The representatives of Jihlava approved the construction of a hall instead of the old stadium

Jihlava - The representatives of Jihlava approved today the construction of a multifunctional hall on the site of the Horácký Ice Stadium (HZS), which is in poor technical condition. They changed the procedure set by the former local government aimed at gradual repairs of the old stadium and the construction of a new hall at the edge of the city. The newly chosen variant projects costs up to 750 million crowns, and includes an architectural competition. The new hall could then be built in 2023, said coalition representatives.

The representatives voted on the change to the project twice today. First, they approved it with 22 votes in favor, while 12 were against. After a short break, however, Radek Popelka from the opposition ANO movement requested a repeat vote, claiming he mistakenly voted in favor of the new city administration's proposal. During the second vote, 20 representatives approved the construction of the new hall in place of the old stadium, with 13 votes against.

According to the latest static assessment, the stadium, on which the Dukla hockey club plays, can be operational with the current roofing only until the 2019-2020 season. Both the sports facility and the club belong to the city. "We have been addressing this issue for 12 years," said Deputy Mayor Vít Zeman (Žijeme Jihlavou!) at the beginning of a two-hour debate.

Zeman noted that no option can be considered 100% certain. However, the variants for building a new hall in the considered locations near the exit to Pelhřimov or on Rantířovská Street would be up to 200 million more expensive than constructing it in the place of the HZS, and their preparation would take two years longer, as it would be necessary to amend the urban documentation there.

Since November, the city has been led by the Forum Jihlava coalition with ODS, Žijeme Jihlavou! and the People's Party. The coalition of ANO, ČSSD and KDU-ČSL, which managed the city hall for the last two years, lost its majority in the October elections.

Opposition representatives today pointed out possible problems with traffic and parking in the center during the construction and operation of the new hall. According to former Deputy Mayor Radek Popelka (ANO), not only HC Dukla will have to find an alternative ice surface during the construction, but also youth teams and figure skaters. He stated that there are no available capacities at the ice rinks around Jihlava, and even if they are found, relocation will be expensive. The manager of HC Dukla, Bedřich Ščerban, also supported building a new hall elsewhere than at the HZS site.

According to Mayor Karolína Koubová (Forum Jihlava), however, it is not possible to consider only the few years of construction of the sports facility, but also how it will serve the city for decades during its operation.