17. 9. 2008
Borough mayor raises allegations of favoritism after City Hall’s abrupt funding cut
When the residents of Klánovice, a borough on the edge of Prague, launched a fight against the construction of a golf course in the last large forest left in the city, they unknowingly turned their neighborhood into a bastion whose stubborn policies make it a bullying target for the local branch of Civic Democrats that governs City Hall.
So says the municipality’s Mayor and Green Party member Ladislav Hrabal, whose 2006 electoral victory over an incumbent Civic Democrat marks the escalation of his community’s campaign to preserve the Klánovice forest.
“We are being held hostage,” he said. “Ever since we took a firm stand on the golf course after the last local election, city funds have disappeared and all reconstruction work [on public projects] has stopped.
No one has come and said it right out, but there have been quite clear hints that our financial situation will be solved as soon as we give up our fight against the golf course.”
Klánovice has seen sizable reconstruction in the past few years. It boasts a new gym and many beautifully paved roads, but the job is only half-done. The road leading to the local fire station and kindergarten has been stripped of tarmac and left unfinished. No worker has touched it for two years.
In this mostly upper middle-class neighborhood, opposition to the golf course convinced voters to break long-established party allegiances to prevent construction.
“[Individuals connected to the golf course project] had infiltrated the local branch of [the Civic Democratic Party] and tried to pass all necessary resolutions, but the public was against them,” Hrabal said. “In 2006, they voted so strongly against them that the party lost its long-held majority in local government, and now it has only one seat.”
Despite local resistance, the 1,300-hectare (3,212-acre) Klánovice forest may soon become Forest Golf Resort Prague, whose owners plan construction in national and EU-designated nature preserves, Hrabal said.
In a borough with 3,000 residents, more than 24,000 people have signed a petition against the planned destruction of the forest, while only 1,000 people have signed a petition supporting Forest Golf.
Regardless of public opinion and official rulings, the company has carried on with its plans, reconstructing an old country club and a practice driving range. Without the proper permits, the company now faces a fine, and might have to tear the new building down.
According to Hrabal, these and other reckless acts point to a link between the interests of Forest Golf and City Hall.
Forest Golf Resort Prague dismisses all accusations. “It’s just local hype. A few individuals are unnecessarily scaring the rest of the residents and are seeking their own political benefit,” said company Vice Chairwoman Monika Bažantová. “There used to be a golf course there in the 1930s. … We want to revive the tradition and rebuild the now-defunct golf course.”
Despite Hrabal’s protests, the company secured a contract with Czech Forests for the future lease of 129 hectares of forest for 4 Kč ($0.23) per square meter. Some 7 hectares of trees will have to be cut down to make way for the planned golf course.
“We received written assurance from Jiří Novák, the director of Czech Forests, that he will never give the forests over for a golf course,” Hrabal said. “Yet, within a few months, he changed his opinion. And to think they got it so cheap. Land here is usually valued at 5,000–7,000 Kč per square meter.”
Forest Golf Chairman Miloš Drbal is no newcomer to big business. His previous construction company, Eurocast, went bankrupt in 1996 and still owes the state 50 million Kč. According to City Hall reports, Eurocast also owes some 117 million Kč to the city of Prague.
Forest Golf refused to comment on any of these debts.
Prague City Hall stands firmly behind Drbal despite his bad reputation and supports the golf course against its own residents’ will, Hrabal said.
Meanwhile, unfinished projects can be seen all over Klánovice. “It is a risk to the health of our children,” Hrabal said. “Fire trucks have trouble getting in and out, and it’s just a matter of time until the bad state of the road is responsible for someone’s death.”
Prague Mayor Pavel Bém denies any wrongdoing. “The city does not have an infinite source of money,” he said. “Even though the situation is grave, we have many such boroughs to deal with, and it would simply be unfair to prefer one over the others.”
Hrabal disagrees. “Why was there enough cash before? Projects that have been left unfinished will only cost more once they are restarted. I have tried to meet with Bém for the past two years, yet he is always too busy to fit me into his schedule,” he complained. “There are simply too many coincidences. And I am certain we are not the only borough City Hall is trying to blackmail into obedience.”
Hrabal has decided to run for the Senate next month as a Green Party candidate, and hopes to raise the issue there, but he is in for a rough ride: Agriculture Minister Petr Gandalovič, Bém and Director of Czech Forests Novák, who will be deciding the issue, are all avid golfers.
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MATTER OF PRINCIPLE
Klánovice Mayor Ladislav Hrabal fights the construction of a golf course in the town’s forest because:
The planned golf course is located on a natural preserve
Large-scale logging during construction would disrupt rare habitats and wildlife
Forest Golf Resort Prague has built and runs a restaurant on the site, despite official bans
There are already 27 golf holes nearby, and an additional 45 will be built in the next two years
Forest Golf’s chairman ruined his previous company, which still owes City Hall 117 million Kč
Author: Ondřej Bouda
Source: The Prague Post 17.9.2008