A municipal programme to co-fund the renovation of basements in residential buildings, so they can be equipped as basic shelters, has started operating in Lviv. District administrations are already receiving the first applications from residents, with those living in the multi-storey block at 5 George Washington Street among the most active. This was reported by Lviv City Council.
The Mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi, together with city representatives and residents, inspected the basement of this 14-storey building, which contains 84 flats and is home to more than 150 people. The basement currently has a low ceiling, many pipes and utilities, and old whitewashed walls with cracks. There are a few chairs, but no toilet, proper ventilation or emergency exit.
During the inspection, they discussed the need to install a toilet, a ventilation system, alternative heating and an emergency exit in the basement, so that the space could be used more safely during air-raid alerts. Residents were also urged to sort out the storage rooms, some of which are not in use, in order to increase the area of the potential shelter.
“Essentially, this is a basement where people have their storage rooms. But given that people have taken the initiative to turn this basement into a shelter, we are ready to get involved. There must be a toilet, water and alternative heating here. Residents need to put the storage rooms in order, because many of them are not used, and by clearing them out you can increase the area of the shelter itself. We will also create an alternative exit — from the point of view of safety and accessibility, because you cannot put a lift in here on the stairs, and a mother with a pram or a person in a wheelchair will not be able to get in,” said Andriy Sadovyi
Residents of the building say that previously, during alerts, they used a nearby shelter, but now they often go down into the shared corridor without windows. They believe that having their own basement shelter with several exits would be safer and more convenient, especially for families with children and older people. According to residents, a survey was conducted in the building’s group, and the majority agreed to take part in co-funding the works.
An association of co-owners of an apartment building (OSBB) has been set up in the block, but it is managed by the municipal management company (LKP). The head of the Lychakiv District Administration, Yuriy Lukashevskyi, noted that residents of this building already have experience of taking part in municipal programmes: this year, under a co-funding scheme, a new lift was installed here. Now some people already use the basement as a basic shelter during alerts, but for longer stays a minimum set of works is needed — to ensure sanitary conditions, ventilation and heating.
The City Council stresses that the aim of the new programme is to bring basement spaces suitable for use as basic shelters into compliance with technical and sanitary standards as quickly as possible, so that residents have safe conditions during air-raid alerts.
The Director of the Housing and Infrastructure Department of Lviv City Council, Oksana Pryhoda, explained that a significant proportion of basements in residential buildings need renovation. The programme provides for co-funding: residents cover between 10% and 30% of the cost of the works, with the remainder paid by the city. The scale depends on the number of flats in the building: if there are more than 50, the co-owners’ share will be 30%.
Before work begins, basements will undergo inspection by a commission and cost estimates will be drawn up. District administrations are already processing residents’ applications. If there are many applications, selection criteria will be introduced, and priority will be given to buildings that do not have other shelters nearby.
A special programme to co-fund the renovation of basements in multi-apartment residential buildings and non-residential municipal premises for use as basic shelters was approved at the most recent session of Lviv City Council.
A video of the basement inspection and discussion with residents has been published on YouTube: