June DIGEST. Most important news articles of IPN "Chișinău” news flow
June 1: A well-through-out city development strategy consulted with the community is necessary for adjusting the General Urbanistic Plan of the city. This strategy will serve as a benchmark for the municipal functionaries and for the future of the municipality of Chisinau. The Strategy for sustainable socioeconomic and spatial development of Chisinau municipality was worked out in a move to identify the priorities, objectives and tasks for the socioeconomic and territorial development of the municipality correlated with the needs of the city. The goal of the document is to transform the city so that it is more comfortable for the inhabitants of Chisinau. The strategy consists of eight chapters: formation of the identity of Chisinau; sustainable spatial development of the territory; development of urban comfortable environment; sociodemographic development; socioeconomic development of the territory; development of transport and technical infrastructure; development of historical-cultural and tourism sectors; development of environmental protection and natural heritage potential.
June 2: A new playground is being built at 24 Valea Crucii St in Botanica district of Chisinau. Fitness and workout grounds are being set up in the same square. Bushes were planted there recently. In the square at 24 Valea Crucii St, there will also be installed 15 benches and ten garbage bins. This year, the General Public Amenities Division will build playgrounds, fitness and workout grounds also on Decebal Blvd, in Râșcani Park and in “Valea Morilor” Park. The addresses are chosen according to requests made by locals, in coordination with the district head’s offices.
June 3: The project to promote nonformal education and organize the leisure time of children in an efficient way by teaching them astronomic sciences was completed. The project was aimed at restoring the possibilities of studying astronomy and at enabling the children to freely explore the universe with the assistance of a modern telescope. Inside the Creation Center “Sunflower”, the authors of the project staged workshops that involved children and teachers of the host institution. The activity forms part of the project to promote nonformal education that was implemented through the agency of the 2021 Chisinau Civic Budget Program.
June 7: There are currently 16 aerators installed at Valea Morilor Pond, but they are still not enough to keep the pond adequately aerated, the Chisinau City Hall said in a press release. Oxygen depletion and rising temperatures are causing a lethal mix for the pond fish, with municipal services collecting about 30 kilograms of dead fish each day from the 84-acre lake located in the Valea Morilor Park. However, this is far less than the 200 kg on average before the installation of aerators.
June 7: Workers of the Green Areas Association are felling dry trees in the capital city. They work at night and on the weekend as well. During May 27 – June 6, 271 trees were cut down, while 272 trees were trimmed. A number of 131 trees were felled and clipped in “Valea Morilor” Park during one day. Mayor Ion Ceban said the employees of the Green Areas Association work in the areas managed by the Association first and will later move to the territories of educational institutions and the yards of apartment buildings in Chisinau.
June 11: Work to rehabilitate enclosures for predators is almost over at the Chisinau Zoo. The rehabilitation involved the walls and flooring, new fencing was installed, and the heating system was replaced. The enclosures were built at the founding of the Zoo and were intended to temporarily maintain wildlife. For 40 years, wolves, lions, leopards, bears lived here. Every year, there was a need to repair the winter spaces, fences and floors. As there was no solid foundation, the measures taken to maintain its functionality were not sufficient. At the same time, there weren’t enough funds for an extensive rehabilitation.
June 13: Mayor Ion Ceban will be the one making the final call as to how much fares in Chisinau’s public transport will increase, as the City Council approved the raise in principle. The City Council approved a recommended fare of 6 lei for a ride in both trolleybuses and buses, which is triple and double the current fares, respectively. The cost of a ride decreases on multi-trip tickets, being estimated at 3.9 lei with a monthly pass, 3.3 lei with a three-month pass, and 2.7 lei with a six-month pass.
June 13: New municipal programs in healthcare, including as regards prevention, will be implemented in the municipality of Chisinau. Five Local Medical Associations will be outfitted with modern mamographers, while two medical centers will receive bone X-ray machines. Also, there will be inaugurated the medical imaging unit of Saint Archangel Clinical Hospital. The chief health officer of Chisinau Boris Gîlca noted that the municipality is making effort to build a solid health system with accessible medical services, including in the field of prevention. Therefore, there were developed a number of municipal programs, such as cervical cancer screening through the PAP-test, HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis prevention in the municipality, especially by preventative and educative actions based on the municipal plan for the prevention of such infections, and dental prosthetics for socially deprived persons.
June 14: A new invoicing section is to be created as part of the General Public Transport and Communications Division of Chisinau for controlling the sale of tickets and subscriptions for public transport. According to Igor Luca, the representative of the company that carried out the institutional audit of the Division, there is now no control over the sale of tickets in public transport. As the municipality covers the difference in fares, the Chisinau City Hall should keep under control the number of sold tickets. The operators - the Electric Transport Company and the Urban Trolleybus Park – report how many tickets they sold, while the municipality believes them without inspecting. The audit showed that the sale of tickets is uncertain, while the human resources involved in the control of transport services are inefficient.
June 20: The municipal Green Areas Association from now on will be managed by Victoria Covali, who worked as the deputy head of the state-run Forestry Agency “Moldsilva”. She was presented in the Monday meeting of officials of municipal services. Victoria Covali said the green areas are an important area for the municipality, which should be the calling card of Chisinau, and also for the residents of the city, for their physical and emotional comfort.
June 21: The charge for collecting, transporting and storing waste in the municipality of Chisinau will be higher as from July 1. The monthly charge for private individuals living in apartment buildings will be 17.5 lei, up from 9.25 lei at present, while in the case of private homes – 35 lei, as opposed to 18.5 lei today. The new charges were discussed in the meeting of the Chisinau Municipal Council. The local councilors approved a draft decision by which the adjustment of charges was made the task of mayor Ion Ceban. The acting director of the cleanup company “Autosalubritate” Igor Gîrlea said the charges need to be adjusted as the prices of fuels, natural gas, electricity, services continue to increase. If the charges are not adjusted, the company risk being unable to collect waste and an ecological disaster can be witnessed in several days given the large volumes of waste transported out of Chisinau.
June 21: The trip by minibus in the districts of Chisinau as from July 1 will cost 6 lei, while in the suburban settlements the price will vary depending on the covered distance and will not exceed 12 lei, mayor Ion Ceban stated in the meeting of the Chisinau Municipal Council. A trip by minibus in the districts of Chisinau - Râșcani, Buiucani, Centru, Botanica, Ciocana - will cost 6 lei, as by public transport. As regards the trips outside the city, to the suburban settlements, the fare will not be 12 lei, but 0.40 lei vehicle/kilometer, depending on the route and distance covered. It can mostly remain 6 lei or 7 or 8 lei.
June 23: The persons who retired because of old age and the persons with disabilities will travel free by public transport in the municipality of Chisinau until the regualtions are worked out. These persons need to present a permit to confirm their status of pensioner or their disability degree. The trips will also be free for children up to the fifth grade. The first-fourth graders will be issued with free season tickets at the educational institution at which they study. The General Public Transport and Communication Division requested the General Division of Education, Youth and Sport to compile and present the list of students who will benefit from free season tickets. These will be issued for a calendar year.
June 24: A new branch of the Municipal Youth Center was opened at 3 Ghidighic St in Buiucani district of Chisinau. This is a youth-friendly multifunctional center where adolescents will develop, will study and will do volunteer work. The center aims to unite young people from Chisinau and from Ukraine and to strengthen the relations between the teens and the municipality, mayor general Ion Ceban stated in the inaugural event, IPN reports. The Municipal Youth Center opened in Buiucani was outfitted as part of a project implemented by the “Pro Bono” Information and Resource Center in partnership with the Chisinau City Hall and the Chisinau Municipal Youth Center, with financial support from UNICEF Moldova.
June 24: The archeological site “Ruins of the Church Museum - eparchial house, house of Teodor Sabău” will be added to the Register of Local Historic Monuments of the municipality of Chisinau. Besides, the relevant draft decision provides that archeological diggings near the Old Sobor will be continued. “For the first time this year, we allocated money from the municipal budget for archeological excavations. The road to the area was closed and a fence that was illegally placed on the municipality’s territory was removed so as to enable archeologists to work,” stated mayor Ion Ceban. The ruins of the building dating from 1795 were found in the historical nucleus of Chisinau, in Râșcani district. The foundations of a building and three underground stone structures that were demolished in the 1960s were discovered in that area.
June 25: An articulated trolleybus that is 18 meters long will run on the streets of Chisinau. The vehicle bought from Italy was placed on route No. 22. The trolleybus has a transportation capacity of about 160 persons. It is outfitted with air conditioning, WI-FI, an autonomous generator, ramps for wheelchair users and a low floor.
June 25: The Municipal Children’s Infectious Diseases Hospital of Chisinau was equipped with an artificial respiration machine, a saniutary car, sets of bedclothes and protective suits. The donation was made by the Chisinau City Hall on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the hospital. Mayor general Ion Ceban congratulated the 154 doctors and ancillary staff and handed over diplomas to them. “The personnel of the Municipal Children’s Infectious Diseases Hospital had been fully involved in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic since its beginning,” Ion Ceban.
June 29: The General Public Amenities Division of Chisinau at the end of July will start to compile the Local Register of Green Areas. Vasile Efros, head of the Division’s Territorial Development and Environment Unit, has told IPN that the register will be in a digital format and will contain information about the trees of public gardens, squares and street alignments. As part of this project, all the trees will be inventoried and examined from phytosanitary viewpoint so that we reach a conclusion about their state. The given information will be included in this register.
June 30: The installation of a workout complex will start in “Valea Trandafirilor” Park in Botanica district of Chisinau in August. A fitness complex will be built in the Square situated on Albișoara St in Centru district in the same period. Will be installed modern equipment that can be used by the residents of the capital city to rest and to entertain themselves. A sum of 765,000 lei was earmarked in the 2022 municipal budget for building the mentioned workout and fitness complexes.
June 30: During August 19-21, the Romanian city of Suceava will host a cultural event to promote Bessarabia. During three days, the cultural heritage of Moldova will be presented at a fair of folk craftsmen at the Museum of Rural Bucovina. Dramatic art will be presented on the stage of the Municipal Theater Matei Vişniec in Suceava and at the Seat Fortress of Suceava, where several well-known artists will perform, announced the Chisinau City Hall. The event is part of the “Bessarabia greets Bucovina” Project.
