Viktor Leshchynskyi, Vice President of the Academy of Construction of Ukraine, Vasyl Rudnytskyi, head of one of the expert organisations of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, and Tetyana Zharska, head of the Velykomykhaylivska AH of the Odesa Oblast, discussed the construction in villages and amalgamated hromadas in frames of the “Modern Hromada” programme on the Ukrainian radio.

Presenter: Denys Denysenko

– Since 1st April new state building standards have come into force. What has changed fundamentally?

Viktor Leshchynskyi: They have not changed, only one state building standard on "Inclusiveness of buildings" has been put into action. It is very important standard to approach the norms required by all Ukrainian population. The rules of inclusiveness are needed by the whole society. This state building standard concerns everyone on the territory of Ukraine.

– What needs to be designed for the facilities to meet these standards?

Viktor Leshchynskyi: This standard provides for almost the entire life cycle of the population in certain cities throughout the territory of Ukraine – from the fact that there must be a quality provision of public transport services, etc., a more recent and correct approach to all people. Indeed, inclusiveness is not only those three million citizens who have health specifics, but also pregnant women, children, and retirees. This applies to everyone.

– Has the construction volume in the countryside increased?

Viktor Leshchynskyi: I want to remind that decentralisation brought huge amounts of money to the regions of Ukraine. The hromada leadership is accountable to the people who live there. So, at the discretion of the hromada itself, local deputies, and the budget commission, the issue of spending money on priority tasks is settled.

– What has changed in the villages of your hromada lately?

Tetyana Zharska: When we amalgamated, our hromada included 8 village councils and one settlement. First of all, we rushed to improve the state of social facilities – schools, cultural centres, kindergartens, outpatient clinics, rural health posts, we started renovations, major repairs, and arrange street lighting in villages ...

– Whom does your AH report on the money spent?

Tetyana Zharska: We report to our hromada. Every year, I report on the facilities and sums spent. And with people, we make plans for the future, determine what we will do next year. This is all agreed upon at meetings with the AH citizens.

– How did the construction industry develop in 2018 in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast?

Vasyl Rudnytskyi: Out of 50 planned AHs more than a half, that is 27, have already been formed in our oblast. We reconstruct, complete construction of, first of all, healthcare establishments, kindergartens. I would like to add also about the completion of long-term construction.

– What is being built for public funds, using, suppose, subventions? Are they used for the reconstruction of buildings?

Vasyl Rudnytskyi: The subvention is used to insulate facades of buildings, namely schools and hospitals, reconstruct engineering networks – sewage, water supply systems on the oblast territory. Analyses are carried out as well. I think that about 30% are constructed for public funds, and the rest – at the expense of AHs.

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