The renovated gymnasium in Pardubice will welcome its first athletes

Pardubice - With a year's delay, the renovated building of the Sokolovna in Pardubice was ceremoniously opened yesterday. The reconstruction cost 128 million crowns. The building will begin serving athletes on Tuesday, and on Saturday, people can visit it during an open house day, said Miroslav Janovský, deputy mayor of TJ Sokol, to ČTK. "The architects had to tackle something that smells of tradition while also meeting the needs of the new; it was a huge task, and it has been successfully achieved here," he said.
    The building, which is over ninety years old, has entered the 21st century with modern technologies. The building features new changing rooms, a turnstile system, an elevator, central heating controls, and a camera system. The entire sports facility is new, and there is a new climbing wall, Janovský added.
    The repairs to the Sokolovna were delayed because it was in worse condition than expected. The ceiling in the main hall of the Sokolovna was in the worst condition. Reportedly, it would have collapsed within five years. The supporting beams were rotten due to leaking from the roof, which also significantly increased the overall reconstruction costs, Janovský added.
    For this reason, the construction company interrupted work, costs for repairs rose, and the Sokol organization had to call for another tender. From an originally estimated 90 million, the final price for the reconstruction rose to 128 million crowns. The organization is now seeking compensation from the company. "The company also won the contract because it underestimated the cost of the construction work. When the company interrupted construction, it had not met several milestones that were included in the contract, and we are demanding multi-million sums," Janovský said.
    Due to complications with the project, the organization will receive European grants of 60 million crowns instead of the originally planned 70 million. The grant provider extended the mandatory completion deadline for the investment by one year. The Sokol organization borrowed 42 million from the city for preparation and construction work.
    "Initially, we expected a much lower amount, but complications arose. We need to come up with some system for handling the debt. One option is that it may be possible to partially waive it. But enough council members must raise their hands for that," said Deputy Mayor Jiří Rozinek (ČSSD).
    The sports complex has been completely reconstructed. Since 2010, the Sokol organization has modernized the outdoor sports facilities in two phases, and then, from 2012, began preparations for the repair of the historic building. The organization had about 2000 members before the beginning of the renovation; their numbers decreased during the reconstruction. However, hundreds of people still visited the Sokolovna without a membership card.
    "I believe that the renovated Sokolovna will attract many children and youths. It's a pity that financing for sports is complicated, as both the methodology of the Ministry of Education and its personnel structure is changing," said Hana Moučková, chairwoman of the Czech Sokol Organization.