The appointment of new management at Shevchenko Park in Bila Tserkva has brought a host of new problems and gossip. The previous director allegedly "out of spite" ruined all the rides and left a complete mess in his wake. And the newly appointed director is already accused of plotting a takeover of the park and the sale of municipal property on its premises.
Between the past and the present
As KV has learned, earlier this year, the Belotserkovsky Municipal Park of Culture and Recreation named after Shevchenko received a new director in the person of city council member Sergei Istomin, who is also a not particularly wealthy local businessman. He owns a curtain salon in the district center and also heads the 4x4 advertising group, which specializes in printing and design.
Rumor has it that the appointment was expected. It was Deputy Istomin who initiated numerous prosecutorial investigations into the park's management last year, including those of his predecessor, Mikhail Khomenko, a former Communist-era party activist and associate of regional council member Yuri Shilov.
Mikhail Khomenko was listed as the director of this facility back when the park had a different, more "pro-communist" name—Petrovsky Park. He was repeatedly accused of embezzling park funds and operating illegal businesses on its grounds. However, the prosecutor's office never found any wrongdoing on the part of the former management.
However, by the end of last year, Mikhail Khomenko's contract expired. Sergei Istomin was appointed park director.
Communal happiness
Following this appointment, the latter was accused of plotting a large-scale division of the assets of Shevchenko Park.
Specifically, the illegal enrichment scheme allegedly involves the park's administrative buildings at 11 50-letiya Pobedy Boulevard, including a dance floor and an adjacent office space. Rumor has it that these buildings are planned to be leased with the right to subsequent privatization. Furthermore, documents are already being prepared for a legal entity associated with the park's new director, Sergei Istomin, to build a new shopping mall on the site of the arcade pavilion, better known as the "Branitsky Greenhouse." The land plot housing the "School Swing" amusement park ride is also targeted for embezzlement. The ride itself is slated to be dismantled soon, and the land will be distributed to small entrepreneurs.
After us, the flood
However, some Belotserkovsky residents were highly skeptical of this "insider information," while others even defended the new director of Shevchenko Park, claiming that such developments were only possible under the previous management, and that the property arrived in Istomin's hands in a terrible state.
Recently, video footage has surfaced online showing that the previous management allegedly covered their tracks by damaging some of the park's ride mechanisms, leaving them completely inoperable.
The season at the Shevchenko Amusement Park in Belotserkovsky begins in March and runs until October. Sergey Istomin is certain that ill-wishers did everything they could to prevent the park from opening on time under his management.
"The park was left literally abandoned. The office I entered as the new director was practically unfurnished. The bars and metal door had been cut out, the windows were damaged, the boiler was broken, and the workshop was bare. We've contacted the police, the prosecutor's office, and the SBU about this. We'll do everything we can to keep the park open," Sergey Istomin told KV.
Some of Istomin's colleagues on the city council have still not decided on their position on this issue, insisting that time will decide and it is too early to draw any conclusions.
"The rides and the park, in general, are in truly terrible shape right now. Everyone's blaming Khomenko, but he's understandable, too. He may have halved the park's budget, but he also did a lot of other work there with his own money. Although there's no point in blowing it all out of proportion now."
"There are only a few months left until the season starts at Shevchenko Park, and the city will draw conclusions based on its condition and, specifically, on Sergei Istomin's work during this time," one of the Belotserkovsky City Council members, who wished to remain anonymous, concluded to KV.
Oksana Melnyk, KyivVlast
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