Rakvere City Council gives go-ahead for football hall construction
After a lengthy debate, Rakvere City Council made the decision on Wednesday to take out a loan for the construction of an indoor football hall in the city.
Of the 21 Rakvere City Council members, twelve were in favor of the loan, eight voted against and one abstained.
Four bids were submitted for the construction of the Rakvere football hall. The lowest bidder was Revin Grupp, with a bid of €5,329,000 excluding VAT.
The City of Rakvere has received €2.2 million from the Estonian state to support the construction of the hall.
Under a broader project to support the construction of indoor football halls, the Estonian state has already subsidized the construction of three such facilities elsewhere in the country.
In addition to Rakvere, grants were also awarded to Narva, where a new hall should be ready in the fall, and Jõhvi, Ida-Viru County, which ultimately opted out of the venture. The €1.5 million grant earmarked for Jõhvi was then was split between Pärnu and Rakvere.
Before the council meeting, Mayor of Rakvere Triin Varek wrote on social media; "If the council decides not to build the hall, the €2.2 million in state support, of which around €200,000 has already been spent on preparatory work, including the preparation of two projects, will have to be returned."
"Given the current government's attitude and austerity plans, there is no reason to expect similar subsidies for local authorities in the coming years. Personally, I think it is important to have a football hall in the county," she added.
"Therefore, I have tried to find support from the private sector and I am very grateful to Ivar Paplavskis and his family company Bauroc Eesti for the support they are prepared to contribute to the running costs of the hall. €100,000 per year is a very big contribution!"
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Editor: Rene Kundla, Michael Cole