Photo: Diana Zhelyazkova
The Municipality of Kaolinovo has announced a public procurement for 1 million leva to renovate the park in the village of Todor Ikonomovo. The renovation of the now overgrown terrain will be the second part of the project to reconstruct the square and green areas in the center of the village.
The first stage – the square – was completed in September and October 2024, when construction activities coincided, probably not coincidentally, with the election campaign for the parliamentary vote on October 27. In Kaolinovo, the elections were won categorically by the party of the municipal mayor Nida Ahmedov from the DPS-New Beginning.
As can be seen from the information board in the center of the village of Todor Ikonomovo, the renovation of the village square began on September 5, 2024 and lasted 60 days. Thus, all residents and guests of the village had the opportunity to observe its beautification during the election campaign for the election of national representatives.
Nida Ahmedov has been the mayor of Kaolinovo municipality since 2003 and throughout his terms was nominated and elected by the MRF with the blessing of the movement’s honorary leader Ahmed Dogan. After the split of the MRF in July 2024, the mayor of Kaolinovo switched to the faction of the Magnitsky-sanctioned politician Delyan Peevski and now governs as an activist of the MRF–New Beginning (Ahmedov is the deputy chairman of Peevski’s formation).
The Kaolinovo village of Todor Ikonomovo is the largest village in the Shumen region. According to official data from the national statistics, at the end of 2023, 1,929 people lived in the village. In the last elections, however, over 3,000 voters were registered in the three polling stations in Todor Ikonomovo (a large part of the voters work abroad or live in Turkey).
What will be done in the village park for 1 million leva?
What will be done in the village park of Todor Ikonomovo for 1 million leva? According to the announced public procurement, the overgrown and currently unusable park must be completely rebuilt with alleys, recreation areas, a playground and an outdoor gym. The estimated cost of the renovation is 832,654 leva excluding VAT (999,184 leva with VAT). The deadline for submitting offers under the procedure is February 10.
Before announcing the public procurement, the Kaolinovo municipality financed a market study for the future construction. From the activities specified in it, it is understood that the most funds will be given for new pavement in the park – alleys and special rubber coatings for the playground and the fitness area. The total cost of the pavements is 340 thousand leva.
This amount includes the laying of 2,255 square meters of stamped concrete on the alleys and the installation of curbs, which will cost 210 thousand leva. The installation of shock-absorbing rubber pavement on the playground is worth 81 thousand leva (for 444 square meters), and the same pavement in the fitness area is 42 thousand leva (for 245 square meters).
Another nearly 100 thousand BGN are planned for exterior elements – a sandbox for 4,500 BGN, a pergola for 14 thousand BGN, 9 pieces of fitness equipment for a total of 32 thousand BGN, 7 children’s facilities (slides and swings) for 19 thousand BGN. 41 benches will be installed in the park for 610 BGN each, as well as 26 garbage bins for 380 BGN each.
The construction of a new fence with concrete foundations in the park will cost about 114 thousand BGN.
A total of 112 thousand BGN are planned for earthworks and landscaping. This amount includes the planting of 46 deciduous and 6 coniferous trees, 300 ornamental shrubs and grassing a total of 5 thousand km. meters of area.
The construction of park lighting with a video surveillance system will also cost about 112,000 leva.
The vertical layout, which includes clearing the terrain and uprooting 12 old trees, will cost about 25 thousand leva.
The capital program of the Kaolinovo municipality for 2024 was for nearly 15 million leva, of which almost 10 million leva were expected from the state budget, Mayor Nida Ahmedov told local media. The municipality’s capital expenditures were mainly directed towards road repairs and the construction of new water pipes. For the modernization of the central square in the village of Todor Ikonomovo, the budget included 520 thousand leva.
The entire budget of the Kaolinovo municipality for 2024 was in the amount of 21.3 million leva.
