The Czech-Polish Bike Tracks at the Foot of Mount Smrek (Czech: Smrk) – second phase

The Czech-Polish Bike Tracks at the Foot of Mount Smrek (Czech: Smrk) – second phase

In April 2016, the Świeradów-Zdrój Municipal Office, in cooperation with the Czech Commune of Lázně Libverda as a leading business partner, applied for subsidy for a project called ‘Czech-Polish Tracks at the Foot of Mount Smrek in the Izerskie Mountains – second phase’. The subsidy – up to€30,000 for each partner – comes from the Interregional Programme V-A Czech Republic–Poland Micro Projects Fund, Nisa–Nysa. The total value of the projects is €77,151.33 and the main aim is to enhance bikers’ safety by constructing a system of biking trails.

Implementation of the project on the Polish side moves through construction of the 2.6 km (1.6 ml) system of single tracks linking up with existing tracks on the TEWA road, erection of a wooden commemorative board presenting a biking map, placing of a project display board and publication of promotional materials in four languages (Polish, Czech, German and English) in the form of 20,000 A4-size leaflets with maps and 5,000 biking maps. Our Czech partner is expected to build 1.17 km (0.75 ml) of marked biking trails (10 posts with direction indicators). They will also set up an information board and two map stands, presenting their content in four languages, and they are to print 20,000 A4-size tear-off maps.

At the end of June 2016, the Świeradów-Zdrój Municipal Office was informed that our project had been assessed positively. A finance agreement was prepared at the end of August. The deadline for completion of the project was set for the end of November 2016.

On 26 September, we met our Czech partners at Bike Centrum in Lázně Libverda to discuss the forms of our cooperation and methods of project realization. The Czech representatives at the meeting were the mayor of Lázně Libverda, Jan Pospíšil, and the project coordinator, Blanka Nedvědická. The Polish participants were the manager of the Świeradów-Zdrój Commune Office of Promotion, Tourism, Culture and Sport, Dorota Marek, and the project coordinators, Tomasz Chmielowiec and Monika Hajny-Daszko.

On 6 October, bids were opened and, in a process of open tender, the contractor was chosen. The winning bid was that of the Wrocław-based construction company managed by Marcin Skoczeń. On 13 October the contract was signed and field construction works commenced on 17 October 2016.