Source: online media “Halychina”
Based on the selection results, as was previously reported by “Halychina”, Dolyna was selected as a participant of the technical assistance project “Partnership for Local Economic Development and Democratic Governance”, which will be implemented by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and funded by Canadian Government till the end of 2020 for 16 cities of Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnitsa, Zaporizhia and Poltava oblasts. And on December 18, this year Mr. Volodymyr Garazd, Mayor of Dolyna signed the Memorandum of Cooperation with Canadian International Technical Assistance Project – PLEDDG. But despite of that, financial aspect of the project, in which Carpathian cities like Ivano-Frankivsk, Dolyna, Yaremche and Kolomya participate, is a mystery so far for the cities-participants of the project, tells Mr. Volodymyr GARAZG, the Mayor of Dolyna, at the press-conference:
“Signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation with Canadian International Technical Assistance “PLEDDG” Project, which took place in Ivano-Frankivsk, is very important for our city. As we are talking about powerful long-term six year project, aimed at supporting of economic development of the cities. It is financed by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and Canadian Government. It covers four oblasts of Ukraine, and the experts who carried out competitive selection visited all the cities. Dolyna, as stated by the Project Manager, created positive impression with the experts because of its achievements and level of the management team. So the Selection Board unanimously supported us, even though our city does not fully comply with the competition requirements – we do not have the oblast subordination status”.
This is the multifaceted project, so in which sectors it is going to work in Dolyna?
“The work with the cities – Ivano-Frankivsk, Yaremche, Kolomyia and Dolyna will start with strategic planning.
It is important for us, as we are completing implementation of the previous ten-year strategic plan of 2007 and have a new vision for the development of our city. A lot of well-known Ukrainian and international experts are working in the project: in community development – Igor Lepyoshkin, in business development – Valeriy Kokot, in local governance – Oleg Voytivych and others. So the discussion will be interesting, as the strategy will be developed not just for the city Dolyna, but more widely – already for the future territorial community that amalgamates twenty-two settlements. In the beginning of February we will start working on the long-term planning which will provide new vision of the development for the coming years. Surely this will allow us to see how and where to allocate the resources. There are several interesting directions for cooperation with PLEDDG. First of all, ideas about industrial park development. We will also focus on the development of small and medium business with large social component. We would like PLEDDG to join the implementation of our project “Tourism and balneology development in Dolyna”. We need serious expert support.
Next year we expect to receive UAH 2 million from the State Fund for Regional Development which will be spent on the development of project documents and specifications, licensing of the bittern and salt deposits, and preparing the design and construction of a number of sites – bittern bottling workshop, salt basin and therapy bowers where bittern is dispersed. Polish experts are ready to provide advisory support, and PLEDDG is ready to provide financial support. Next year the city is also ready to allocate UAH 700 thousand for project co-funding. So it can be a serious breakthrough in the creation of the services for the population and leverage for investments attraction to the development of the balneology sector in Dolyna. The city has enough land plots for the development of balneology complexes by investors. We preserved 4.5 ha of land in the area of former salt works, and did not sell a single plot from about 9 ha of the former garrison town. And PLEDDG will provide the opportunity to move from plans to implementation of the first stage of the project already next year.
Also one of the priorities of the Canadian project is the development of contemporary one-stop shop Center for administrative services provision in Dolyna in accordance with international standards. Mr. Yuriy Mazur, Head of Dolyna Regional State Administration supports this idea. In the framework of the project, public advisory committee will be created in the city. The task of the committee will be accumulation of public opinion and project implementation analysis. Evidently, due to the high extent of public involvement in management we were able to interest Canadian partners – the authors of the project. Among key criteria of project implementation are gender equality, transparency, publicity, e-governance, support of small and medium business, agriculture, tourism and industrial park development”.
What financial support can Dolyna expect to receive in the framework of PLEDDG Project?
“I can’t say at the moment. We also tried to get this information, but in vain – it is a secret so far. Probably, something will be known in the new year, when the experts will visit our city. As it is important for the authors of the project to spend the funds efficiently. So they will be adjusting the financial component. Besides the project has a small investment component from USD 50 to 100 thousand. And all the same UAH 2 million is a substantial amount for Dolyna. Will we be able to work simultaneously in all mentioned areas? We wish so, but that remains to be seen. In the beginning of the year it will become clear in which spheres PLEDDG Project will be realistically able to help”.