4) Social issues.
These workgroups met 3-4 times. They gathered data and made and strategic
analyse in their fields. They also defined investment priorities for the new community and
worked out further action lines.
Second stage started when strategic analyse paper was published by the consultant
at the end of May. Joint seminar of councillors and executives of all communities took
place, where possible futures were discussed and vision was drawn. A new common vision
was compiled together with wider public using local media (newspaper), personal
networking, and public meetings (e.g. seminar with local enterprise leaders, interactive
presentations during the planning week).
Third stage actually did not start. The consultant prepared a new strategy and vision
based draft investments and action plan for the discussion. But mayors did not present this
document to the community councils for approval. Merge of three communities did not
take place.
First reason was financial. Merge was just not feasible. Second reason was political:
a group of town politicians just wanted to be on the power and merge would benefit other
groups. We are not going in more detail here.
Third major reason was hopeless disagreement in spots hall construction. The SJ
area has two normal sports halls in Olustvere and Taaksi, one small hall by the SJ
Secondary School and newly constructed large spots hall in Sürgavere. Not enough, some
SJ politicians are dreaming to build even bigger sport hall.
All in all, it would be really silly idea to build another big house with high operation
costs for such a small population. Already the construction costs are about twice as big as
the budget of town! Project is ready and the only hope has been put on the lobby to get
state investments. Main supporter of this project is present mayor. His message is clear: our
secondary school children need better conditions for sports.
Quite a similar “venture” was the construction of the Sürgavere sports hall located
five kilometres from SJ. This project was started already in the 1980s by the collective
farm. Then stopped almost for ten years and proceed with the help of “friendly
parliamentarians” late 1990s.
Well, one third - library - is still missing. And this money cannot be found from the
community budget either. The director of Sürgavere sports hall is a former Sürgavere
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