The Municipality of Sliven officially presented the project for the renovation of the Colodrum. In front of the chairman of the Sliven Municipal Council Dimitar Mitev and municipal councilors, representatives of architects in Sliven and members of the public, the authors of the project – arch. Bilyana Belcheva and arch. Kamelia Metodieva shared their vision for the revitalization of the facility. Architect Metodieva shared that she approached the project with great sentiment, as she herself is from Sliven.
“The state in which Colodrum is now morally does not allow us to leave it as it is. So we put our heart and soul into the project and I hope it looks the way we did. The site is very important for Sliven and includes many new facilities. It can host events that the city lacks,” pointed out arch. Camelia Metodieva.
And the project itself has the approval of key figures in cycling. The Chairman of the Management Board of the Bulgarian Cycling Federation, Dragomir Kuzov, who was present at the event, stated that he had no objections. “I’ve known about this project for a long time, and to be honest, I was skeptical. But after getting to know it in detail – I want to congratulate you, as you have done a lot of detailed research and complied with all the requirements of the World Cycling Federation. It will be possible to hold events not only at the regional and national level. International competitions will also be able to be held here.”
Joseph Smets, chairman of the European Cycling Federation’s track commission and long-time executive director of the Belgian Cycling Federation expressed his impression of the advanced stage of the project. “I hope it will happen soon. This will be an impetus for the development of cycling sports in the region. I expect to see you in a few years in Sliven, within the framework of a world championship”.
Some recommendations were also made, among which – there should be an opportunity to cover the facility after some time and to place nets to separate the sports fields of the Colodrome.
A question was raised at the event about how the facility is intended to be maintained. Mayor Radev commented that he does not expect Kolodruma to bring much revenue to the Municipality.
“It is the same with all the sports facilities that the Municipality develops. Even the last object – the swimming pool, we did it with the clear awareness that in order to have a swimming pool, if we don’t finance it, it will not happen commercially,” said the mayor.
“Those things that can support the maintenance like renting out the commercial space for restaurants, for a shop, and the space itself for a concert or festivals with an outside organizer, will rather help support the maintenance of the facility, but we don’t expect it to fully cover maintenance on its operation. If there are proposals from a company to manage it, we are open to such conversations,” concluded Radev.
The project envisages the renovation of the cycling track. A service building with the necessary premises for practicing sports and holding international competitions is also planned. The integration of other sports is also planned, with the construction of an athletics track, a BMX park with curved ramps, a mini football field, as well as the possibility of placing stages and a passive screen for a summer cinema. It is planned to build 1,400 new places, including disabled ones. Zoning of the building has been done, which includes a bicycle club area with a reception, a recreation area, sanitary facilities, office premises, cash registers, a medical office, changing rooms, sanitary units. There are several warehouses for equipment and bikes, elevators, a buffet, a gym, a bike shop, a bike repair area, a cargo entrance with a ramp accessible from Burgasko Shosse Blvd., pedestrian access. A solution will be sought to secure parking spaces. The project envisages the construction of three metal canopies, and their covering will be made of photovoltaic panels.
