Sergey Egorov: Everything is possible with collective effort. Tolochin celebrates its 585th anniversary

One of the cozy towns of the Vitebsk region - Tolochin - will celebrate its 585th anniversary on August 18. Like the entire district as a whole, upon closer acquaintance, it reveals its interesting events and significant achievements for the region. The chairman of the Tolochin District Executive Committee, Sergey Egorov, told a BELTA correspondent in an interview about what the district is living for today.

- Sergey Valeryevich, first of all, let me congratulate all the residents of the district on the anniversary date and find out how the City Day will be celebrated and what will be its main event.

- The organizing committee has prepared a rich and exciting program for City Day. The events will begin with a theatrical procession "The History of Tolochin in Events and Personalities". Then there will be a grand opening of the art composition "Toloka" in honor of the city's name. It will become a kind of symbol of fertility, prosperity, and collective labor of Tolochin. There are several versions of where the city's name came from. According to the first, it is from the name of the ancient Slavic deity, the patroness of harvest and fertility, Toloka. The second assumption is that the city got its name from the word "toloka". In those distant times, ancient forests grew here. People together, with "toloka", cut them down, rafted them down the river, and built huts. Thus, a settlement grew on the banks of the Drut River, which was named Tolochin.

An important event of the day will be the signing of a sister city cooperation agreement with the Velizhsky district of the Smolensk region. The delegation from another of our Russian sister regions - the Safonovsky district of the Smolensk region - has also confirmed its participation in the anniversary events.

Guests of the holiday will be able to visit the City of Masters, art exhibitions, a demonstration site of the district emergency situations department, shopping malls, and farmsteads of rural councils. A large sports program for children and youth is planned. In the evening, there will be a solemn honoring of honorary citizens of the Tolochin district, veterans, labor dynasties of the city, and winners of the competition for the best improvement of residential buildings and territories of enterprises and organizations. A festive concert, a fire show, and fireworks will conclude the day.

- 585th anniversary is a significant date. What is the district living for today?

- Tolochin lives, how is its social sphere developing?

- Over the last three years, a significant number of social facilities have been built and restored in the district center. A new building for the district library has been erected, secondary schools No. 1 and No. 2, and kindergarten No. 1 have been renovated. The Center for Culture and Folk Art and the Tolochin Children's Art School are gradually being updated. A large volume of repair work has been carried out at the Central District Hospital: windows have been replaced, the infectious diseases ward has been capital repaired, and a hemodialysis department has been opened. Routine repairs have been carried out in the X-ray and pediatric departments, the women's consultation clinic, and the children's polyclinic, and the adjacent territory of the Tolochin Central District Hospital has been landscaped.

- The Holy Protection Convent is a true gem of Tolochin. In 2013, this unique historical and cultural monument was included in the republican and regional investment programs for reconstruction and restoration. What has been achieved at the site during the past period?

- In addition to state funding for the restoration of the entire complex, with the assistance of the abbess, Mother Anfisa, donations from parishioners and financial aid from patrons were attracted. Currently, the Holy Protection Church has been restored and painted in the convent, a holy spring with a bathing area has been opened, and a small chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker has been built. The monastic cells building has been completely restored. A chapel of the Archangel Michael has been erected on the convent grounds, where one can draw water from the holy spring. A two-story clergy house and a baptistery with a font have been built. Currently, routine repairs are being carried out in the building of the former convent school, and landscaping is underway near the future spiritual and educational center. It is planned to accommodate a children's playground and a refectory for pilgrims and tourists here. Gradually, the convent is transforming, becoming a center of spiritual attraction for both local residents and city guests.

- The participation in UNDP projects contributes to the development of the city and the district. Tell us more about them.

- Within the framework of the project "Assistance to the development ofin the Republic of Belarus" by the EU/UNDP, a number of initiatives have been implemented in the district. The winner of the main competition of this project was the initiative "Timely Assistance" of the Tolochin District Organization of the RPO "Belaya Rus" for the distribution of tonometer devices to elderly villagers living in villages remote from the district center and FAPs. Other targeted projects are also being implemented in the district. For example, an educational and developmental agro-ecotourism estate has been created on the basis of Secondary School No. 2, where a vegetable garden, a fruit and berry garden, flower beds have been laid out, and a recreation area with elements of a rural homestead has been equipped. Everything was done by schoolchildren and teachers. Thus, the children get acquainted with agricultural work and help to provide their own canteen with fruits and vegetables. And in the Tolochin Historical and Local Lore Museum, an interactive ecological musical space "Man in Nature" has been equipped. On the basis of the territorial center for social services for the population, a platform for communication and employment has been created for persons with disabilities, orphans and children left without parental care, and activists of the elderly volunteer movement. Each of these initiatives helps to solve socio-economic problems, which is and will continue to be supported by local authorities.

