Chisinau Municipal Council refuses to cover building costs of central stadium

The Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) refuses to cover the building expenses of the central stadium from the municipal budget. The allocation from the municipal budget of about half a million lei for cleaning the site where the Olympic-type stadium will be located and for providing three families from the zone of the future building site with apartments aroused controversy at the CMC’s meeting of February 15. The municipal councilors, including the Communists, expressed their disagreement over the fact that the local authorities have to cover the building costs of a facility that will not be administered by the municipality. The given issue was discussed as part of the matter regarding the modification of the 2007 budget expenditure of about 39 million lei, of which 500,000 lei was earmarked for the central stadium. A number of representatives of the local administration as well as the chairman of the CMC meeting Grigore Myra said that under the contract signed by the CMC and the entrepreneur – the firm Kilogrin - the cleaning works and accommodation of the families whose houses will be demolished were to be financed from the local budget. The copies of this contract were on the table of each municipal councilor when the issue was being discussed by the CMC. Nevertheless, the majority of councilors expressed their bewilderment over such stipulations saying, among others, that many times they vote on a matter, but the CMC decisions contain something else. The councilors asked that the Juridical Division present an informative note about the stipulations of the contract with Kilogrin within five days so that the CMC could review the decision regarding the approval of this contract. The construction of the Olympic-type central stadium in Chisinau was to begin in February. At a meeting of the Government, acting mayor general of Chisinau Veaceslav Iordan informed that the geodesic and topographic works have been carried out and the zonal urbanistic plan drawn up in compliance with the approved Graphic-Plan. The demolition works in the perimeter of the streets Tudor Vladimirescu - Calea Orheiului – Bolbocica will be initiated after the Design Institute “Chisinau-Proiect” drafts the design documentation. Former acting mayor general Vasile Ursu said earlier that the municipality would have to cover project-related expenses of over 10 million lei. The individuals and legal entities that rent land in this zone will be paid compensations or other land will be leased out to them. It is planned that the construction of the future stadium-sports complex that will have a capacity of at least 30,000 seats will last for three years. The investor – the foreign capital enterprise Kilogrin – that was designated by the Government to build the central stadium in May, will have the right to ownership over the constructed building and is to recoup the investment from the sale of the other facilities that will be erected in this zone. The Chisinau City Hall planned to completely bulldoze the constructions around the Circus, especially the one-storied houses, and build a model residential block there.