Kuldīga to resume cultural centre reconstruction after three-year halt

Reconstruction of Kuldīga’s cultural centre will resume after a three-year suspension caused by the insolvency of the original contractor, LSM reported, citing Skrundas Television. The project has been revised and will now be carried out in stages as funding is secured.

The centre’s key was symbolically handed to the new contractor, marking the restart of work on the building complex. The previous contractor, Ostas celtnieks, stopped work after becoming insolvent. It had completed most of the demolition, partially driven piles and begun concreting the foundations and some walls.

Additional work was identified after the structures of the old building were exposed. Project manager Madara Liekmane said the main issue involved the foundations, which consisted of unconnected layers of stone and could not be reinforced through injections or additional concreting. A more substantial structural engineering solution was therefore required.

During the construction halt, the municipality also sought new funding options. Securing the full 8.8 million euros required for the reconstruction from a single source had proved difficult, and cultural building projects of this financial scale do not receive state support nationwide.

Although the contractor has signed a contract covering the full scope of work, the reconstruction will proceed in stages, with separate funding secured for each stage. The first stage will be financed with a 2.4 million euro loan from the Treasury.

Kuldīga municipality chair Inese Astaševska said each stage should form a completed unit so that the investment would still improve the building even if work could not continue in future years. She added that the municipality would seek more than one source of funding.

According to contractor consortium INB representative Toms Trubins, the initial work will include completing the foundations, demolition and removal of the roof across the complex to prevent further damage and preserve the building. Workers will also be able to install internal utilities.

The main cultural centre building was constructed in 1909.