Source: Berdyansk City Council
Today, on June 26, the Draft Berdyansk Development Strategy 2027 was presented at public hearings. The event was held in great hall of the T.H. Shevchenko Community Center. It welcomed the city council deputies, representatives of enterprises and organizations, industrial sector, transport, sanatorium-and-health-resort and recreation centers, utility companies, representatives of NGOs, urban district committees, and residents of the city to take part therein.
The aim of the public hearings, inter alia, was to give an opportunity for members of the territorial communities to participate in the process of working out the solutions to the problems of essential services and territorial community development.
Oleksii Kholod, Acting Mayor, City Council Secretary, chaired the public hearings. The presidium was composed of Svitlana Kruhliak, PLEDDG Regional Coordinator in Zaporizhia oblast, Yulia Doinova, Deputy Mayor, Valeriy Kharchenko, Executive Director of Berdyansk Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (Employers), and Olha Kochubey, Managing Officer of Executive Committee.
The event opened with the statement of Oleksii Kholod, City Council Secretary, that the Strategy was an underlying document for further social and economic development of the city. The work on new Berdyansk Development Strategy started in December 2017 and was organized with the help of the experts and advisors of the international technical assistance project “Partnership for Local Economic Development and Democratic Governance” (PLEDDG). This period is noted for successful development of the essential materials. Specifically, the Berdyansk City Profile has been made, as a descriptive and analytical part of the Strategy (the social and economic analysis of development of Berdyansk for the period of 2012-2016). The economic analysis of Berdyansk relative to its competitive environment has been carried out, considering the condition and development tendencies. There has been also defined the mission, long-term vision and directions of development with strategic targets included. In addition, a three-year action plan for the Strategy implementation has been drawn up as well, including 85 projects. 
“A special attention is paid to citizens’ involvement in the city development. Therefore, today, we present Berdyansk Development Strategy 2027 to everyone who has come here. I am convinced that new Strategy will become a good foundation for further development of our city as well as for enhancement of its citizens’ well-being”, – Oleksii Kholod said.
Svitlana Kruhliak, PLEDDG Coordinator in Zaporizhia oblast, said, in her turn, that the day was solemn indeed as, there, the future of Berdyansk was being shaped due to the joint efforts made by power, buisness, and public sector. The Draft Strategy has been developed with support of PLEDDG Project being implemented by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and funded by the Government of Canada. The Project covers 16 Ukrainian cities, with Berdyansk being an interesting and important partner thereto. This is so because the city’s significant experience in development and implementation of the previous Strategies will facilitate successful implementation of the new Strategy, based on the achievements and mistakes taken into account.
Yulia Doinova, Deputy Mayor, reported on the details of draft development process (with about 60 representatives of executive committee, public sector, business, enterprises, educational institutions engaged therein), and of the elaborated mission, vision, and directions of the city development until 2027.
The task team members presented more than 80 projects foreseen in the action plan for three years. The experts informed about developments achieved in the field of investment attraction, health promotion and tourism, housing and utilities sector and environment protection, infrastructure development and environmental conservation, energy saving, advancement of education, health care, social protection for the public, launching available administrative and communication services, and culture sector. (More about Draft Strategy here)
The attending citizens voiced their opinions on the significance the Strategy development, on the big job done, and on the necessity to take into account the issues of urban greening, transport services, resort season extension, assistance for entrepreneurs in energy sector, etc.
The executive committee experts and working commission members will analyze all the proposals for appropriateness to be include them into the Strategy, which is to be approved at the session of Berdyansk City Council.