Jihlava wants to start the tender for the construction of an arena for 1.4 billion CZK in February

Jihlava – Jihlava plans to initiate a tender for the construction of a multi-purpose arena for approximately 1.4 billion crowns in mid-February. If everything goes according to plan, the city could have a signed contract with the contractor by early June. Only then will the city hall likely find out if it will receive a subsidy from the National Sports Agency, for which it has applied. This is based on information about the preparation of this project, which was conveyed to the city representatives today by David Beke, a city councilor from ODS and the construction manager of the arena.

According to data recently published by the Seznam Zprávy website, the first beneficiaries of funds from the subsidy program of the National Sports Agency to support investments in sports buildings are expected to be the projects of multi-purpose halls in Brno and Jihlava.

The Vysočina Region promised to contribute half a billion crowns to the arena last year, and Jihlava could receive a subsidy of up to 300 million crowns from the agency. The city is expected to contribute 600 million crowns to the construction of the arena.

Councilor Beke told the representatives today that the agency has called on the city to submit documents, including a schedule with the anticipated completion date for the tender, a contract with the contractor, and complete information on the evaluation. "The economic department is working on securing a loan of 600 million, which we need to demonstrate our sources,” he also stated.

The city plans to build the arena on the site of the old ice hockey stadium in the center. The multi-purpose arena would allow for cultural events in addition to hockey and other sporting events. The city owns both the stadium and the Dukla hockey club, which plays its home matches there.

Since last year, the city has been looking for possible savings in the arena project, partly due to concerns about unpredictable price increases in the construction market. There have been several changes to the project which, according to the councilor, should not affect functionality and should be unnoticeable to a layperson. Among other things, the basement of the corner building near the arena, which was planned for offices and employee locker rooms, has been reduced, the extent of glass elements on the façades and interiors has been decreased, and the stone originally considered for the outdoor areas was replaced with concrete elements. The running track on the roof of the arena is planned to have only three lanes instead of six.

The Jihlava city representatives will also discuss the arena at the next meeting, scheduled for February 22. The city hall's leadership should familiarize them with possible crisis scenarios, such as in the case that companies submit bids that are too high in the tender.