Liberec is once again looking for a company to repair the administrative building Uran

Liberec - Liberec is looking for a company for the second time in the competition that will repair the seven-story administrative building Uran near the bus station. The city estimates the costs to be more than 111 million crowns. The reconstruction, planned for three quarters of a year, according to Deputy Mayor Radka Loučková Kotasová (ANO), should ideally begin this May.

"In comparison to previous conditions, among other things, we are trying to prevent candidates from withdrawing so easily. Therefore, we are setting the tender period to 90 days and we are also requiring a security deposit of half a million crowns," said the deputy. According to her, the tender period indicates how long the offer from the candidate is binding. The town hall canceled the previous tender at the end of last year, as two of the three registered companies did not meet the conditions and the third withdrew from the competition voluntarily.

The seven-story office building on 1st May Street mainly needs to have its facade restored, which poses a danger to its surroundings. There is protective scaffolding around Uran to prevent anything from falling onto the sidewalk that leads to the train station. The new facade should be made of galvanized sheet metal, replacing the so-called boletice panels. At the same time, new air conditioning, electrical installations, and central heating will also be done inside.

However, the project does not have the support of the entire coalition. Critics object, for example, that it is only a partial reconstruction, which does not include the replacement of risers, elevators, or toilets. Others point out that the indebted city should prioritize the repair of the swimming stadium, which will require hundreds of millions of crowns. Some consider it a better option if the city finds another building for the officials and abandons this one. Due to the discrepancies, coalition representatives decided that the continuation of the project would be determined by the city council. The reconstruction is proceeding thanks to the support of the opposition, even though its representatives have reservations about the project. "In the end, we leaned towards approving the Uran reconstruction project, albeit with gritted teeth. The entire process of its preparation symbolizes our disappointment in how the current city leadership is handling the development agenda. However, in a situation where failing to approve the project could pave the way for much more expensive alternatives, we had to lean towards the lesser evil," said opposition councilor for Change for Liberec Jindřich Felcman.

Officials from the social department already moved out of Uran last September. About 60 workers relocated to the S Tower building. Workers from the transport register will also have to vacate Uran. According to the original plans, they were supposed to move to building D at the regional office, where the vaccination center used to be. However, due to the situation in Ukraine, the city will have to look for another solution. "The building is currently being used as a coordination center for refugees from Ukraine, and this matter takes precedence over the register," said Mayor Jaroslav Zámečník (Mayors for the Liberec Region).