Praha 10 will repair the Vzlet cinema, according to the mayor, too expensively

Prague - The councilors of Prague 10 today could not agree on canceling the results of the tender for the long-delayed completion of the renovation of the historic cinema Vzlet. The discussion at the council was initiated by Mayor Vladimír Novák (ČSSD), who stated that the awarded price of approximately 36 million crowns is too high. The mayor called for a new tender. His coalition colleagues from TOP 09 criticized him for this approach, as well as for refusing to disclose a forensic audit related to the unfinished reconstruction of the cinema from 2008 to 2012.

Today, the councilors received a document with two options, both of which would mean further delays for the renovation and the preparation of materials for the contract. There are two conflicting price assessments for the project - according to one, the current awarded price is acceptable, while the other, commissioned by the mayor, finds it too high. Since the councilors did not approve either of the options today, the renovation will proceed based on the results of the original tender. Work is set to start this year and should be completed next year.

“I had doubts about the price because the awarded amount was almost 20 percent higher than what was estimated in the budget,” justified Mayor Novák his actions.

The first deputy mayor of the district, Tomáš Pek (TOP 09), criticized the mayor for his actions, particularly for the fact that he did not present the results of the forensic audit to the councilors today, which indicated that the previous administration of the town hall made significant errors regarding the Vzlet cinema.

“The material presented by the mayor did not include all the relevant documents that he clearly had at his disposal,” said Pek. Mayor Novák argued that he believes the audit needs further work, which, according to the deputy mayor, is just a delaying tactic. “We consider it final, and therefore we want to know from the lawyers how to proceed,” added Pek.

The cinema had been rented from the town hall by architect and set designer Michael Klang since 2007, who committed to renovate it in exchange for 15 years of rent-free use. After several years, however, Klang ran out of funds for repairs, and the town hall terminated his contract at the end of 2012. For the premature termination of the rental agreement, Prague 10 paid Klang's company about 32 million crowns. According to representatives of TOP 09, the results of the forensic audit confirm that the former leadership of the town hall, where the current mayor Novák served as deputy, made significant mistakes.

The cinema building was constructed in the early 20th century in the Art Deco style as a Sokol (gymnastic organization) cinema and a place for Sokol gatherings. Until the mid-1970s, the property functioned as a cinema (Bio Vzlet), and later it was used as a storage facility for the Film Archive. After 1989, the building came into the ownership of the capital city, which entrusted it to the administration of the tenth district sixteen years ago. The property is now empty.

The current coalition in Prague 10 has been in power since June 2016. It took over after the collapse of the previous administration led by Radmila Kleslová (ANO). The new coalition in Prague 10 was formed by TOP 09, ČSSD, ODS, the Greens, independents, and two non-aligned members.