Liberec received only one offer for the revitalization of the Market Square

Liberec - Liberec received a single bid for the revitalization of the Market Square, which also houses the city swimming stadium. The bid is approximately half a million crowns below the estimated price of 62.8 million CZK excluding tax, according to data in the public procurement bulletin. The Deputy Mayor of Liberec for architecture, public space, and transport construction, Jiří Janďourek (Mayors for the Liberec Region), told ČTK today that he expected greater interest. The opposition grouping LOL previously labeled the square's upgrade as unnecessarily expensive.

The Deputy Mayor expects that the city council will decide on the outcome of the contract by the end of April. He is disappointed by the low interest. "Of course, I would have preferred if, say, ten bids had come in. Based on inquiries during the competition, I expected there would be more," Janďourek added.

The upgrade of the square will be divided into phases to avoid disrupting the almost one billion crown modernization of the municipal pool. For this reason, the work is expected to last about a year from the start.

Among other things, traffic lights will be added at the busy intersection with Budyšínská Street, and the intersection, which is at a turn at the upper part of the square, should be made safer. This is the connection with Rumjancevova and Šamánkova Streets, where there is a risky exit from the parking lot near the exhibition center. It will be moved to Šamánkova Street, thus away from the intersection.

A significant transformation awaits the central part of the square opposite the pool. "The center of the square will consist of a recreational lawn equipped with concrete steps for seating. The recreational lawn will be protected around the perimeter by tree lines in the sidewalks," described the project earlier by the Deputy Mayor. In the corners of the square, there will be a small building housing a café and public restroom, a fountain, a drinking fountain, and a municipal flower bed. "A dry retention basin will be constructed to manage rainwater from the grassy area and sidewalks," added Janďourek.

These adjustments are deemed unnecessary by part of the opposition. "I can't help but feel that the adjustment of the center of the square seems to me like building for the sake of building. To dig something up and spend some money in the process. However, the result is not any improvement, rather the opposite," previously stated opposition councilor for LOL Jindřich Felcman. He would consider it sufficient if the city simply adjusted the sidewalks, parking spaces, and resolved traffic issues in front of the pool.