The purchase of automatic mills may not succeed with the representatives

Pardubice - The purchase of the Automatic Mills from Josef Gočár for 25 million crowns may not find sufficient support in the Pardubice city council. This was stated today by the mayor's deputy, František Brendl (Pardubáci), to journalists. His members are expected to decide on acquiring the national cultural monument for the city's ownership in September.
    "After today's meeting of the finance committee, I am no longer such an optimist. I wanted to advocate for halting the entire project," Brendl said.
    The company GoodMills, which ceased production at the mills last spring, is offering the site covering nearly 11,000 m² for 25 million crowns. The original offer was 40 million crowns.
    The city has prepared detailed materials for the council regarding the usage of the mills, including options for obtaining subsidies and operational costs for approximately three to four years. If the councilors decide to purchase the mills, they will be closed for the first six months, after which part of the facility may already serve the public.
    "Within six months, an organization would be created to manage the mills. Then the facility should be open for cultural and social purposes, as well as for business, as there are warehouses, offices, and accommodation spaces that can be immediately rented out," said the project's manager for the city, Miroslav Janovský.
    This state could last for about three years, during which time the buildings would begin to be repaired with the help of subsidies. The city already has a utilization study for the site. The central place is the main building designed by Gočár and the adjoining extensions by architect Karel Řepa.
    There could be an IQ center, classrooms for artistic fields of the elementary art school, a large hall with a capacity of 250 seats, residential studios, spaces for start-up companies in the creative industry, or even a café and a presentation room for the city, where its representatives would meet with residents.
    To restore the historically protected objects, the city could obtain European subsidies, estimated at 250 million crowns. Other subsidies could fund cultural and educational projects.
    "It is better to gradually repair the facility so that people do not lose contact with it over the years of renovation," Janovský said.
    The mills were built between 1910 and 1925 for the Winternitz brothers and are characterized by the rowed masonry made of light and dark bricks typical of Anglo-Saxon architecture. The buildings by Karel Řepa are of a younger date. Other extensions are from the second half of the 20th century and are no longer subject to heritage protection.