What are the criteria for the city’s attractiveness, and what determines the quality of life in the community? How do residents rate different spheres of life? Implementation of which projects could contribute to increasing the attractiveness of the community? On March 17, experts, representatives of the authorities, coal enterprises and active residents of the community discussed these issues during another consultation within the framework of the project “Supporting Structural Changes in Coal Regions” (GIZ), implemented on behalf of the German Government.
Since one of the most important issues is the prospects of our community within the framework of a fair transformation as a coal region, Oleg Akimov, General Director of Lviv Coal State Enterprise, informed the audience about the situation at the enterprise, which employs more than six thousand people. Over the past 20 years, four local mines – No. 5 “Velikomostivska”, “Bendyuska”, “Vizeyska” and “Zarichna” – have stopped working, and miners have been employed at other mines. However, the territories of these enterprises are still not being rationally used, and no plant or factory has been opened in their place, Oleg Akimov, general director of Lvivvugilya State Enterprise, said during the meeting. If we consider the potential of the Velikomostivska mine, which stopped coal mining in 2022, then its production premises can be used as a base for repairing mine equipment. As noted by the regional coordinator of the GIZ project, Halyna Lytvyn, it is likely that the use of the territories of the already closed mines will be discussed during the next meetings.
The deputy director of the Department of Economic Policy of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, Vadym Tabakera, introduced the audience to the not too encouraging demographic indicators. The official noted that the local authorities should think about how to improve the quality of life in the community and encourage the young generation not to leave the city, but to stay here to live and work. Nevertheless, Vadym Tabakera positively noted the activity of Chervonograd in the implementation of projects co-financed within the framework of regional and state programs. Even during the difficult wartime, our community managed to attract 28.5 million hryvnias, in particular for the reconstruction of the reception department, the main water supply, and the repair of the dormitory of the Mining and Construction College.
Proximity to the border and the development of a comprehensive spatial development plan – these factors clearly affect the quality of life in the community, emphasized during the meeting the director of the LOVA Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, Olena Vasylko. However, an important criterion for the residents of the Chervonograd community remains the unsatisfactory state of ecology due to the operation of coal mines. Still, the potential of already closed mines should be used to the full extent, emphasized Olena Vasylko, in particular, huge areas where production areas were located can be managed for industrial purposes, in particular, for the installation of solar panels or other alternative energy sources. “Recently, underground energy systems have gained particular popularity, so Chervonograd has all the possibilities for implementing such projects. After all, the Chervonograd territorial community is the only community where all the settlements that are part of it have updated master plans,” noted Olena Vasylko.
The community is changing and developing, the mayor of Chervonograd Andriy Zalivsky is convinced, and the priorities that allow implementing various projects and improving the quality of life in the community are dialogue with business, attraction of investments, implementation of reforms and openness. “During the war, an investor from Poland set up furniture workshops in the premises of the former Zmina plant, where about 200 people are currently working, and in the future 1,000 people will be able to find work here,” the mayor told the meeting participants. Reconstruction of the military lyceum will soon resume. “The preliminary task set by the head of LOVA together with the head of the Academy of Ground Forces Pavel Tkachuk is to open the lyceum on Independence Day. Although this is not a higher educational institution, people from all over Ukraine will come here to study,” Andriy Zalivskyi said. Investment projects that the municipality is currently working on – a technology park on Promyslova street, attracting investments in the field of farming and food industry.
During the meeting, the results of a survey of residents were presented, the topic of which is the attractiveness of the city and the quality of life in the community. The survey lasted from March 1 to 15, and 257 respondents took part in it. It is worth noting that the age group from 30 to 49 years old was the most active. The survey participants named the state of road infrastructure, insufficient spaces and locations for leisure activities, inadequate water quality, and the state of public transport as the biggest problems that need to be solved. Among the proposals submitted by the residents to improve life in the community are the arrangement of recreation sites, community landscaping, development of extracurricular activities in rural communities, construction of a waste processing plant.