Inspection №2: Florentsiiska embankment, where SAFs (small architectural form) are installed at our expense

23.03.2021

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The team of Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klychko easily spends tens of millions of our taxes supposedly on necessary things like the reconstruction of parks, beaches and cultural objects. But more and more often Kyiv residents and guests of the capital notice that the millions spent on paper are not seen in reality. Active Citizens are starting to inspect such facilities, wanting to see where our money has spent. We were the first to visit the Park of Partisan Glory,and about the impressions of the reconstruction of which read in the article “In Park of Partisan Glory there is an unclean pond, homeless dogs, ruins for 46 million hryvnias”

Perhaps someone still remembers how in 2014, after the asignment of Dmytro Bilotserkovets to the position of the head of the Department of Urban Development and Environmental Protection of the executive body of the Kyiv City Council (Kyiv City State Administration), a real war with various kiosks and trade stalls of the category of SAF (small architectural form) started in the capital. Then, immediately after his assignment, the closest ally of the current mayor Vitaliy Klychko, and now a member of the Verkhovna Rada from political party “Solidarity” even posted in his Facebook that it is the beginning of a real fight with SAFs, as before the city authorities only an imitated any actions in terms of streamlining trade on the streets.

Unfortunately, soon the revolutionary zeal of the young politician shut down, massive cleaning of the capital’s roads from metal and plastic junk was replaced by no less massive installation of new trade facilities, and the whole scheme of improvement of the capital’s streets looked like redistribuition of ares of influence in 1990s and again at our expence! In 2016, Bilotserkivets finally left his post, but the warrior`s affair of “war” with SAFs, as it turns out, continues to live.

It is not known for sure whether Mr. Bilotserkovets could have imagined this himself, but in 2018 a certain company BK KUB, together with the PLESO Utility Company, realized to “push” the installation of MAFs into the costing documentation for the overhaul of the Rusanivsky Canal (along Florentsii Street). The project, which will cost almost 17 million hryvnias ($600 000) from thestate budget, was pathetically called the reconstruction of the Florentsiiska Embankment, having previously solicited the support of Kyiv City Council deputy Oleh Petrovets (Solidarity).

Thus, kiosks are no longer dismantled at the expense of the city budget, but on the contrary, they are installed and the total cost of works on installation of SAFs is 1,358,223 hryvnias 57 kop. The wheel of Samsara to make its full turn, obviously, in a few years the same people will demolish these objects at the same expense of the city budget, but this is not all the problems of the reconstruction branded by the deputy’s name.

According to the tender proposal that was set out by PLESO Utility Company in Prozorro public procurement systems, the works on the site were to start in March 2018 and be completed in September of the same year. However, due to the delay in financing the client (as indicated in the additional agreement № 3 of 07.03.2018) the implementation of some types of work was postponed to this year. It is quite possible that the general contractor, which is represented by the already mentioned BK KUB just did not have time to fulfill all the obligations undertaken for the reconstruction of the embankment, because work on the site, for unknown reasons, was not started on time. In the end, the work, which was to last six months, lasted three times longer than originally planned. Now, the poor excuse for builders promise to complete the project by Independence Day, August 24.

The Active Citizens went to their own inspection of the “Florentsiiska embankment” to check by ourselvesy how the work is being done on the site. The first thing that just catches your attention when you go down to the water is, obviously, the absence of any ramps (!!).

The only street leading to the embankment from the east, from the side of the residential complex site ends with a footbridge on the opposite bank of the canal, at the same time down to the repaired embankment a passage is completely absent (except for the steep path trampled by some extremes)! Probably, according to the plan of the designers, it is better to enjoy their creations from afar, so you can not notice some, but surprisingly numerous shortcomings.

After spending about 10 minutes, finally we got to the first civilized ramp. However, it can be called so only partially, because in fact it is the same Soviet stairs with almost steep ramp.

As for the latter, although it is completely unsuitable for use by disabled people, it may be a good art installation. There is completely the rusty metal and the reconstructors painted only near the very top of the stairs, thus as if depicting the miserable life of ordinary visitors of the embankment that is full of numerous obstacles on the way to the crooked paradise, and it costed 16 million hryvnias.

The metal handrails are not in better condition, during their short service, they managed to be all rusty. A little further, 50 meters away, there is a direct ramp to the water, here it is represented by giant pieces of dilapidated granite boulders, between which partially there is a passage created of curved cemented stairs. All this, as well as figured elements of paving, were ordered by BK KUB from a friend and fellow party member of Petrovets, Serhiy Pylypenko, general director of the industrial and construction group “Kovalska”, costed the capital’s taxpayers, according to costing documentation 3,322,763 hryvnias 59 kop ($120 000).

The total cost of renovating the embankment of the Rusanivskii Canal (and it`s only one side) amounted to 16,813,682 hryvnias 91 kop ($600 500). Of these, only the installation of ramps costed 697 728 hryvnias 98 kop. ($25 000), which we did not find. Apparently, in less than two months, several new ramps, not painted ones, will appear on the embankment at once, otherwise it is reasonable to assume that this money was simply stolen from construction.

Kyiv residents paid more than for the arrangement of footpaths only for landscaping, which, due to weather and climatic conditions, should already delight visitors of the recreation area. Instead, in fact, around the same footpaths, we saw only a few islands of grass and almost all of it has dried up. This is despite the fact that the city paid the general contractor 2 million hryvnias ( 2,272,806 hryvnias 41 kop. – $82 000) for the installation of the irrigation system. However, as they say: there is no water, and you hold on!

After making an examination circle of almost a kilometer, we returned to the bridge on the bank of the canal, where the nearest public transport stop is located. But, again, to get there, you must first climb the bridge, the road to which simply does not exist. It is certain that vacationers, having passed such a piece of road, and hopelessly looking at the “rescue” bridge, would have fallen helplessly on the bench, but even here it is not so simple.

Some of the so-called “anti-vandal” benches have already been broken, others simply do not exist. Although appropriate places, and this is clearly visible along the contours of the footpath, were provided here. As a result another 195,307 hryvnias. 78 kop. ($7000) from the pockets of citizens spent, and mothers with children are forced to sit on stumps.

However, around few surviving benches there are small bonuses in the form of economical LED lights for night lighting.

It would seem that it is convenient to read and they do not consume much energy, although in some ways the Kyiv citizenshave won. But here, too, a surprise waits for us. The fact is that the contractor, apparently, so responsibly selected the lights that he did not find anything in Ukraine according to the criteria set by him. You can do nothing, but to bring lamps from friendly Poland, helping the local economy to develop, another 2,789,179 hryvnias 14 kopecks ($100 000) from our taxes.

Unfortunately, foreign metal guests are not very accustomed to the changing Ukrainian weather, so after the recent downpours, the building gradually began to “swell”, forming characteristic spots. Will the general contractor BK KUB be able to eliminate the identified shortcomings before signing the act of delivery of the reconstructed “Florentsiiska Embankment” by the same Petrovets? Whether they will become a dark stain, but already on the company’s reputation, time will show. The builders have less than two months before the official opening. We are seeing!

Dmitry Perov , founder of the NGO “Green Minute”