Planá has renovated the dilapidated funeral hall

visualization: Archport

Planá - Planá in Tachov has completely renovated the dilapidated and unattractive funeral hall. The construction, which cost ten million crowns and emerged from a competition of 27 architectural proposals, will open to the public in May with more than a year's delay. CTK was informed by the mayor of the five-thousand-strong town, Martina Němečková (BEZPP).

"The hall was handed over to us on March 15, and now we are waiting for various paperwork, such as occupancy permits, fire reports, and so on. It should serve its purpose from May," she stated. The town hall is planning an open house on April 20, where the other competition proposals will be displayed.

According to the mayor, the previous funeral hall was very unattractive due to an extraordinarily insensitive renovation from the 1980s. It was ugly not only inside but the exterior was clad like old panel houses, and there were holes in many places. Some walls were originally supposed to remain, but during demolition, the building was almost entirely torn down, making it an almost new construction.

In the center is a hall lined with wood. "When people enter, several doors will close. The hall appears to have no windows and doors; there is just a light opening at the top with the idea that this is where the person leaves," Němečková explained. People waiting for the ceremony will now stand in a covered foyer instead of outside regardless of the weather as before. The hall also has a room for relatives, where an open coffin can be viewed.

The projected cost was ten million crowns, but the construction was won for eight million. "That was underestimated, and secondly, it was about an unqualified company. So various things that the new company had to redo from the previous one brought it back to ten million," the mayor explained.

The funeral hall was initially supposed to be finished in October 2015. "In March 2015, they (the first contractor) started. They did not work, then promised a new schedule with completion last February," Němečková stated. The town then terminated the contract in March. "We invoiced them for penalties, which we offset against the last invoices, and they are suing us for that," Němečková said. Two hearings have already taken place in January and February, and now the Tachov court is to issue a verdict.

According to the mayor, the town has lost money from rent due to the delay in the construction of the hall. "Our s.r.o. Plánské služby manages it, renting it to the funeral service, which pays the rent," she said.