School Relocation from City Center in Yakutsk
Fed up and Fighting Back
YAKUTIA.INFO
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Parents and students of the Children's Art School No.1 in Yakutsk are up in arms over the school's impending relocation. Head of Yakutia, Aisen Nikolaev, has announced that the school will be moving to a building in the 202nd microdistrict, a long-vacant structure known locally as "Brigantino".
Several online petitions have been started, and open letters written to republican authorities, in protest of the impending move. Parents argue that the building is poorly situated, with logistical challenges making it difficult for students to travel to and from the school, especially for younger children.
One parent, Maria Gorkova, expressed her concern about the convenience of the new location, stating, "The chaotic traffic interchange of this district does not allow this." Another parent, Eugenia Konstantinova, whose son studies at the Technical Lyceum and takes music lessons at the Children's Art School No.1, echoed these feelings. She noted that the Children's Art School is not just an educational institution, but also a cultural hub hosting concerts and events showcasing classical music.
"This is a compact cultural hub of the city. And they want to take it away from the residents, - muses Yevgeniya. - Patriotism is, of course, good. We're for it. But why can't the new organization find another building? Why do they have to evict someone to move in? What's the logic?" questioned Konstantinova.
Maria Gorokhova, another parent, believes that the building in question, "Brigantino", has remained vacant for years because it was poorly constructed. "So, it's dangerous for children to be in this building. And even if they do repairs, we don't know what quality it will be, and if it will affect the building's situation. We don't know what kind of violations were made during construction," she said.
Local newspaper "Echo of the Capital" has referred to the building as the "Ghost House" due to its prolonged emptiness. Nataliya Gruznykh, whose child also attends the Children's School of Arts, explained that several years ago, workers hired by Sberbank, the bank which owned the building at that time, refused to carry out repairs, citing the building's instability.
"They said it's impossible to be there - the building seems to 'move', especially on the upper floors when big vehicles pass by. Then they formed commissions with Sberbank representatives and possibly builders. I didn't see the documents they found, but the decision to move the office to Oktyabrskaya, 17 was canceled. Then they conducted an internal investigation: how they bought such large areas without checking the technical condition of the object, as they bought it for a good sum at that time," stated Gruznykh, who used to work for Sberbank.
Currently, "Yakutia Railways" own the building, having finalized a deal with the previous owner in 2023. The State company also took a stake from "Gog+", owned by Oganes Grigoryan, and acquired the stake held by Yakutia's Ministry of Property left by the Future Generations Fund building. As of now, neither Yakutia's nor city authorities have informed the Children's Art School No.1 about the eviction schedule or invited them for a building inspection in 202 mkr.
The Children's Art School No.1 turns 50 this year, and it has been housed in the building on Lenin Square for nearly 30 years. Parents and students worry that their right to a quality education is being compromised by the relocation.
"How can they evict our children from their familiar building in our anniversary year? Our children's rights are violated. We will look into the situation and have already started looking for a lawyer," commented Konstantinova.
- Parents and students are expressing concern about the proposed move of the Children's Art School No.1 to a building in the 202nd microdistrict, as they argue that the new location is not financially feasible for investing in real-estate due to logistical challenges and its potential impact on the school's cultural significance.
- In light of the eviction plans, some parents question the logic behind the move, as they are concerned about the structural safety of the building, previously referred to as the "Ghost House", and the potential financial consequences of such a relocation, including the loss of valuable real-estate investments.
