Congratulations to Lana Pudar: Contract signed for the construction of a swimming pool in Mostar

(Patria) - On Wednesday, after an open public procurement procedure for works, the signing of the Contract for the procurement of works: construction of the structure, roof, and facade of the Olympic swimming pool "Mostar" was held at the City Hall of Mostar. The contract was signed by the Mayor of Mostar, Mario Kordić, the Director of the Directorate for the Construction of the Sports Hall in Mostar, Edin Prašo, and the director of Hering d.d. Široki Brijeg, Ladislav Bevanda.

"We have talked a lot about the pool, and that moment has finally arrived, fittingly, considering that our Lana became the world champion yesterday, and I can say that this is a divine gift that these two dates have aligned, and I see no better way to congratulate Lana on this success. Lana has served as an inspiration to all of us to take this matter very seriously, and here we are today signing the contract and hoping to start the construction of the pool in the near future," said the Mayor of Mostar, Kordić.

He stated that the City is working on two major projects at the same time – the pool and the city hall, and that he understands the citizens' disbelief that such projects will be completed because they have been worked on for a long time.

"However, it is possible to do it with dedicated work, and these two historic projects for the City of Mostar will be completed," he added.

The Director of the Directorate for the Construction of the Sports Hall in Mostar, Edin Prašo, emphasized that this facility is part of the city's image, and Lana's victory contributes to that.

"I am glad that we have reached this moment. This facility is part of the city's image. Lana's victory also contributes to this, accelerating these processes, and in that sense, with the sports hall and the pool, along with the things the City has already initiated, Mostar is gaining the contours of a pleasant place to live. Regarding the construction of the pool itself, this signed phase involves a timeframe of 18 months and includes the construction and reconstruction of the main facility, as we call it now. The 18-month timeline is not a very fast pace, however, the contractor has prepared everything in their plan. The contractor must start the work within a month, and I can only say that we will work," said Prašo.

Ladislav Bevanda addressed the attendees on behalf of the contractor, the Široki Brijeg company Hering d.d.

"I would like to thank the investor for entrusting us. We have almost completed the Ilija Jakovljević sports hall; the hall is in the state it is in. We have been there for 15 years with some kind of contract, but it seems that will also start soon," said Bevanda, adding that they will strive to do everything in accordance with the contract.

The Speaker of the City Council of Mostar, Salem Marić, emphasized that they have overcome all challenges successfully, sometimes under pressure, but that they have ensured that everything is done in a transparent and legal manner.

"First of all, I must thank the Mayor and the former Prime Minister Novalić and the government at the time, who secured all these funds of 9 million, and I am sure that we will continue to cooperate with the new government and future governments to complete this as soon as possible, and after this 18-month period, we will move on to the second phase," emphasized Marić.

When asked about the costs and timeline, Kordić said that during the mandate of the previous government, they received grant funds from the budget in the amount of 8 million marks.

"Given that the conditions Prašo mentioned were not met at the time, it was necessary to change the regulatory plan, demolition, relocation of the route, and so on. To create a conceptual design, resolve all tenders that had to be resolved because everything had to be transparent in the public procurement procedure, as we did not need any scandals, and we were all committed to starting the work. The price itself was higher than the contractor's offer, and the same will be the case in this second phase. Therefore, from the City's side, or rather the Directorate for the Construction of Sports Facilities, everything will be accompanied by documentation, tenders will be announced, and we will get the remaining value. Currently, we have 8 million plus 1 million we received from the Federation Government, and we have secured part of the funds in the budget. Given that this is a two-year project, these funds will be reflected in the budget for next year. When we reach the stage of completing the first phase and start the second phase, we will have a clearer picture of the cost of continuing the construction," said the Mayor of Mostar.

Pool Sustainability He added that, in discussions with the new Government, there is a commitment to finance the project to the end.

"If that is the case, a larger part of the funds will come from the federal level. If not, the City of Mostar will strive to find these funds in its budget. We have a deadline of 18 months for the construction of the first phase, and I think Hering will certainly adhere to the deadlines. One of the key problems is the available human resources on the ground. I think the deadlines will be met, and if not, there are mechanisms through which we will insist on adhering to the deadlines. I can speculate about the complete completion of the project, but let's leave that for the day when everything is clearer," he emphasized.

Kordić stated that building the city pool will be less demanding than maintaining it, and that is something they will discuss in the future, reports Bljesak.