The reconstruction of the Uran building in Liberec is postponed, it lacks support in the council

Liberec - Liberec has postponed the announcement of a tender for the reconstruction of the Uran administrative building by at least a month, with a budget of over 111 million crowns. The project did not have majority support during Thursday's council meeting, partly because there is no vision of how many officials the municipality should have in the future, and a comparison of whether it would be more advantageous to rent or buy another building in the city. Deputy Mayor Radka Loučková Kotasová (ANO) told ČTK today that she will once again present the intention to announce the public tender to the council once the city secretary prepares such an analysis.

"Once such a material is available, it will be relevant to discuss the reconstruction of Uran. I believe that the competition could have been launched even without it," said Loučková Kotasová. The secretary should complete the analysis by the next council meeting, which will be at the end of February.

The coalition is not unified in supporting the reconstruction of Uran; some representatives from ANO and ODS are against it. They object not only to the missing analysis but also to the fact that it is only a partial reconstruction. "If we are to repair it, then it should be comprehensive," said ODS councilor Petr Židek during the council meeting. A complete reconstruction would reportedly increase the cost of the project by about 30 million crowns.

The seven-story office building next to the bus station mainly needs to have its facade renewed, 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 is to be made of galvanized sheet metal, replacing the so-called Boletice panels. The reconstruction should also include HVAC, electrical installations, and central heating, but the replacement of vertical lines, elevators, or toilets is not planned.

Some coalition and opposition councilors also object to the fact that the city has not yet secured a European grant for the project. According to Loučková Kotasová, it is in the so-called project reserve, and the deputy mayor believes that they will succeed in the next call for projects. Thanks to insulation, heating costs should be reduced by about 40 percent, equating to one million crowns.

According to the opposition and some coalition councilors, the municipality should prioritize addressing the state of the swimming stadium rather than reconstructing Uran. The authors of the assessment from ČVUT recommended that the city close it immediately and undertake repairs. They estimate the costs at 143 million crowns. "Right now, a pool is more important than Uran," said ANO councilor Šárka Prachařová.

This year, the municipality has allocated two million for pool repairs. The pool operator is expected to submit a list of urgent repairs to the municipality within a month. The city management does not want to invest too much in the complex, as they are preparing for extensive modernization costing more than 800 million crowns. The opposition fears that this investment will further indebt the city and advocates for a cheaper method of repairs, suggesting that the estimated 143 million from the assessment may suffice. "The amount includes new pool tubs, roof repairs, building envelope and HVAC repairs, and would essentially solve the main problems of the current state of the pool," stated the opposition group LOL and Změna for Liberec in a joint statement.