INTERVIEW WITH JOZEF KRÓL, MAYOR OF BOLESŁAWIEC
Mr Mayor! Month by month, the city's residents are noticing positive changes in the appearance of our historic town hall. The work is being carried out thoroughly and comprehensively. Is this not, however, an overly costly undertaking?
- Our town hall is a beautiful and very valuable historic building, and that entails obligations. In previous years, only the tower was renovated; we found a leaking roof, damaged gutters and growing cracks in the walls caused by the flooding of the cellars with water flowing from a faulty central-heating system. It was my duty to take measures to secure this very valuable building. Another matter is our financial capacity in the face of other problems; the general shortage of funds means that work on the town hall has been spread over several years. We started with the most urgent and important tasks. The roof has been renovated, with a 30-year guarantee. Work to dry out the foundations has been completed. The external stairs have been rebuilt and preserved. This year, interior work is under way—the most important task is renovating the heating system. Overall, we are allocating only a small percentage of the funds spent on renovating other buildings in our city to the town hall renovation.
- Apparently, after the renovation you will move your office to the town hall. Can you say what else will be housed in the town hall and where the institutions currently located there will be moved?
- I believe that the municipal authorities should traditionally be located in the town hall. Limited funds and the need to carry out the work with exceptional precision and solidity mean that the renovation will take longer than my term of office. I would rather prepare it for my successor.
As for the institutions currently occupying the town hall, ZUS already has its own premises in the building formerly occupied by the “Sławy” nursery, while the Pedagogical Library will be moved to a newly adapted section of the former Kutuzov museum.
- The town hall has extensive cellars. People once talked about setting up a café or wine bar in the town hall cellars, or a club for the intelligentsia. Have you considered adapting the cellar?
- The matter remains open. Once the town hall cellars have been dried out and inventoried, it will be possible to develop them.
- A delegation from Siegburg visiting in May gave you DM 5,000 for renovating the Kutuzov monument. How does this amount compare with the actual cost of renovating the monument, and how will the city authorities deal with this problem?
- The Kutuzov monument has great historical value, but time and corrosion have taken their toll. The monument began to lean dangerously, and there was even a risk that it would topple over. It was necessary to carry out securing work urgently. We first had to prepare inventory documentation. The money given by the delegation from Siegburg will barely cover the cost of the documentation for the securing work. The full cost of renovating the monument, excluding gilding the letters, is more than PLN 600 million. Given the scale of current needs, unfortunately we cannot currently afford to renovate this structure.
- Mr Mayor! Mondays are set aside for receiving members of the public. What problems do city residents most often bring to you?
- People come with very diverse matters, but 90 percent concern housing problems. These matters cannot be resolved easily or quickly. Very few homes are being built now, which is why we also have a small number of recovered units. The queue for municipal housing continues to grow. This year we will complete a small, admittedly, but new building with municipal apartments. We are preparing documentation for another one, but that is a drop in the ocean of needs. Without radical changes to lending, housing problems will not be resolved.
- There seems to be a lack of money almost everywhere. Now that half of the budget year has passed, can you say that there will be enough funds to carry out the planned tasks?
- Despite the generally poor economic situation, we have managed the city budget in such a way that, after the six-month accounts, I am optimistic about the possibility of carrying out the planned tasks. A full assessment will, however, be possible at a later date.
- You must certainly be tired of managing the city's affairs. When and how do you intend to rest?
- My holiday plans for this year are very modest. Apart from visiting my family, I am not planning any other trips. So I will rest here.
- Thank you for the interview.
Interviewed by:
FRANCISZEK UŚCIŃSKI