“We need to attract proactive citizens”: how deputies reacted to the report of the head of Voronezh on the results of 2023

The Voronezh City Duma held a traditional meeting on Wednesday, April 24, at which Mayor Vadim Kstenin presented parliamentarians with information on the achievements of 2023 in various areas. Prospects were also outlined.

– The report turned out to be quite succinct and strong. He deserves attention and respect. During the meetings of Mayor Vadim Kstenin with representatives of the factions represented in the city parliament, of course, even more questions were raised. But today, prospects for the development of key areas, for example, public transport or road infrastructure, have been identified. Our city is growing. And in the words of the head of Voronezh we see optimism and confidence that everything that is stated will be done. The words are confirmed by the amounts approved in the budget for the coming years,” Deputy Chairman of the Voronezh City Duma Oleg Cherkasov commented on the speech he heard.

At the same time, Oleg Nikolaevich drew the mayor’s attention to specific objects, in particular to the Vogresovsky Bridge, through which a large volume of traffic passes. The building is in unsatisfactory condition and requires repairs. Vadim Kstenin replied that in the next two to three years it is important to successfully complete those projects related to road infrastructure that have already been started. And this is a big expense.

– At the same time, in the near future we need to begin a cycle of complete asphalting of all Voronezh streets. We did this with the help of the regional government about seven years ago. The warranty period has expired. And after the winter in 2024, we all see how damaged the coating is. Next year we need to start completely replacing the asphalt. Last time, costs were approximately 2 billion rubles per year. Now, taking into account the rise in prices, it will take at least 3 billion annually to bring the roads to the state to which we are accustomed in three years,” Vadim Kstenin set his priorities.

Regarding the announced object, the head of Voronezh emphasized that it also remains in plans for the development of the road network. Reconstruction of the Vogresovsky Bridge is planned in about 5 years.

Parliamentarian Konstantin Ashifin in his speech drew attention to the fact that public opinion must be taken into account before the implementation of any large-scale plans, otherwise the authorities risk facing discontent from the townspeople.

– It is not enough to inform, we also need to discuss decision-making. Involve not only specialized specialists, but also ecologists, social activists, representatives of the scientific community and citizen initiative groups. We all remember well the example with the rowan trees on 60-Army Street. I’m sure both rows of mountain ash could have been saved. It was the social activists who proposed a working scheme for this. After all, what is important to designers is budget, deadlines and technical issues. Therefore, they are looking for the simplest and most effective solutions from this point of view. But often you need to take a slightly more difficult path in order to reach a compromise,” emphasized Konstantin Ashifin.

As a positive example of interaction, the deputy cited the story of the birch trees on the same 60-Army street; the trees were preserved after the “negotiations.”

Parliamentarian Sergei Koliukh thanked for the work on the opening of the new building of kindergarten No. 103 on 9 January Street, but at the same time emphasized the problems associated with this institution, for example, it is located on the territory of the Sovremennik residential complex, and because of this, direct access to it Residents of neighboring houses with Plekhanovskaya and Donbasskaya cannot pass through. The issue will be resolved.

The main building of kindergarten No. 103 is located on Revolution 1905 Street – it will be reconstructed. However, this is a nominal term. The current building will most likely be completely demolished, and a new one will stand in its place.

Deputy Alexander Sysoev also came up with initiatives; for example, he drew the attention of the head of Voronezh to the fact that today we need to think about the construction of the Northern and Southern highway bypasses. But he paid special attention to another possible project:

– We need to think about the quality of life in Voronezh. To do this, it is important to give people opportunities to engage in various useful activities. Therefore, I propose to implement a project to create a natural complex on an area of ​​over 100 hectares. The project can be called “Metropolis of Happiness”. Its implementation will require 500 million rubles. – summed up Alexander Sysoev. – Urban forests are not currently equipped, but we can be one of the first in the country to implement such a project. All that is required is to arrange navigation, ensure transport accessibility and safety in this territory. But these investments can yield enormous results in terms of preserving the health of Voronezh residents.

Peter Sobolev