Local services
The ground-breaking ceremony was held at the gymnasium under construction at Epreskert Primary School on the 25th of August, 2023.
“It is a long-awaited moment when we can raise the curtain on this sports facility in the making,” Mayor of Debrecen László Papp said. He recalled that the people of Epreskert have been waiting for decades for the completion of a sports complex in the courtyard of one of the most popular schools in the city, which will be able to meet the sporting needs of students in the 21st century.
He recalled that thanks to the government’s support, with the assistance of the State Secretariat for Sport, a significant government grant – worth more than one billion forints – was made available to start the development, but then unexpected circumstances arose, as the contractor discovered huge soil contamination.
He said that after the works had started, four thousand tonnes of contaminated soil had to be replaced, which delayed the construction period, so the actual works could not begin until autumn 2022.
The mayor hopes that the sports complex will be completed by spring next year, as agreed in the contract.
Speaking about the facility, László Papp said that it is a sports complex of more than 1,800 square metres, not just a gymnasium, which is clear from the cost and the outline of the building. A complex, multifunctional facility that will not only make life more colourful, enriching and comfortable for students but will also provide the whole of the south of the city with the opportunity to organise major and serious programmes,” he stressed.
He added that the external facade elements will be put in place in a few weeks, after which the internal construction works will occur. “Epreskerti Primary School is one of our most popular schools, which is a full house. More than 400 children attend classes here, which made it necessary to build this facility, which will certainly be ready for use in the second half of the school year,” he said.
MP László Pósán stressed that it took a lot of hard and long work to finally achieve a government decision that would allow the construction to start with the appropriate funds.
Zoltán Piros, the local government representative of the area, said that Debrecen’s schools are constantly being built and improved, and the gymnasium in Epreskert fits into this development process: “This gymnasium will not only serve pedagogical and educational purposes but will also fulfil a community-building function in the southern part of the city, in the Tégláskert and Epreskert. The residents of the area will be able to use the gym, and a new section of pavement will be built in the area, making the building more accessible,” he added.
Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu
