In September, the renovated Sokolovna will open in Pardubice

Pardubice - The Gymnastic Association in Pardubice plans to open the renovated gymnasium in September after nearly two years of repairs. The construction company is finishing minor work and cleaning up. The occupancy permit process will begin at the end of June. Miroslav Janovský, the association's deputy mayor, said this today to ČTK.
    "Cleaning work and furniture arrangement will take place during the summer, and we will be learning how to work with the building a bit," Janovský said.
    There are now around 70 workers on site, much more than usual. They are assembling cabinets, cleaning, washing windows, and mopping, said construction manager Jiří Kutík. "We were in full swing last week when we were finishing up," he added.
    A 12-meter high climbing wall will be newly added to the list of sports activities; lovers of rope-free climbing can start training in bouldering. Volleyball, floorball, and basketball matches, as well as exercise sessions for seniors and children with parents, will take place in the large hall.
    "In addition to the large hall, there are polyurethane floors in the other exercise rooms, which are softer and easier to maintain. They fit really well into the sports areas," said Janovský.
    The gymnasium is barrier-free thanks to a new elevator. The stage in the main hall has been reduced, as part of the area has been taken up by the climbing wall. The stage can be quickly disassembled so that the hall can be enlarged. A lot of time was spent renovating the original ceiling as the beams were severely damaged. The balconies with windows on the first floor are newly fully traversable.
    "When the building started being constructed 92 years ago, a gallery was also planned, but in the end there wasn't enough money, and the balconies weren't completed; we have only just finished them now," said Janovský.
    During the renovations, gymnasts had to visit rented gyms around the city. Due to a lack of space, the offer of exercise classes for parents with children declined, temporarily reducing the number of members in the association, said the association's secretary Lenka Avramová.
    The total costs will amount to 128 million crowns. About half of that will be covered by European subsidies. They also borrowed approximately 40 million crowns from the city. They will likely not have money for repayments. According to Janovský, it was one of the least complicated projects in the country.
    The first company abandoned the construction. Initially, it underestimated the costs, and later it turned out that the work would be significantly more expensive than 90 million crowns. The gymnasts then had to select a new construction company. The grant provider also reduced their subsidies due to complications, cutting the contribution from the original 70 million crowns by more than ten million crowns.
    "We will negotiate with the city about the loan after the whole project is completed. The previous company abandoned the construction, we were under immense time pressure, it was very demanding. We will be pursuing legal action against the original company and the organizer of the tender. We will see how much we can get from them as compensation," Janovský said.