The ambitious project of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation (LKF) and Kaunas City Municipality, the Lithuanian House of Basketball, presented at the beginning of 2017, is gaining momentum.
After a long discussions of various procedures, an agreement was signed on Wednesday contractor “YIT Kausta”.
It is planned that the construction of the multifunctional center will be completed by the end of November 2019. The next waiting stage is the installation of the interior of the building and the preparation of exhibitions for visitors.
The value of the entire project is set to reach about €2.4 million. The Lithuanian Basketball Federation has allocated €1 million from its own funds accumulated from the European Basketball Championship in Lithuania. Other funds will be raised from private sponsors and basketball fans.
“The situation is good, because the bureaucratic aspects are over and today we have signed a contract identifying the start of the construction. Contractors say a “box” should be built within twelve months, followed by interior installation afterwards. Hopefully the basketball community will finally have its house.
At the same time, I want to ask everyone to contribute, because many years ago our grandparents built the famous Kaunas Sports Hall from their own budget, because basketball is a unifying sport. I think that we should not only come together after the victories, but also unite now to achieve everything on time, ” – said Arvydas Sabonis.
The President of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation was pleased that the building will be decorated and the oak, which has been standing nearby for many years, will be perfectly integrated into the overall picture and will be preserved. “Specialists will look after it and prune the oak a bit. It will definitely be preserved, it can be said it will be a symbol in front of the entrance, ” – added LKF president.
The works will be carried out by the construction company “YIT Kausta”, which has many years of experience and won the contest organized by Kaunas Municipality for the implementation of the foundation.
“Today we signed a contract and construction will begin in a few days. Contractor will build the foundation, the reinforced concrete frame of the building, the roof structures, the facades and the engineering system inside. The construction is not simple, because the architect is ambitious and his works speak for themselves. The most challenging part will be the formation of the framework, other works are quite general for us, ” – said Kęstutis Vanagas, General Director of “YIT Kausta”.
Next to the museum, Kaunas City Municipality has already built four outdoor basketball courts and a grandstand, which will accommodate about 200 spectators. This space, which will be connected to the Lithuanian House of Basketball, should become a center of attraction not only for tourists, but also for young people who will be able to actively spend their free time in Kaunas downtown.
“We are building something that causes everyone to contribute. I think the joy is that this building is a small, very concentrated, preserved nature around, near beautiful river Nemunas. All of these things will create a certain aura. In addition to the fact that there are traditions of visiting cafes and museums in Lithuania. There will be another place that Lithuanians will have had created for themselves, ” – said the architect Gintautas Natkevičius.
Organizers invite the public to get acquainted with the project by visiting the page www.parama.krepsinionamai.lt. In order to contribute to the development and improvement of this project you can send proposals by e-mail to info@krepsinionamai.lt. Also, basketball fans can already contribute to the development of museum by donating or lending rare exhibits and photos.
