Gargždai has been buzzing with passions lately.
The reason is the district politicians’ idea to build a multifunctional sports complex in the football city for ice hockey, skating, and football.
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- According to the plan, a multifunctional arena was to be built where football would be played in winter and skating in summer.
- The arena would have cost 15 million euros, of which 6 million was planned to be raised from European structures;
- According to the project, it would be an ice arena that in winter would operate as a football hall with half the usual football field dimensions, and the ceiling would be up to 8 meters high;
- It was said that ice hockey would be played outdoors in winter, and the ice rink would operate in summer;
- After a wave of criticism, the mayor of Klaipėda district, Bronius Markauskas, canceled the project, although he regretted it himself
Different sports were combined into one project – in a city of 15,000 inhabitants that loves football and has a strong “Banga” team, there is a great lack of a hall so that the team and children could train during the cold season.
There has never been ice hockey in Gargždai, but by combining two sports, it was planned to more easily obtain funding, hoping for more points in the competition due to the multifunctionality of the arena.
Such a project surprised not only football fans in Gargždai but also their opponents – the president of Vilnius “Žalgiris,” Andrius Tapinas, criticized the project, accusing politicians of trying to embezzle money and called their explanations “absurd.”
Because of this, several hundred football fans gathered in Gargždai on Thursday morning, including children and their parents.
The Gargždai football community has long requested the construction of a football hall, but after receiving a promise, they were surprised that the planned arena would be more intended for ice sports and would not be very suitable for football due to its small dimensions and low ceilings.
“We won’t leave football on the ice,” chanted the people of Gargždai loudly this and other “Banga” chants at the same time the district mayor was commenting on the situation.
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Having announced on the eve of the protest that he would remove the ice arena project issue from the council agenda if dissatisfaction arose, B. Markauskas regretted this decision on Thursday.
“If we had received support, we would have had that (complex) in about 2.5 years,” commented the district mayor. “Understand that the hall is needed for four, at best five months (per year). Then it would be empty because footballers only need to train there in winter.
In this case, there would be football in the hall in winter and an ice rink in summer. It couldn’t be otherwise because we were prepared for an ice arena project. That’s why we were a bit cunning; maybe the communication didn’t go quite right.”
B. Markauskas promised that a football hall would be built in the future.
“We have now met with the football community. We will take the long road – we will start preparing an investment project for both the hall and the stadium reconstruction, and the relocation of athletics to another place.
But if we don’t have state support… I think the total amount for the hall and stadium reconstruction will be about 18 million,” said the district mayor. “We have only implemented one large project of 24 million from our budget. It is simply impossible to finance another such project from our budget now. When we have a new project with a building permit, we will be able to apply for funding. This will take time; I don’t know how long, but we will not back down from our commitments.”
B. Markauskas said that this time they had to retreat from the ice arena also because of opponents.
“On the other hand, we lack table tennis and wrestling halls; there was a plan to make climbing so that the arena would be occupied all year round, but we ended the discussion, I congratulate some on the victory, we will continue the work,” he said without naming whom he was hinting at. “There are always currents; it’s a pity that sports are somewhat politicized.”
