The bridge postponed the reconstruction of the Repre culture house for a billion due to its cost

"The competition took place at the most inopportune time, when all inputs within the construction works and materials skyrocketed," said Mayor Jan Paparega (ProMost). The second reason for the cancellation of the contract was that the city does not yet have an approved European subsidy. It could range between 150 and 200 million crowns. Negotiations on assistance from the ITI program (Integrated Strategy of the Ústí-Chomutov agglomeration) are now culminating, and the town hall expects a verdict at the beginning of next year.

The preparation of a new tender and new conditions for bidders for the giant contract is to begin in the spring of 2022. The tender will probably be one-round, unlike this year's two-round. According to councilors, the construction project will not change and will include the relocation of the city library to Repre, which will be completely renovated and modernized. The councilors hope that the reconstruction will be cheaper than this year, when the estimated price was 766 million crowns, according to the designer. However, the competition cost 123 million crowns higher without VAT. "In the current situation, it would be very uneconomical and irresponsible for us to sign a contract with the winner of the public contract," said the mayor.

The cancellation of the contract should not have any legal consequences for the city, as the possibility of withdrawing from the contract was part of the tender. In it, the city announced that it would withdraw from the reconstruction if, for objective reasons, it could not guarantee the financing of the construction, for example due to the lack of a subsidy. The cancellation of the contract was also affected by the fact that the town hall chose from only two price offers, which weakened the competitive environment and the chance to save significantly.

The suspension of the unfavorable competition was supported by all 39 representatives present, no one was against, no one abstained. "In my opinion, this is the right decision and the only possible solution," opposition representative Berenika Peštová (YES) told Deník after the vote. According to her, councilors had no choice because the price for the construction would be too high. "They would not advocate another course of action," the politician added. They said everything at a meeting of the presidents of the embassy clubs. According to Peštová, lower offers can be expected next year, but prices in construction will no longer reach pre-rising levels. Councilors also count on that.

The preparation of the contract was accompanied by criticism from the public and professional circles, who demanded a different solution. "I basically welcome the city leadership's decision. I still think that this building, which is its architectural quality at the European level of its time, deserves an appropriate approach, "Ondřej Beneš, architect, pedagogue and construction expert in the second half of the 20th century, told Deník. According to him, Repre has the potential to be a cultural center of regional importance. "I am convinced that the Repre building could become one of the most significant cultural icons in the entire western part of the Most Basin. The path in this direction leads from a quality and meaningful assignment through an open architectural competition to the activation of creative, intellectual and cultural potential, "he added.

Beneš also examined possible approaches to the renewal of the still unfinished center of Most with students of the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University in Prague this summer semester, which included a presentation and a lecture at the grammar school in Most and The Most café on Náměstí u Repre.

About the canceled order

The city announced a demanding contract for Repre in February 2021 and received a total of 10 requests to participate. The town hall wanted to exclude seven companies from the competition because they did not meet the required qualifications, but one of the excluded applicants was helped by an objection to the antitrust office. Four companies, which could submit a price offer, thus advanced to the second round of the restricted procedure. Only two participants, Geosan Group and the association of companies Metrostav DIZ and NEPRO stavební, responded to the city's call in time - the first demanded 919 million without VAT and the second 889 million without VAT. According to the project calculation, the city expected a price of around 766 million without VAT.

The project of the so-called reconstruction of the Repre cultural and educational center includes, for example, the renovation of the premises for the city library, the modernization of the social hall, the renovation of the planetarium and restaurant and the construction of a cinema for 160 spectators.

No city government has yet managed to rebuild the technically obsolete Repre of 1984. There were several projects, including one private one, but there was no money or subsidies for the construction. The costs were estimated according to the scope of work at 80 to 400 million crowns. Demolition has also been considered in the past.

The main problem is the size of Repre and its canceled functions. Operating a giant building as a socialist representative community house has not proved successful. The original cultural content of the building with high operating and personnel costs has gradually declined since the 1990s. Until the entire building was locked in 2020, only the dance hall, planetarium and second hand functioned. The town hall sees a fundamental reconstruction as an opportunity to revitalize the center of Most, following the example of cities that create multifunctional buildings with a shared cultural, social and educational function. Critics of the city criticized the fact that it did not announce an architectural competition in which it would choose from various designs, and it solved the project with a regular contract.