Modřany will ask Prague for another loan for the construction of the town hall

Prague - Prague 12 will ask the capital city for another loan to finance the construction of a new town hall and its readiness for operation. The capital city has already lent the district a quarter of a billion crowns for the construction of the town hall. Now, Prague 12 wants to borrow 120 million crowns for a period of 20 years. The city councilors of the district approved sending the request today.

According to initial estimates, the construction of the town hall was supposed to cost 470 million crowns including VAT. In 2017, a contract was signed with the contractor, where the price was set at 438 million crowns excluding VAT. An annex then raised it to 442 million crowns, which is 535 million including VAT.

Further price increases were partly caused by newly discovered facts, namely the necessity to remove contaminated soil and to ecologically dispose of asbestos in the dismantled structure on the construction site, which were not part of the contract price that had been tendered and the signed contract for work, as stated in the material approved by the councilors today.

The leadership of Prague 12 handed over the construction site near Sofia Square to the construction company at the end of March. An archaeological survey and demolition of structures on the land began. The construction is expected to be completed in July next year.

The winner of the tender, who succeeded based on submitting the lowest price offer, was approved by the council in June 2017. The selection of the supplier was criticized by the then opposition councilors, who argued that it was not transparent. The capital city had previously lent the town hall a quarter of a billion crowns, which the district will repay over 14 years starting from 2023.

Currently, the town hall's departments are located in seven buildings, and their operation is inefficient, which motivated the previous leadership of the district to prepare a project for the construction of a new town hall. The original historic town hall of Modřany was demolished in the 1980s. In 2007, the leadership of the district proposed to use the Prior building at Sofia Square. This unrealized option would have cost an estimated 340 to 390 million crowns.

After that, Prague 12 had an analysis prepared, which showed that the most advantageous location for the construction of the new town hall is the land between Písková and Generála Šišky streets.

After last year's elections, a coalition of Pirates was formed in Prague 12, who ran together with the Greens, ODS, and TOP 09. After the 2014 elections, the district was led by the ANO, ČSSD, and Change for Prague group. In April 2017, Change for Prague went into opposition.

Prague 12, where approximately 56,250 residents live, is located in the south of the capital city. The district includes the entire cadastral areas of Cholupice, Kamýk, Komořany, Modřany, and Točná.