On 29 March, the FEZ management company reached out to the communities in southern Klaipėda, asking to present applications for the financing of projects improving environmental, welfare and social conditions. Klaipėda FEZ encouraged the communities to submit applications for ongoing projects, which promote cooperation and person to person relations, reflect the long term community programmes and strategies. The projects were expected to be widely accessible and sustainable, and improving areas such as the environment and ecology, quality of life, social climate in the area, city space integration and smart solutions.
The FEZ’s call was immediately answered by three residential communities presenting applications for projects working with the conservation of tree trunks, landscape restoration and supporting the foster home Rytas (Morning, community Berželis), with the renewal of benches, waste bins and the riverside, as well as their adaptation for resting (community Paupiai) and the renewal of a multifunctional green space and yards (community Žvejybos Uostas). After discussions and recommendations from a commission formed from representatives of Klaipėda FEZ and RDH Urban, support was approved for all three applicant residential communities, and support agreements were signed with them in July.
According to Klaipėda FEZ deputy director Raimondas Bakas, this initiative is a part of the FEZ’s consistent neighbourliness. Such and similar projects are due to be continued in the future.
According to representatives from the applicant communities, this initiative is of major value. For example, the head of the association Klaipėdos Žvejybos Uosto Bendruomenė (Klaipėda Fishing Port Community) Rasa Senkienė says that the project with the FEZ will help achieve the goals set by the residents for renewing yards, caring for plant life, and making the territory appealing.
The head of the association Paupių Bendruomenė (Riverside Community), Regina Baguckienė concurs, noting that her neighbourhood’s goal is to live in a clean, safe environment and spend time together whilst being more physically active. The FEZ’s involvement and actions in the community sphere are laudable and massive support for local communities.
This is not the first case of a partnership between Klaipėda FEZ and the city’s communities. In 2019, the company RDH Urban was commissioned by Klaipėda FEZ to prepare a vision for renewing the city’s southern districts, with the FEZ being in constant contact with the municipality and other stakeholders. Last year, an airflow modelling solution was integrated with the citizen information platform klaipedoskvapas.lt (Smell of Klaipėda), and it was prepared and implemented in 2021.
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