The saga of Bucharest Ice Arena continues
After two years the works for the new complex are far from being completed. For the City Hall the time for patience is over.
One year ago the Major of Bucharest Gabriela Firea was in seventh
heaven announcing the next end of the work for the new Ice Arena, began
in 2017: "Starting from the middle of next year, the teams
of hockey and ice-skating, as well as all citizens who want to skate and
have fun on ice, will have a new Olympic ice rink, equipped to the
highest standards.By finalizing this investment, we will put Bucharest
and Romania on the map of international ice and skating competitions and
at the same time offer Bucharest a modern sports and leisure center"
Twelve
months after, the reality is quite different: only the 35% of the works
were executed and very likely an additional 3-4 years would be needed
to complete the facility. So last Wednesday the City Hall cancelled the
contract with the constructor, a joint-venture between UTI and Astaldi. "The fact that the contractor did not take any action to remedy the delay, led us to make this decision - said the City Hall in a statement - "
they also refused to give the City a timetable with realistic revised
deadlines, which justified the delays and included measures to prevent
further delays. Although there was a lot of consultation between the
Town Hall and the contractor, it was not possible to reach an agreement,
so the City had no choice but to break the contract with the
contractor."
"We will take every possible step to
recover the ice rink as soon as possible, and Bucharest will have a
European-standard modern ice rink" added Mayor Gabriela Firea.
The
Flamaropol calvary began in the 2000s. The arena, built in 1952, in an
advanced state of
degradation, was demolished in 2011. After long planning, the
construction of the new ice rink began in 2017. The hall is planned to
have about 9,500 square meters of built-in floor space, will accommodate
3,100 spectators, and will create a garden that can be used by visitors
at the top, overlooking the lake in the sports complex.
According
to the consortuim of constructors, the modification of the deadline for
the project was determined by the delay with which the site required
for the construction was handed over. Thus, it was partially handed over
on August 2016, but the works could not begin because the contract
clause to hand over the freestanding site was not respected. The
construction commencement order was issued on 9 January 2017, but the
beneficiary issued the entire site and issued the permit to demolish the
last buildings on the land on which the skating rink must be built in
September 2017, with a delay of 23 months after signing the contract.
In the middle of this battle, to make thingsworse for the Ice Arena, the City Hall announced, at the beginning of the week,
the building of a new "unprecedented" Hall in Romania. It would have 20,000 seats,
underground parking and be approved for all international competitions.Term of execution: 3 years!