The government of Sevastopol wants to move to the sea and create a private hotel in its building in the center
The Sevastopol government continues to insist on its move to the complex of the former Institute of Banking, which was previously part of the National Bank of Ukraine system. The university buildings with a modern sports complex, dormitories, a park and even a church are located in the Victory Park area almost on the seashore.
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A serious struggle unfolded around this “Ukrainian heritage” in Sevastopol. The Ministry of Defense was the first to announce its claims. At first it was assumed that the entire Nakhimov Higher Naval School would move to the new buildings. And when social activists had suspicions that the original territory of the school (also by the sea) would be given over for development, the military said that they would place only civilian faculties at the banking institute.
Next, the city legislative assembly joined the fight for luxury real estate. At the end of June, deputies turned to the Russian government with a request to leave the Institute of Banking in city ownership. In the future, it was planned to transfer the complex to the Invasport association, headed by one of the deputies, Evgeniy Mashchenko.
Dmitry Ovsyannikov, having just entered the position of acting governor in August, also began to make plans for the university complex. The mayor proposed placing all local government units there, now scattered around Sevastopol, “to improve manageability.” At the same time, the legislative assembly, which at first did not show any enthusiasm for this, was supposed to move to the sea from the center. Preliminary calculations showed that the large-scale move will cost the city budget 625 million rubles.
But Sevastopol State University will move to the complex, which was originally built as a university, without any special expenses, says Sevastopol State University rector Valery Koshkin. The university, created in 2014 on the basis of seven universities, is rapidly growing and is experiencing a shortage of places in dormitories. This year, almost 4 thousand freshmen came to the university, 1400 of them need dormitories. In total, almost 12 thousand students study at the university, including from the former Institute of Banking. As a social bonus for the city, the university proposes to create a lyceum for gifted children and a training center for civil servants.
The city government risked conducting a survey of Sevastopol residents on its official website about the fate of the banking institution. The results were disappointing. Only 1% of the 15 thousand survey participants were in favor of moving government bodies. SevSU won with more than 60% of the votes.
However, the final decision, Ovsyannikov has already stated, may not be made in favor of the university beloved by the townspeople. To justify its voluntarism, the government posted an extensive release on the official website about which socially significant objects will receive premises in the buildings vacated after the government moved in the city center. The names include music and art schools, the Center for Social Assistance to Family and Children, the Wedding Palace of the city of Sevastopol, the cadastre, the Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
But the devil, as usual, is in the details. The government release casually mentions: “Today’s Sevastopol Government building on the street. Lenina, 2, can be used for various needs that are appropriate for the city’s economy. One of the options is to transfer it to a private investor for hotel placement. The proceeds from this transaction will help offset the costs of moving government bodies to a single location.”
Sevastopol residents on social networks are already expressing confidence that the creation of a hotel is the true goal of the government’s move to a remote area poorly provided with public transport.
The building on Lenina 2 is a multi-story tower, with a beautiful view of the bay from the upper windows. The main attractions of Sevastopol are within walking distance. It is possible to provide special areas for spectators of two main city events: the May 9 parade and the naval show on Fleet Day. Well-known chain brands that are already entering Crimea under the roof of little-known companies could invest in the creation of a new hotel.
For reference: The Sevastopol Institute of Banking was opened in 2009 as a higher educational institution of the National Bank of Ukraine. In May 2014, the institute was included in the property register of Sevastopol. A year later, the property complex was transferred to the disposal of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, whose leadership announced their intention to create a financial literacy center in Sevastopol. On September 30, the Central Bank will complete the procedure for returning the complex to city ownership.