Project partners of LLI-303 “Clean Brownfields” met for the 3rd project management group meeting and the 2nd thematic workshop in Jūrkalne, Latvia.

Project Management Group Meeting and Thematic Workshop in Jūrkalne, Latvia

Project partners of LLI -303 “Clean Brownfields” had their 3rd project management group meeting and the 2nd thematic workshop on September 11 and 12 in Jūrkalne, Latvia.

The first day of the meeting was dedicated to project management issues. Project manager Sarmīte Ozoliņa, Kurzeme Planning Region, informed on the current situation at different aspects of the project, analyzed time plan vs project spendings, discussed project changes, reporting, communication and the closest subsequent project activities. Project partners provided detailed information about the current situation of the project activities in Kuldiga, Skrunda, Saldus, Ventspils County Municipalities, Kaunas City Administration, Klaipeda and Telsiai District Municipalities and Kaunas Regional Development Agency.

Project partners from Latvia have completed their infrastructure investment activities to a great extent – a derelict multi – appartment building has been dismantled in Ruba, Saldus county, a degraded 11 ha territory has been cleaned and put in order in Skrunda, a multi – appartment dangerous five story building has been dismantled and the territory put in order in Ugale, Ventspils county, technical documentation has been prepared and the cleaning work started in the territory of the former gardening in Kuldiga, where it is planned to be completed in February, 2020.

Project partners from Lithuania are pleased about active on-going infrastructure investment activities – building of football stadium in Kaunas, cleaning of the oil –products polluted territory in the “Military town’ of Telsiai. Concerning preparation of the technical documentation for the former gravel and sand quarry area at Gargždai, Klaipeda district, there is a repeated public procurement process started .

At the conclusion of the first meeting day project partners were informed how LEADER funding may be aplied to regenerate degraded territories in rural area, project partners were acquainted with the best practise examples – NGO “Northern Kurzeme Business Association” presented public and private sector activities to revitalize degraded or neglected areas for public needs and business. Finally project partners visited typical examples – earlier degraded sites and buildings now rebuilt or in the process of rebuilding at Jūrkalne parish.

On September 12 thematic workshop was started by the presentations of experts providing knowledge and understanding leading to more precise identification of degraded territories, investigation and assessment, preparation of technical documentation, choice of methods, infrastructure investment work, comparative analysis of the Latvian and Lithuanian legislation acts of this sector. Experts’ presentations was a perfect contribution leading to better prepared project applications, technical documentation and infrastructure work in future..
Baltic Sea coastal processes, research and attempts to to reduce the degradation of territories were presented by Jānis Lapinskis, geologist , assistant professor, Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Latvia,
Arta Bažovska and Edgars Dimitrijevs, representatives of “Venteko”, told about management of polluted and potentially polluted sites: management strategy, innovative sustainable cleaning methods, Latvia and Lithuania based experience, relevant legislation of both countries. Intars Cakars – representative of Latvia Environmental, Geological and Meteorological Centre – about contaminated sites data base development, Sanda Ilgaža – representative of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development – about the new regulation for identification and registration of contaminated and potentially contaminated sites in Latvia.
On the basis of the information about current situation and the knowledge added by the thematic workshop experts of the sector participants of the thematic workshop prepared proposals for developmemt planning documentation for the local and regional level concerning revitalization of degraded territories for public and business needs.