The City Hall will have a new seat
This is the building of the PKO BP bank branch at 3 Maja Street. It has already been taken over by the city – in October 2021, the mayor signed the act, and work on the documentation is currently underway. There is a chance that by the middle of next year the office will be partially operational in the new headquarters.
The building was purchased in connection with the implementation of the “Hajnówka ReNewal – Green Transformation” project, specifically the Institutional Development Program. Its aim is to improve the functioning of the office. The city paid PLN 1.1 million for the facility, less than the starting price.
We did not spend a single zloty from the budget on this investment. The money comes from Norwegian funds. We also intend to use the project to finance part of the renovation to adapt the building to the needs of disabled people.
The building will have an elevator, and there will be other amenities, including bathrooms. The plan is for the entire civic issues unit to be located downstairs, that is, first of all, the Public Utilities Department, but also an application office, which has not been in the office so far, and a room for interested parties. On the other hand, the Registry Office and the Social-Administrative Department, which handles, among other things, the registration of residents, will remain in their current location.
The mayor also emphasizes that the price the city paid was attractive. The building has 1,692 sq m. surface and is located in the very center. The price per meter is only PLN 650. He also points out that it has never been possible to purchase the office’s headquarters from external funds before. Moreover, the conditions in the current headquarters do not meet modern standards, which was clearly shown by the diagnosis carried out during the writing of the “Hajnówka ReNewal – Green Transformation” project. It is primarily about accessibility issues – the papers are located on the top floor, which may be difficult for the elderly or people with physical disabilities. There is no space in the office, there is no place to receive visitors.
The city will seek external funds for the next stages of renovation of the new headquarters. Currently, design documentation for the entire facility is being developed. In the second half of next year, the city hall will move to 3rd of May Street. What about the rooms in the old headquarters?
The move will improve the functioning of not only our office, but also those that will remain. After all, the building on Zina Street hosts a total of three local governments. They will be able to use the vacant space for their own needs.
This, in turn, will allow the city to avoid the costs associated with maintaining two headquarters.