The house on Šiauliai Street rises from the dust

04 August, 2010

EIKA Group

04 August, 2010

This post was automatically translated into English

The reconstruction of the part of the Šiauliai house that collapsed three years ago is nearing completion. However, the families who became homeless in the winter of 2007 will likely still celebrate Christmas in temporary housing.

Commitments – on time

The outer wall of the collapsed house made of white bricks has emerged right next to the modern “Mikalojaus žiedas” complex, during the construction of which the fatal accident of the house marked number 8 on Šiaulių Street allegedly occurred. From the outside, the facade is almost finished – only the finishing remains. Currently, work is underway to cover the roof. It is being laid with a film, and after a few weeks – with tiles. The walls of the house are being insulated, windows made using modern technologies will be installed. Internal communications and engineering networks are being prepared.

“The work is progressing according to schedule. It is organized in such a way that the building can be put into use by Christmas and residents can move in,” said Eugenijus Rečiūnas, development director of the company coordinating the project, Panevėžio keliai. He assured that the work is going smoothly and that residents will be able to fulfill their obligations on time.

Three years in a social apartment

Project manager Henrikas Štaudė has no complaints about the progress of the work. “If some works take longer, others are completed faster, so there is a balance and we are basically on schedule. I am very satisfied with the work of “Eikos statybos”: everything is done neatly, carefully, responsibly, according to the project,” said H.Štaudė.

After signing a contract with the general contractor company “Eikos statyba” in March, a technical project for the reconstruction of the collapsed part of the house was prepared. In April, real work began: the foundations were laid, the defects of each apartment were recorded, the costs of their removal and repair were assessed and agreed with the residents, and estimates of the necessary work were drawn up.

The list of works also includes the repair of common areas: staircases, roof, facades. The contract stipulates the duration of the works – nine months, so according to the plan, the builders should disperse in November. However, the residents of the apartments rebuilt for Christmas probably did not celebrate at home. Laura Balčiūnaitė-Taraškienė, who has been stuck in social housing provided by the municipality in Pilaitė for three years, assesses the situation realistically. “I think the works will be completed in December, but we will still need to furnish the interior of the apartment. That will also take time. However, we are very happy that after signing the peace agreement, the works are moving smoothly and are not being delayed,” said L. Balčiūnaitė-Taraškienė.

Will not look into the past

Issues arising during the reconstruction of the part of the Šiaulių Street house are resolved in weekly meetings, which are attended by all project parties and contractors carrying out the work. “The quality of the work is not in doubt yet. And there is nothing to talk about the past: by signing the peace agreement, we decided not to look for the guilty. We will be compensated for the damage and life will go on as usual. The process took longer than we expected, but the light at the end of the tunnel is already visible. Thank you to the media, which has not forgotten us, and to the municipality for its support,” said Aušra Pakėnienė, a resident of the house under reconstruction.

After the collapse, she and her family stayed in an apartment that borders the collapsed part of the house. “Our apartment was also damaged: there are cracks in the walls, moisture penetrated in the winter, mold got in,” the resident said. The period of rebuilding the house is also difficult. “There is constant bickering. We agreed that the construction workers would not start work earlier than 7:30 a.m., when children go to school and people go to work,” said A. Pakėnienė.

Afraid of the shadow of history

The total amount of the house’s reconstruction and compensation to residents amounts to 3 million litas. As agreed by the parties, the figures are not detailed. However, it is not hidden that three companies agreed to compensate for the work in almost equal parts: the company “Panevėžio keliai”, the main shareholder of the company “Constructus”, which built the “Mikalojaus žiedas” apartments next to it and allegedly caused the collapse of the house, the apartment developer “Sektor” and the insurance company “If”. “We actively participated in the process, aiming to solve the problem that concerns the residents of the entire block. We made efforts to make Šiaulių Street a nice place to live again, and this unpleasant story – forgotten”, – said Robertas Liudvinavičius, the head of the “Sektor” project, in March. “As the company that insured the civil liability of the construction contractor, we have already compensated for the losses due to the loss of the residents’ movable property, and now we are ready to pay for the construction work. I am glad that the process is proceeding as planned, with the parties signing a settlement agreement,” said Audrius Smaliukas, head of the claims center at the insurance company “If”.

The daily reminds that at the end of 2009, through the efforts of all interested parties, an agreement was reached to rebuild the house at Šiaulių g. 8 in Vilnius Old Town, which collapsed on January 25, 2007, and to compensate the residents for the damage. On the basis of the peace agreements, monetary compensations were started to be paid to the residents back in 2009..

Long litigation ends peacefully

The major collapse on Šiaulių Street occurred at the end of January 2007. At that time, a family of five was left without shelter, and the owners of the “Ayurveda Center” lost their commercial premises. The apartments of eight other families were also significantly damaged. All eight families were immediately evacuated from the house in a state of emergency, they were paid 10 thousand litas in compensation, and were offered shelter in social housing. The Vilnius City Municipality Commission, which investigated the causes of the accident, concluded at the end of May 2007 that the late 19th century house on Šiaulių Street collapsed after the foundation of the building was washed away by water, and the water supply accident occurred due to improperly performed collector construction work – the water supply well was damaged. The company “Constructus”, which carried out construction work next to the collapsed house, disagreed with the conclusions presented by the Vilnius Municipality Commission and called for an investigation of all possible causes of the incident.

After almost two years of litigation in the courts, the parties signed a settlement agreement. According to it, the residents abandoned their claims in the courts, and the obligations of the bankrupt company “Constructus”, which until the spring of 2008 was the general contractor of the “Mikalojaus žiedas” project, to rebuild the house were assumed by its main shareholder – the company “Panevėžio keliai”. By a ruling of the Vilnius Regional Court on July 1, 2010, bankruptcy proceedings were initiated against the company, but the ruling did not come into force. The creditors appealed against it in the appeal procedure, because they were not satisfied with the proposed candidacy of the bankruptcy administrator. The general contractor – the company “Eikos statyba” – was selected through a competition.

Information: “Vilnius Day”

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