The representatives of Plzeň approved the construction of a theater for 818 million CZK

Plzeň - After a long negotiation, today the representatives of Plzeň expressed their agreement to build a new theater building instead of the inadequate chamber theater. The construction, including equipment, will cost 818 million crowns without VAT according to the lowest bid in the tender, and an additional 16 million crowns will be required for archaeological research, construction supervision, supervision, documentation, and noise studies. Since 2008, the city has already spent over 66 million crowns on preparatory project work.
    The sharpest discussions were about the total cost of the theater. In the past, several amounts were mentioned. Currently, the previously approved cap by the representatives is 840 million crowns excluding tax. However, in the tender, the city set a limit price of 779 million. No applicants met that amount. Therefore, today the representatives decided whether the city should continue the tender process even with exceeding the limit or halt the process, which the conditions allow.
    17 interested parties picked up the tender documentation, and six entities submitted proposals. The committee disqualified two. The competition is not yet closed, so the city has not announced who submitted the best offer. According to Deputy Mayor Petr Rund (ODS), it is a company with a strong financial background. "If we approve this offer, we will receive the keys to the finished theater at the turn of April and May 2014, and it can be played immediately," Rund said before the vote. The price includes technical equipment, complete fittings, furniture, and a sculpture in front of the building.
    The city hall expects to obtain 400 million from a loan from the European Investment Bank, 200 million from EU grants, about 100 million came to Plzeň from the region for the sale of gymnasium buildings, with the rest being paid by the city. The loan from EIB would burden Plzeň with annual payments of 35 million crowns for the next 15 to 20 years.
    Theater director Jan Burian reminded the representatives that the chamber theater has been in a state of emergency for over ten years and can no longer function for long. If a new theater is not built, there is a risk of closing the building and the collapse of some ensembles from the four-ensemble theater. Opposition representative from TOP 09 and Plzeň actor and director Antonín Procházka confirmed the emergency state of the theater. According to him, the construction will never be cheaper in the future. "If you put the project for the new chamber theater on ice, you will also put the project for the European Capital of Culture (EHMK) in 2015 on ice, because we would have nowhere to realize it. The new theater is one of the crucial flagship projects of the initiative," added Tomáš Froyda, head of the Plzeň 2015 company, which prepares the agenda for EHMK.
    Eventually, 34 representatives raised their hands in favor of realizing the new theater for 818 million crowns without VAT, while five opposed.