A children’s playground worth 242,000 euros is being built in Daugavpils; the council’s opposition does not support the use of funds / Article

At the promenade of Daugavpils Great Stropu lake, opposite the regional hospital, the sounds of construction work can be heard behind the belted construction fence. The hammer is banging, and above the height of the fence, the figure of a large-shaped wooden fish painted in light water tones is already visible to passers-by. Here is a multifunctional play complex for children. For 242,000 euros.

Objections to the use of such an amount for this idea were raised by opposition MPs in the Daugavpils City Council already during the decision-making process.

Daugavpils council member Ivars Šiņčs (Daugavpils county party) said: “I already said at the council meeting that those ideas that cost more than 200 thousand euros are not good ideas. We could have used that money for much nobler purposes. To pay for the lessons of the Sports School students , because now the burden is placed on the parents. The education of interests is also now done for us. This council thinks about education, not about children.”

The non-partisan head of the Daugavpils City Council, Andrejs Elksniņš, based the decision on the development of Stropi’s surroundings as a resort, and funds were also taken from the long-degrading hotel sold here in Stropi for 375,630 euros.

“The municipality will do everything possible to make Stropi not only the most popular place for recreation in the city of Daugavpils, but also the driving force of the entire region in the spa industry. The funds were already planned in this year’s municipal budget. The funds have been taken from real estate, specifically the abandoned building, the former “Paparde” sales. One of the stages of development is the new children’s playground, which the municipality has seen in Poland, in one of the national-scale projects, regarding the preservation of national parks. The construction of a new children’s playground in the form of a fish is currently underway,” noted Elksniņš.

The idea justifies the expenses, the chairman of the Daugavpils council is convinced: “Historically, this type of children’s playground in Daugavpils, and I even think in Latvia, is the first of its kind when a children’s playground is also created as an environmental object.”

Latvijas Radio also explained what the residents think about it. The addressed citizens of Daugavpils said:

“Know nothing of such an object.”

“The fish will be big, really big, I don’t know anything else. I only know that it will cost 242 thousand.”

“We don’t know who would need that money more, of course, the children are not sorry. Is it a lot? Of course, it is a lot of money. I don’t know if that field costs that much, because the prices are different. The fields, of course, are needed, questions only about the amount, how much they cost.”

The multifunctional play complex “Zivs”, 11 meters long and almost 4 meters wide, on the shore of the Great Hive Lake, will be intended for children aged 4 to 12 years, and it can be used by up to 30 people at the same time. It will have built-in climbing equipment, a net, a slide. A safe surface has also been laid in the surrounding area, according to the Daugavpils City Planning and Construction Department.

SIA “Gumi Mix Group”, which was the only applicant, won the competition for the creation of such an object. Three more competitions had been held previously, but without results.

A similar but much larger complex for children in the shape of a fish will be built in Poland next year, its cost will be close to a million.

The municipality also plans to create another similar environmental facility called “Pūce” in the Esplanade neighborhood of the city, the construction of which would cost 272,000 euros.

In Daugavpils, the new children’s multifunctional play complex “Zivs” is planned to be opened already at the beginning of June.