The region aims to build the new library in a cheaper variant by 2014. The Moravian-Silesian Scientific Library is currently located in rented spaces in the New Town Hall. It has over a million titles in its collection and is one of the largest in the country. An average of 1,000 people visit it daily.