Karlovy Vary representatives approved the further direction of Alžbětina Lázné. The last city spa is to remain in the property of Karlovy Vary, which will use its own money to repair it. They will try to look into it after subsidies. The proposal drew criticism from the opposition, and coalition partners also had comments.
The report on how to deal with the last city spa was presented to the representatives by the chairman of the board of Alžbětiny lázní Václav Benedikt (ANO).
"Elžbětina's spa is truly the city's last comprehensive spa operation, and the city wants to preserve it as such. He will invest in it and do everything to keep it urban," said the chairman of the board.
According to him, traditional subsidies, whether national or European, could help Karlovy Vary. They should concern, for example, tourism.
"The estimate for the repair of Elizabeth's spa is somewhere between 400 and 700 million crowns. We are trying to make this happen as quickly as possible. We assume that it will last from five to ten years," added Václav Benedikt.
According to Mayor Andrea Pfeffer Ferklová (ANO), Karlovy Vary would certainly not be able to handle the reconstruction with its own money. "We will be looking at ways to find the part somewhere else," she said.
She also recalled the building of the Císařské lázně in Karlovy Vary, which belongs to the region and for a long time its repair was unsuccessful.
"There was still nothing happening with them, and finally the governor came and after an agreement with the government, she managed to get 250 million crowns. Why wouldn't we be able to do something like that with Elizabeth's Spa," the mayoress pointed out. According to her, the city will start with the necessary repairs to the spa in the order of millions of crowns, such as the roof and the like.
The concession procedure was stopped by the new city management
But Václav Benedikt's report was criticized by the KOA movement of former mayor Petr Kulhánek. For several years, under his leadership, the town hall prepared the so-called concession procedure, i.e. the contract for the lease and repair of the Alžbětina spa in the form of a concession. But the new council stopped the proceedings. The association of private companies Royal Spa and Hochtief applied for it.
Elizabeth's baths were to be acquired for a twenty-five-year lease. The reconstruction would amount to 561 million crowns. Karlovy Vary was supposed to contribute 450 million to the investment, for which they would have to take a loan, and they would also guarantee the association's hundred million loan. His deposit would amount to eleven million crowns.
After the twenty-five-year lease had expired, the association was supposed to return Elizabeth's baths to the city in the condition they were in after repair and approval. Kulhánek said that he expected a factual document from Benedikt about how the city will deal with Elizabeth's Spa.
"From my point of view, the content of the document is absolutely desperate, the form is even worse, but what's worst is that the document deals both with the criminalization of the concession dialogue and with the description of chimerical drawing of subsidy titles, which we know we cannot use for the building," he criticized Petr Kulhanek.
According to him, the outline of what to do with the facility lies in the so-called salami method of repair with city money, he does not see an alternative to a concession. "We are in a situation where, for at least the same financial resources, we will get a guaranteed qualitatively worse solution," he assessed.
Jiří Neumann from KOA, on the other hand, said that the report lacks a business plan for the project supported by expertise. "We want to invest without a clearly approved idea of further functioning," he warned.
Even the coalition Karlovy Vary did not leave a message without comments. "I don't know how it is with subsidy options. I'm a little skeptical that a city-owned company will figure this out and run everything well. I see it as a burden on the city with an uncertain effect at the end," said councilor Josef März.
Author: Jana Plechatá
Source: idnes.cz
Karlovy Vary representatives approved the further direction of Alžbětina Lázné. The last city spa is to remain in the property of Karlovy Vary, which will use its own money to repair it. They will try to look into it after subsidies. The proposal drew criticism from the opposition, and coalition partners also had comments.
The report on how to deal with the last city spa was presented to the representatives by the chairman of the board of Alžbětiny lázní Václav Benedikt (ANO).
"Elžbětina's spa is truly the city's last comprehensive spa operation, and the city wants to preserve it as such. He will invest in it and do everything to keep it urban," said the chairman of the board.
According to him, traditional subsidies, whether national or European, could help Karlovy Vary. They should concern, for example, tourism.
"The estimate for the repair of Elizabeth's spa is somewhere between 400 and 700 million crowns. We are trying to make this happen as quickly as possible. We assume that it will last from five to ten years," added Václav Benedikt.
According to Mayor Andrea Pfeffer Ferklová (ANO), Karlovy Vary would certainly not be able to handle the reconstruction with its own money. "We will be looking at ways to find the part somewhere else," she said.
She also recalled the building of the Císařské lázně in Karlovy Vary, which belongs to the region and for a long time its repair was unsuccessful.
"There was still nothing happening with them, and finally the governor came and after an agreement with the government, she managed to get 250 million crowns. Why wouldn't we be able to do something like that with Elizabeth's Spa," the mayoress pointed out. According to her, the city will start with the necessary repairs to the spa in the order of millions of crowns, such as the roof and the like.
The concession procedure was stopped by the new city management
But Václav Benedikt's report was criticized by the KOA movement of former mayor Petr Kulhánek. For several years, under his leadership, the town hall prepared the so-called concession procedure, i.e. the contract for the lease and repair of the Alžbětina spa in the form of a concession. But the new council stopped the proceedings. The association of private companies Royal Spa and Hochtief applied for it.
Elizabeth's baths were to be acquired for a twenty-five-year lease. The reconstruction would amount to 561 million crowns. Karlovy Vary was supposed to contribute 450 million to the investment, for which they would have to take a loan, and they would also guarantee the association's hundred million loan. His deposit would amount to eleven million crowns.
After the twenty-five-year lease had expired, the association was supposed to return Elizabeth's baths to the city in the condition they were in after repair and approval. Kulhánek said that he expected a factual document from Benedikt about how the city will deal with Elizabeth's Spa.
"From my point of view, the content of the document is absolutely desperate, the form is even worse, but what's worst is that the document deals both with the criminalization of the concession dialogue and with the description of chimerical drawing of subsidy titles, which we know we cannot use for the building," he criticized Petr Kulhanek.
According to him, the outline of what to do with the facility lies in the so-called salami method of repair with city money, he does not see an alternative to a concession. "We are in a situation where, for at least the same financial resources, we will get a guaranteed qualitatively worse solution," he assessed.
Jiří Neumann from KOA, on the other hand, said that the report lacks a business plan for the project supported by expertise. "We want to invest without a clearly approved idea of further functioning," he warned.
Even the coalition Karlovy Vary did not leave a message without comments. "I don't know how it is with subsidy options. I'm a little skeptical that a city-owned company will figure this out and run everything well. I see it as a burden on the city with an uncertain effect at the end," said councilor Josef März.
Author: Jana Plechatá
Source: idnes.cz