Renovation of the Odesa Zoo was estimated at an unaffordable amount for the budget

The Department of International Cooperation, Culture and Marketing, together with the Department of Capital Construction, have preliminarily calculated the approximate cost of completing the restoration of the Odesa Zoo.

The Director of the Department of International Cooperation Ivan Liptuga reported during the meeting of the Standing Committee on Education, Sports and Interaction with Public Organizations on September 19.

According to him, the department's specialists and management have updated the project, the first stage of which is the new entrance group of the zoo, and estimated that it will cost approximately UAH 1.6 billion.

"When we raised the project, the first stage of which was completed, and looked at the approximate estimate, it was 1.6 billion, and we realize that this is currently an unaffordable amount for our budget. We understand that it is pointless to bring this issue to the session," the official said.

Experts are currently considering where savings can be made in the project, and also plan to propose extending the project's financing for a period of five to ten years. During the meeting, they also decided to reduce funds for replenishing the zoo's animal collection.

During the meeting, the chairman of the commission, Oleh Etnarovych, reminded that in Kharkiv, 2.5 billion hryvnias were spent on the reconstruction of a zoo roughly the same size as the Odesa zoo, for which they took out a loan, but in Odesa, he said, this could cause public outrage.

"We have a development budget of 1.5 billion, and if we think about spending such funds, questions will immediately arise as to whether it is necessary. Toilets for the disabled for four million are expensive. Therefore, we must take into account the realities," the deputy noted.

Кирило Бойко