City Mayor Vadym Boichenko and General Director of Metinvest Group Yuriy Ryzhenkovv have discussed further cooperation between municipality and business. The parties determined three key factors that will be the basis of the strategy of opportunities of the city and signed a memorandum on cooperation.
Vadym Boichenko admitted the importance of cooperation of the city with socially responsible business. He determined the key directions that are possible to solve with joint efforts that are possible to be solved by joint effort.
“The citizens of Mariupol have issued some challenges that we can solve by mutual efforts with our reliable partners. Three social programs appeared: “More than steel”, “More than care” and “More than a dream”. There are some projects, directed for the development of Mariupol in each of them. This is a construction of affordable housing, development of medicine and creation of new places of recreation”, Vadym Boichenko said.
City Mayor told that the creation of new affordable housing in Mariupol will start with the construction of the first “steel house” in Ukraine. The construction of the new housing is planned to be finished next year. Vadym Boichenko admitted that Metinvest Group will supply the steel for free. Due to it, the cost of new finished flats for the citizens of the city will be on the level of secondary housing.
Medicine, according to the Mayor, has been the focus of attention for the past five years. The plans include the creation of a regional children's infectious disease center, laboratory and diagnostic centers. High-quality diagnostics and laboratory tests using modern equipment will become available to residents of Mariupol. They will be free for pensioners and children. The infectious disease center organizes departments for both respiratory and intestinal infections. In addition, a fully equipped intensive care unit will be opened.
Vadym Boichenko noted the key role of metallurgical plants in the provision of oxygen to Mariupol hospitals. This allowed the creation of over 90 oxygen points. For his part, Yuriy Ryzhenkov added that the company intends to continue helping the city to fight the pandemic.
The municipality and Metinvest will also jointly implement a large-scale project - the reconstruction of Sandy Beach. It will become a new place of attraction. There will be a nature museum, an amphitheater and bike paths. The "highlight" of the project is the funicular, which will deliver residents from the descent of the village of Moryakov to the beach.
“Business cannot live a life separate from the city, moreover, when these are city-forming enterprises, which employ about 30% of the working population. These are our people and we want them to live in a comfortable city. For ten years, we have directed UAH 850 million of social investments to Mariupol. We have never abandoned our commitments, despite the tense times, war, economic crises and pandemic. In critical conditions, additional funding was allocated. Because for the company's shareholders, the development of cities is no less important than the modernization of enterprises. They are ready to help, taking a direct part in promoting the joint sustainable development of cities and communities”, Yuriy Ryzhenkov said.
At the end of the round table, the Mayor noted that there are issues that are not easy and require careful study. In particular, ecology.
“In order not to politicize the topic of ecology, I propose to get together and discuss this issue together after all the election processes. The municipality, the management of the Metinvest Group and the general directors of the city's steelworks, experts and the public. Together we will hear plans to modernize the production facilities of the enterprises. We will find a solution together”, the Mayor stressed.
