In Veselava, the meeting of almost half a hundred residents with the representatives of the Cēsis county municipality was tense.
The fact that face-to-face meetings and discussions are important for all Slavs was also confirmed by the fact that only four questions were sent in advance, while face-to-face questions flowed like from a cornucopia. The most concerns were about preschool reorganization, the condition of the roads and their cleanliness, insufficient lighting, Latvians, police work.
The chairman of the county council Jānis Rozenbergs, the vice-chairmen Inese Suija-Markova and Atis Egliņš-Eglītis, as well as the head of the Priekuļi association Evita Širante, the deputy head of the administration Edmunds Grietēns, the head of the Veselava pre-school educational institution Iveta Liepiņa, as well as the municipal police came to meet with the people of Veselava. chief Guntars Norbuts.
Although the representatives of the municipality emphasized that they can be called and the municipality is active on social networks, as well as absences can be reported in the regional application 8911, residents argued that it is best to talk about everything in person. Then the information doesn’t get lost, doesn’t get lost, then you can get answers about what was promised and what was done. In addition, the residents expressed the position that it is important for them that the municipality acts not only at the suggestion of the residents, but also that they themselves notice whether the work is done in a high-quality and timely manner.
Armands, a resident of Vesela, told “Druva” that he came to the meeting precisely because he wanted to see and meet the management of the municipality, exchange information, solve domestic issues and emphasize that such meetings are needed more often: “If we don’t meet often enough, in a couple of years we will discuss again what is not done. When we were in Priekuļi district, meetings with the council were more frequent, the current problems were slowly solved. Now the county is bigger, there is a feeling that we have been neglected. But even though we are a small parish, we are in a strategic location, we want it to be busy.”
The most relevant topic for Veselava residents was the issue of the Veselava preschool education institution. Jānis Rozenbergs explained that a decision was made to add the Veselava preschool educational institution to the Jāņmuiža educational institution, keeping two groups in Veselava, and to allocate the rest of the building to the library, the first aid station, and reception areas for municipal specialists, because geographically this place is more accessible to residents than the manor building, where you can currently receive these services. The employees of the kindergarten are worried whether they will be able to continue their work in September. Atis Egliņš-Eglītis explained that the employees will be informed about the upcoming situation by the end of the school year. Parents, on the other hand, were worried about the children’s safety and how meals would be organized, and they also wanted to find out whether everything had been done to attract children to this kindergarten, where it is possible to provide what the institution in the city cannot. Municipal employees explained that the birth rate has been decreasing for a long time, and therefore the number of children in institutions. When offering the offspring of česniks places in gardens outside the city, the usual answer is – we can’t leave.
Veselaviete Aija Gaigala, addressed by “Druvas”, said that she came to the meeting to clarify the future of the kindergarten: “Reorganization is still taking place, everything is in the process, I understand that there will be clear answers yet. Let’s wait. Wants to give children the best. As parents, we worry about feeding. They cook very well here, but what if the food is brought from another place? It’s a pity that the garden will be reorganized, but the fact that there will be a library here is a good thing, because for the people of the old year’s procession, the library is far away, they can’t go there on foot.”
Veselavians were concerned with many domestic issues. The municipal police were asked about drunkards who like to sleep and relieve their natural needs at the bus stop. There was frustration with stray dogs. Guntars Norbuts emphasized that upon receiving information, the patrol service responds to it at any time of the day, however, he pointed out: “We can only help if we know about it.” The locals suggested installing video surveillance in Birzkrog to ensure order.
The condition of the roads and their maintenance is a painful issue for the locals. In the parish, the road is practically impassable in some places, water is everywhere, so it is important to arrange it. A promise was once received that the works would be carried out in 2021, so the impatience of the people of Veselavia increases every year. Jānis Rosenbergs reassured that he would evaluate the situation and decide what could be done about it. There were also many objections regarding the cleaning of roads for the residents, a lot of clarification, which roads should be cleaned by the municipality, when they should be cleaned. Veselavieš are also worried about the old water pipes of the Bērzkrog building, which regularly broke down. Inese Suija-Markova explained that the maintenance of the water supply system will be transferred to the company “Vinda”, which will take care of its arrangement and development.
On the other hand, everyone agreed that Latvians, who gather in more than one part of the parish in the summer, are a plague that is difficult to fight for the locals, the municipality and the country. The municipality presented a support program for landowners who are fighting with Latvians, urging them not to delay in applying, and emphasized that it is best to fight this problem together.
Residents also asked what kind of investments are planned in Veselava Parish, as elsewhere in the plan are the replacement of water pipes and the installation of lighting. Jānis Rozenbergs explained that it is not possible to implement large investments in all parishes at the same time, every year more is done in some place. This year, the biggest investments in Priekuļi association are in Liepa: “But we hear the needs, we plan how and when to implement them.”
Inese Suija-Markova emphasized that along with the administrative territorial reform, there are many myths that nothing happens in the countryside, but for example, the budget of the Priekuļi Association’s administration is two million more this year than before. The chairman of the council praised the residents’ desire to manage multi-storey houses, which also gives the opportunity to receive municipal support for the promotion of energy efficiency of buildings and the improvement of yards, and also encouraged them to apply for funding intended for communities both in the competition “Society with a soul” and to submit ideas for the improvement of the neighborhood in the participation budget: “You see best , which is most needed, we invite you to get involved and cooperate.”
