Representatives of Rožnov will decide on the construction of a cultural center for 325 million CZK

Rožnov pod Radhoštěm – The representatives of Rožnov pod Radhoštěm should decide on January 27 whether a cultural center will be built in the city or not, and what its potential financing will be. The spokesperson for the town hall, Petra Graclíková, informed ČTK in a press release today. The project has been in preparation for seven years, but its costs have risen to 325 million crowns. According to the leadership of Rožnov, there is a lack of large space where balls, conferences, or performances for larger audiences could be held.

Last December, the city councilors approved the reconstruction and extension of the municipal library with estimated costs of 75 million crowns including VAT. A discussion was also held about the cultural center. According to some councilors, the city does not have the funds for both large investments, and the debt will be significant. Therefore, at the end of last year, the councilors did not decide on the construction of the cultural center.

The cultural center is supposed to have a large hall with a capacity of 340 people, a small hall for 120 people, a foyer, an outdoor stage, and facilities. "We want to build such a cultural center in the city that the citizens expect and certainly deserve after so many years. We wish that the people of Rožnov could go to a ball, a beautiful theater, or an educational lecture here and not have to travel to nearby towns or villages for these experiences. In recent years, we have all been restricted due to pandemic measures, and one of the most affected areas was culture. Now, when we see that the world is slowly returning to old ways and culture is thriving again, we want to provide these events with appropriate facilities even more," stated Deputy Mayor Jiří Melcher (ANO).

The tendered price for the construction of the cultural center is approximately 325 million crowns. "We have fixed finances in the cultural reserve for the construction, we also have an approved grant for the passive standard of 50 million crowns, and we will, of course, actively seek new grants during the process that would allow us to access additional financial resources. We have been promised a grant of 15 million crowns from the Zlín region, which can be used for the construction of the cultural center or for the reconstruction and extension of the municipal library," said the deputy mayor.

According to him, the city leadership knows that the price is higher than originally anticipated. "However, the prices of construction work have significantly increased over the last two years. When tendering suppliers, we divided the public contract into six partial parts to reach the lowest possible amount. We, as councilors, find ourselves at a point where we must decide whether to proceed with the construction of the cultural center or not. Any postponement will only bring a higher amount since the current public contract will need to be canceled, and we will most likely lose the grant for the passive standard. The people of Rožnov certainly deserve a cultural center, and I believe we will make the right decision," said Melcher.

The city, with more than 16,000 inhabitants, is led by a minority coalition of the ANO movement and the Zdravý Rožnov association.