What facilities were included in the Vitebsk city investment program for 2016?

This year, the reconstruction of a landmark building for the city at 5a Pravdy Street, which will house the Museum of the Vitebsk People's Art School, is to be completed in the regional center. The work is being carried out within the framework of the city investment program, formed for 2016 under conditions of financial austerity.

A total of about 145 billion rubles is allocated for the construction, reconstruction, and design of 42 utility facilities included in the program. In terms of funding at current prices, this is comparable to the initially approved level of 2014, although in dollar terms, there has been a twofold decrease, and compared to 2015 – almost a threefold decrease, while the number of facilities has decreased by almost a quarter.

Given the limited funds, the city has been forced to demonstrate investment austerity for more than one year and concentrate resources on projects with a high degree of readiness or high social significance, cutting back as much as possible on desires to expand their list.

As noted by **Chairman of the City Executive Committee Viktor Nikolaykin**, the construction of a kindergarten and a secondary school in Bilevo-2, a zoo, and a polyclinic in the Yug-7A microdistrict will continue. Also planned are the reconstruction of the former House of Services in Rube for the placement of Children's Art School No. 6, and the major overhaul of the treatment building of the city central clinical hospital on M. Gorky Street. About 2 billion rubles are planned to be allocated for the completion of the construction of a training football field with a natural surface.

Traditionally, housing and communal services account for the most significant share in the investment program, both in terms of finances and the number of facilities. This year, this sector accounts for about 64% (92.9 billion rubles) of the total funding, as well as 74% (31) of all facilities for budget investments.

The most substantial projects in terms of annual allocations include the modernization and major repairs of the rooms at the "Luchosa" hotel and the clearing of the riverbed, as well as measures to maintain the hydrological regime and sanitary condition of the Vitba River in the regional center (8 billion rubles each), and the construction of a bath and wellness complex on Voïnov-Internatsionalistov Street and the reconstruction of a section of Lyudnikov Avenue near the Internal Affairs Directorate building (5.6 billion rubles each).

Financing for other sectors is distributed as follows: 13.6% (19.7 billion rubles) of investment allocations are allocated to education facilities, 8.9% (12.9 billion) to healthcare, 12.1% (17.5 billion) to culture, and 1.4% (2 billion rubles) to physical culture and sports.

Sergey Antonov, "Vitebskiye vesti".