Velké Meziříčí is selecting a company for the repairs of the winter stadium and is applying for a grant from the state

Velké Meziříčí - The town hall in Velké Meziříčí is selecting a company for the necessary repairs of the ice rink, which are expected to cost up to 49 million crowns. The city has requested a grant from the National Sports Agency, but it does not yet know if it will receive any money from them. The councilors will discuss the continuation of the project and its financing at a meeting this month, Mayor Alexandros Kaminaras (independent for Together VM) told reporters today. According to the city's website, the council will meet on February 28.

"If no one appeals, we will have a clear path to sign a contract with the contractor who submitted the lowest bid," the mayor stated.

If the city council agrees on this, construction workers should work on the rink outside of the winter season, most likely from April to August. They are only to repair the parts that are in poor condition. They are to replace the air conditioning and refrigeration systems, and expanding the ice surface should come with replacing the concrete. The project also includes replacing the boards, installing more energy-efficient LED lights, and implementing measures to improve acoustics.

The ice rink on Vrchovecká Street was opened in 1995 and was roofed seven years later. Velké Meziříčí has repeatedly applied for a grant for its renovation. A previous request for significantly larger modifications to the facility was declined due to changes in the funding rules at the National Sports Agency, according to earlier statements from the town hall.

The leadership of Velké Meziříčí is also investigating whether it would be possible to install photovoltaic panels on the roof of the rink. As the mayor stated, according to a static assessment, this would be feasible with relatively easy stiffening of the roof trusses. "We are now finding out how much it would cost and whether the payback period would make sense or not," he said.

The city, with 11,300 inhabitants, has a budget for this year with total expenditures of 369 million crowns.