Velké Meziříčí selected the second proposal from the competition for the adjustments to the center

Velké Meziříčí - The representatives of Velké Meziříčí today decided that the historical center will be modified according to the proposal that finished second in last year's architectural competition. It is backed by MCA Atelier Miroslava Cikána. They did not take into account the results of the non-binding local referendum held in October, in which a larger portion of voters called for negotiations with the winner of the competition, architect David Mikulášek. The results of the competition are marked by long-term disputes.

Today, the representatives tasked the mayor with signing a contract with architect Cikán by the end of the year for the preparation of project documentation for the modifications to the square. Before that, they rejected a counter-proposal from former mayor Radovan Necid (a member of ODS elected for True Meziříčí) to postpone the decision until after the municipal elections, which will occur in a year.

Opponents of the procedure approved today told ČTK that they are considering filing a suggestion for investigation with the Office for the Protection of Economic Competition (ÚOHS). They stated that, according to legal opinions and other experts' statements they possess, the law may have been violated. "Either the winner (of the competition) will file it, or the opposition will, or we will," predicts Tomáš Bílek, an authorized representative of the referendum initiative.

The results of the architectural competition were announced last summer. However, in June this year, the city representatives decided to end cooperation with the author of the highest-rated proposal and began negotiations with the second-ranked architect. They pointed out that in case of dissatisfaction with the first proposal, they have the right to initiate negotiations with the second in line. In September, due to disputes, Mayor Necid resigned, reacting to an unexpected change in five of the seven members of the city council. On October 31, the new mayor of Velké Meziříčí became the former deputy mayor Josef Komínek from ČSSD.

64.5 percent of voters expressed support for negotiations with the winner of the architectural competition in the referendum. Although the referendum was valid, it lacked nearly a hundred affirmative votes to be binding for the city council's leadership.

Disputes were present within the ČSSD at the city hall and among representatives elected for the grouping True Meziříčí, which won the last municipal elections in the city. In the council, they secured nine seats out of 23. The Christian Democrats hold five seats, as does the ČSSD. The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia obtained two mandates, and both the ANO movement and the Choice for the City received one each.