Several Tallinn kindergartens still awaiting renovations, to be torn down
While all kindergarten facilities in the Estonian capital of Tallinn should meet modern standards by the year 2030, many of them are still awaiting renovations, and many more to be torn down. The current pace of construction, however, is falling behind the city's plans.
There are 125 kindergartens in Tallinn, and many of them are in urgent need of renovations, as according to the strategy drawn up by Tallinn Education Department for the years 2019-2030, all of the city's kindergarten facilities should meet modern standards by 2030.
In November 2020, Tallinn Deputy Mayor Vadim Belobrovtsev (Center) said that 103 kindergartens needed to be renovated to bring them up to 2030 standards.
In an interpellation directed at Belobrovtsev, the city government's Isamaa group highlighted that in order to keep up with the necessary pace, the city would have to renovate an average of nine kindergartens a year, but in reality, just 12 kindergartens have been renovated or built in Tallinn over the past seven years combined.
In his response to the interpellation, the deputy mayor noted that of the investment plan drawn up for the 2019-2030 period, to date, the City Property Department has renovated nine kindergartens, four of which were renovated last year, the new Merivälja Kindergarten building will be opened next month, and four new kindergarten buildings will be opened this upcoming January as well: Kelluke Kindergarten, Asunduse Kindergarten, Rõõmupesa Kindergarten and Vindi Kindergarten.
There are, however, kindergarten facilities that the city doesn't consider it feasible to overhaul.
"Considering the assessment of the condition of current kindergarten buildings and taking the principle of the standard of reasonableness into account, we plan to demolish an expected dozens of the city's kindergarten buildings," he said, but declined to name any specific facilities. "The exact list is in the works."
On the subject of further plans, Belobrovtsev said that six kindergartens are scheduled to be built in Tallinn next year at a total cost of €29.2 million: Maasikas Kindergarten, Magdaleena Kindergarten, Männiku Kindergarten, Männimudila Kindergarten, Kristiine Kindergarten and Meelespea Kindergarten.
The construction procurement for Maasika Kindergarten has already been launched and has a total budgeted cost of €9.25 million. Männiku Kindergarten will have a budget of nearly €8.6 million, and the public procurement for the construction of Magdaleena Kindergarten is slated to be launched soon as well.
Also expected to be completed before the year is out are the renovation projects for Kristiine Kindergarten, Lepatriinu Kindergarten and Linnupesa Kindergarten, and the renovation projects for Karikakra, Nurmenuku, Rukilille, Meelespea, Loitsu, Linnamäe and Läänemere kindergartens are slated to follow next year.
Planning deadlines for the city's remaining kindergarten facilities will fall somewhere into the more distant future.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla