Urbanas opens door to temporary transfer of Rakoniai building

Waldemar Urban, a Vilnius District Council member, says he could support temporarily transferring a former school building in Rakoniai to the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union, LRT reported. He plans to discuss his final position with colleagues in his faction.

The Tadas Kosciuszko Riflemen’s Company, which operates in the Vilnius district, applied to the municipality for premises a year ago. The group selected the unused former school building in Rakoniai for its activities, but the transfer proposal became stalled in municipal committees.

Members of the Lithuanian Polish Election Action Christian Families Alliance had previously questioned the proposal, saying it should be assessed whether the building was needed for other municipal purposes. Urban had earlier said it was necessary to consider whether the school could be adapted to meet the needs of elderly residents.

After concerns were raised about a previously proposed 10-year transfer, the municipality submitted a compromise proposal to hand the building over to the riflemen for one year.

Urban told ELTA that after meeting representatives of the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union and the municipal administration, he saw a possibility of supporting the one-year arrangement.

“It seems to me that the premises could be provided to them for a certain period,” Urban said. If the municipality later developed specific plans for another use of the building, he said alternative premises could be sought for the riflemen.

Urban said neither he nor his faction had categorically opposed providing premises to the riflemen. He added that the group had a shooting range nearby, making it logical to have premises for its activities in the same location.

Vilnius District Mayor Robert Duchnevičius said he could not predict whether the council would have enough votes to approve the transfer. He considers the building suitable for the riflemen because it is not being used.

Duchnevičius said the one-year term was proposed in response to council members’ concerns that the previously planned period was too long. If the council rejects the transfer, the municipality will continue looking for alternatives.

The mayor criticised some alternative premises proposed by the Lithuanian Polish Election Action Christian Families Alliance, including a building currently used for preschool education. He questioned whether the proposal would mean closing a Polish-language kindergarten or preschool group.