Inspection №5: Reconstruction of Park “Natalka” situated in Obolon district that costs $7 million and it is not finished yet

The team of Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko easily spends tens of millions of hryvnias from our taxes on supposedly necessary things – reconstruction of parks, beaches, and cultural facilities. But more and more often Kyivans and guests of the capital notice that the millions spent are not visible in reality. “Active Citizens” are inspecting such facilities to see where our money has gone. We were the first to visit the Park of Partisan Glory, about the impressions of the reconstruction of which you can read in the article “Park of Partisan Glory – an unclean pond, homeless dogs, ruins for 46 million hryvnias“. Then we visited the famous “Florence embankment” with lanterns from Poland for almost 3 million hryvnias – Inspection №2: “Florence embankment, where SAFs(small architectural forms)are installed at our expense“. But it was Obolon’s turn, which impressed us with the scale of the invested funds.

Undoubtedly, every Kyivan knows about this park, located in one of the most beautiful places in Kyiv – Obolonskaya Embankment – a recreation park in the tract “Natalka” in the Obolonsky district, but as Kyivans used to say – Park “Natalka”. Mighty Dnipro river, numerous flower beds and trimmed lawns. This is the park today, but it has not always been so.

There was no park in this city in 2015. There was a wild area not suitable for cultural recreation. According to locals, noisy companies used to gather here, constantly light bonfires, arrange barbecues and have to look for other places to walk with children. Subsequently, interesting events occurred. A high-rise building was to be built in this city. And outraged locals defended the green zone, and the territory was returned to communal ownership. In 2016, local authorities supported the desire of the shells to create a park and began a large-scale reconstruction.

Unfortunately, in addition to a fairly good park, Kyiv residents got a huge “black hole”, which very effectively pumps money out of the capital’s budget. Millions of sums have already been allocated several times to put the green zone to normalcy , and in some places it still resembles a construction site.

In November 2018, a tender was organized for the execution of works in the amount of over 57 million hryvnias. On December 6, the auction was held and the winner was the company LLC “Budmontazhservis I”. The same company that can not finish the reconstruction in the park in Troyeschina, about which we have already written. We will remind that because of non-performance of works in the declared volumes investigators of National police of Ukraine opened criminal proceedings according to part 2 Art. 191 of the Criminal code of Ukraine – appropriation, waste or possession of another’s property by abuse by the official of the official position. The suspects are the heads of “Kyivzelenbud”. It seems that there are strong friendly relations between the management of “Kyivzelenbud “and “Budmontazhservice I”,because even after the opening of criminal proceedings, “Budmontazhservis I “wins the new auction and receives a fairly budget order.

In February 2018, a tender for almost 42 million hryvnias was won, which was won by “HBSP MEGABUD LTD”. Interestingly, this tender provided for the removal of several hundred large trees. At the same time, funds were allocated for the destruction of an equal number of trees – 100 pieces of each species, and then funds were allocated separately for uprooting 100 stumps of different tree species.

Already this year, “Kyivzelenbud “ has decided to spend another UAH 7 million ($250 000) on the tract “Natalka” for the construction of a sports and playground, as well as UAH 38 million ($1,4 million) on start-up complexes and an irrigation system for greenery.

In 2018 ,there was a tender for UAH 9.6 million ($342 900), for almost UAH 19 million ($680 000) and for start-up complexes and irrigation system of green plantations for UAH 13 million ($470 000). The leaders of Kyiv spent UAH 3.5 million ($125 000) of our funds with you on adjusting the working project “Reconstruction of the Obolon Recreation Park in the tract “Natalka “along the Obolon Embankment.” In total, dozens of tenders for reconstruction have been placed on this object in the last few years. And all for a million hryvnias.

And so, going to the place, we expected to see a miracle park. And what else to expect if the cost of reconstruction has already amounted to about UAH 200 million. But upon arrival at the place, our expectations did not come true. Impressions of the place are twofold and it is obvious that the money was spent at least inefficiently.

So in the park we saw a broken new cobblestone next to the flower beds, rusty lampposts near a high-quality and cool sports ground.

We saw the security point, but unfortunately did not find any security guards, although they may have gone on a lunch break. It is worth noting that protection is needed at this place. There have been cases where park rangers have detained drunken thugs and even drug addicts under the influence of psychotropic substances, although of course this does not happen often.

Locals also shared their views on the park. “I remember this park five years ago. Bonfires, barbecues, well, you can’t go for a walk with a child, to be honest. Now, of course, it has become much better. But I have one claim. There is only one playground. And there are a lot of children walking here. And on this site the sand is never changed. He is already dirty, and there are children. It has to be changed from time to time, ”grandmother Olena told us.

Another regular visitor is also generally satisfied with the reconstruction. But his family lacks a public toilet. “The toilet here is one for the whole park, and very often it is closed for cleaning, which takes an hour,” says Olexiy. – Where should I take my children during this time? Nowhere. And it’s bad that it closes at 20.00. It would be convenient for everyone if he worked longer. It is possible to pay for work in the evening and everyone will be fine”.

Mykhailo Sheveriov

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