- One of the main budget-forming enterprises of the district is RUP "Tolochin Cannery". What are the plans for the development of production for it in the near future?

- Tolochin Cannery is an integration complex that includes a full cycle of production, storage, processing and sale of potatoes, fruits, berries and products from them. The enterprise's capacities allow it to produce 810 thousand decaliters of fruit and berry wines, 1 thousand tons of starch, and 6 million liters of juice products per year. Starch production capacity is 15 tons per day, potato processing capacity is 100 tons per day. The enterprise is developing steadily: since 2016, a juice and nectar bottling shop has been put into operation, which has made it possible to create a production of multi-component juices based on domestic raw materials of fruit and berry crops. Currently, the plant is implementing

an innovative project for the construction of a quick-freezing workshop with an investment volume of Br15 million. It is planned to install a new technological line for the production of quick-frozen potato products of the french fries type with a capacity of 303 tons per month. The launch of the new production is scheduled for 2020. Its opening will create 20 jobs.

- Do other enterprises also make a significant contribution to the district's economy?

- The successful operation of any enterprise is based on continuous production development, the main goal of which is to ensure the output of competitive products. The well-being of the work collective, as well as the filling of the district budget, depends not only on how this work is carried out. In the industrial sector of the Tolochin district, in this regard, it should be noted the Kokhanovo Pipe Plant "Beltrubplast", which recently implemented a project to expand the range of manufactured products: the enterprise acquired an extrusion line worth Br1.3 million, which made it possible to establish the production of import-substituting products and expand sales markets. OJSC "Amkodor-KEZ" constantly improves its products and strives to increase the effectiveness of its quality management system. An important project for the Tolochin district is the creation of a mushroom production plant by OOO "FungiBelPlus". The project is planned to be implemented during 2018-2019. The total investment volume will be Br17.9 million. The enterprise plans to create 170 jobs. Its capacity will be 450 tons of mushrooms per month. In general, in January-June of the current year, enterprises of the district received Br81.3 million in revenue from the sale of products, and Br6 million of investments were attracted into fixed capital.

- The harvest campaign is a hot topic now. In your district, the "Korolki" farm, which is among the leaders of the agro-industrial complex, is headed by a woman, and there are only a few female managers of agricultural enterprises in the Vitebsk region. In your opinion, does a woman's hand leave a mark on the work of the team?

- Galina Kotova has been managing the open joint-stock company "Korolki" since 2011. And this farm shows good results year after year, both in livestock breeding and in

in crop production. OJSC "Korolki" is one of the district's enterprises that has maintained stable positive sales profitability for the past seven years and does not experience credit problems. For the achievements in work, the head of the farm and the farm itself have repeatedly been awarded Honorary Diplomas of the Tolochin District Executive Committee. Based on the results of work for 2014, Galina Kotova was awarded the honorary title "Person of the Year of Vitebsk Region", and in 2016, she was awarded the medal "For Labor Merits".

- Various events and projects are being developed and implemented everywhere in the Year of Small Motherland. They are also being implemented in your region. What would you highlight?

- Firstly, the continuation of landscaping work, involving the public in this process, bringing potentially fertile unused agricultural lands into economic circulation, eradication of Sosnowski's hogweed, and demolition of dilapidated and vacant houses. Among the most significant events that have already taken place are the clean-up events at the Drutskoye settlement. This is an archaeological monument, a historical and cultural value. A recreation area has also been equipped on the territory of the Kokhanovo forestry, an ecological trail has been created in the forest area near the village of Zagorye, Staroselskaya Street in the urban settlement of Kokhanovo and Melioratorov Street in Tolochin have been asphalted. The celebration of the 585th anniversary of the city of Tolochin is also taking place under the banner of the Year of Small Motherland. At the same time, I would like to note that all initiatives and undertakings find active support among our people, and as is known, much can be accomplished through collective effort.

BELTA.