Construction of underground garage and sports hall, and reconstruction of Health Center and Municipality building begins

SARAJevo, (Patria) - Four major construction sites opened this morning in Stari Grad, and if everything goes according to plan, the first public underground garage will be opened in this municipality in six months, along with new premises for the Stari Grad Health Center which will be reconstructed, a sports hall for Primary School “Edhem Mulabdić”, and the Stari Grad Municipality building will also get a new look. The projects are worth over 13 million convertible marks and are financed by the Municipality of Stari Grad with loan funds from the Saudi Fund for Development.

“With these four projects, the municipality of Stari Grad is becoming the largest construction site in the Sarajevo Canton. These are concrete and tangible projects, and you will see them in the coming months,” stated the mayor Ibrahim Hadžibajrić earlier.

Construction of underground garage and sports hall

The construction of the underground garage and sports hall is being carried out by the company Džekos d.o.o., which carried out site preparations in the previous days. The parking lot, taxi stand, and containers have been relocated in Avdage Šahinagića street, benches have been dismantled, and the entire area has been fenced off. Public lighting poles have also been relocated, and in cooperation with the relevant utility companies, underground installations are being relocated, after which the excavation of the construction pit will begin. A modified traffic regime is in effect due to the works. An underground garage with two levels, 155 parking spaces, and a multi-purpose above-ground square with benches, children's playground equipment, a stage for events, and more will be built at this location in six months.

This morning, the demolition of the old and non-functional sports hall of Primary School “Edhem Mulabdić” in Konak street also began. Windows, radiators, carpentry, and floors have been dismantled, and the demolition of the building itself and the removal of materials are expected to take about ten days. These works are also being carried out by the company Džekos d.o.o., and the plan is to build a new hall at this location in five months with a higher ceiling height and more natural light, as well as a better layout of rooms. In addition to the sports hall, accompanying spaces, cabinets, classrooms, changing rooms, restrooms, and equipment rooms are planned. Students will hold physical education classes on the outdoor playground during the construction period, and the new hall should be ready by the beginning of the next school year.

Health Center and Stari Grad Municipality building

The reconstruction of the Stari Grad Health Center building, where it was necessary to increase the facility's capacity due to the growing volume of health services, is being carried out by the company ITC Zenica. Preparatory works have also been carried out at this location, and the Health Center emphasizes that there will be no interruption in services to patients. The construction site is currently being fenced off, and the works will begin from Block 1, the northern wing of the building. Today, the plan includes installing a “sample window”, removing tiles in the building's atrium, removing sheet metal, and more.

The northern and southern wings of the building will be extended to bring the entire complex to a single level. The construction of an elevator along the facade in the courtyard is also planned, and additional corridors will be installed between the departments. The basement and roof will be renovated, and carpentry will be replaced. The works are expected to be completed in six months.

The same company is also carrying out the “insulation” works on the Stari Grad Municipality building. The building will have its openings replaced, the facade and floor insulated, the boiler and energy sources replaced, and lighting fixtures and hardware replaced. The building's plateau has been fenced off with a protective barrier, containers and corridors for access to the building have been set up, and scaffolding and material delivery for the works are expected. As previously announced, the works will begin from Building B, on the third floor. Also, today the plan includes installing a “sample window”, according to which all other windows in the building will be installed. The deadline for the completion of all works is six months.

During the signing of the contracts with these contractors, Mayor Ibrahim Hadžibajrić pointed out that the process of approving loan funds took more than five years, and in 2018, the necessary procedures for approving loans at higher levels of government were finally completed, and a public call for interested bidders for the execution of works was conducted.

“The procedure for approving loan funds took quite a long time, but the procedure for selecting contractors was carried out according to the procedures of the creditor, the Saudi Fund for Development, which was a facilitating circumstance,” said Hadžibajrić.