At the President’s suggestion, the conversation began with the issue concerning renovation of the central part of Sevastopol and major improvement of public spaces. The Governor spoke about the restoration of the white-stone Sevastopol that everyone knows from photographs. Those developments, created during the first five years after the war, have not been renovated in the past 30 years. The facilities in need of restoration and major repair include the Palace of Children and Youth Creativity, the Sailor's Club, the famous Sinop Descent and the Taurian Stairs, Historical Boulevard, museums, and a theatre. Mr Razvozhayev proposed instructing the Russian Federation Government and the local government of Sevastopol to jointly develop a plan for each building, including the timeframe and sources of funding, all in one document, and to renovate all the main historical buildings in Sevastopol in three or four years using various sources of financing.
Vladimir Putin noted that industrial production is on the rise in Sevastopol, and the regional budget has shown a surplus. According to the Governor, the city budget is socially-oriented, as 60 percent of spending goes to social needs as well as investment in major infrastructure, which is also mainly meant for public use. This includes kindergartens, schools, hospitals, and other facilities that the city lacks because they have not been built there for a long time.
According to Mr Razvozhayev, four new large schools for almost 5,000 children and three kindergartens have been built in the last two years; two more kindergartens have been overhauled, and 10 more are under construction.
The bid of Simferopol and Sevastopol universities for the establishment of a world-class scientific and educational centre was accepted (Russia will get 15 such centres all in all), and scientific developments, which are numerous enough, will be launched. Specifically, a good institute dealing with underwater instruments is located in Sevastopol.
Equipment for healthcare facilities is being purchased in accordance with the national project. Major repairs have been started in all Sevastopol hospitals. At the end of last year the construction of an emergency care hospital began.
Cultural facilities are undergoing extensive repairs. A cultural cluster is being established on Cape Khrustalny, with the academy of choreography, a theatre and a residential building for the cluster employees already under construction. Sport is being promoted too. A large sport and fitness centre named in honour of the 200th anniversary of Sevastopol and built as part of the national project was commissioned recently. Construction of a marina will begin in Balaklava after the tourist season is over.
The Governor also spoke about bringing city and rural roads up to standard, and about the construction of the eighth section of Tavrida motorway, housing construction, gas infrastructure development, and urban land improvement. According to Mikhail Razvozhayev, work on Yuzhnye sewage treatment facilities has not yet begun, to his regret; the design and engineering solutions needed to be altered, primarily because Sevastopol’s population has grown to 509,000 people while only 350,000 had been expected. The project of special social importance has already been submitted to the Main Department of State Expertise (Glavgosexpertiza).
He also spoke about the city water supply, which was in a critical condition quite recently. According to the Governor, a quarry, a water supply facility had been built, and the amount of water in the reservoir had increased to 28 billion cubic metres over the spring flood period. The reservoir was completely full as a result of natural anomalies. And the water problem may well be forgotten until the end of next year or even a year after. Nevertheless, the Governor emphasised, all the approved plans are being carried out, including pipe repairs, drilling, and prospecting for water wells as well as the water preservation and sustainable use programme.