The number of complaints regarding playgrounds has risen in Mykolaiv: the city council is looking for funding

In Mykolaiv, the number of complaints regarding the condition of children’s playgrounds is on the rise. At the same time, the municipal enterprise DEZ Pilot states that, due to a lack of funds, it is unable to replace or install new equipment.

This was reported by Ihor Holovatyi, director of the municipal enterprise Pilot, during an open staff meeting on Monday, 6 April, , according to NikVesti.

As is well known, complaints from Mykolaiv residents regarding neglected children’s playgrounds and sports grounds are received quite frequently. Just yesterday, the Contact Centre team at Mykolaiv City Council received three complaints regarding the poor condition of playgrounds. Specifically, these concern the playground in Yunist Park, as well as those on 5 Robocha Street, and 39 Pryvilna Street.

«In 2026, the number of complaints regarding the repair of playgrounds has increased significantly. On the one hand, this indicates that people can see that work is being carried out, but at the same time, it shows that there is still a great deal to be done. Moreover, a significant proportion of the complaints concern the replacement or installation of new equipment. We are, of course, trying to address them. First and foremost, this involves rectifying hazards and carrying out routine repairs, but due to a lack of funds, it is difficult to resolve issues regarding the installation or replacement of new playground equipment. The lack of funding also has a negative impact on the repair of sports grounds. As I have emphasised on numerous occasions, to ensure high-quality fencing, we need to use galvanised mesh — it is strong enough for such tasks. The company tried to allocate funds for this, but there are none available at present. Therefore, for now, we are limiting ourselves mainly to routine repairs of playgrounds,» said Ihor Holovatyi, director of the municipal enterprise Pilot.

Ihor Holovatyi, director of the municipal enterprise ‘Pilot’. Screenshot from the YouTube channel NikVesti

The mayor replied that he had noticed a large number of enquiries at the contact centre regarding the condition of playgrounds.

«Yes, I have noticed that the contact centre and Facebook are receiving a great many enquiries not about defence or the war, but about playgrounds and the repair of internal neighbourhood roads. We need to allocate funds, because children only have one childhood, and despite the war, it continues. I therefore ask that this matter be prepared for the next budget reallocation. I don’t think anyone will be against allocating additional funds. With a list of sites and the amounts needed to repair these playgrounds,» said Oleksandr Sienkevych.

The condition of children’s playgrounds was discussed at an open staff meeting. Photo: NikVesti

In turn, Dmytro Chuchmai, director of the municipal enterprise Mykolaiv Parks, asked whether funds had been allocated for the installation of new playgrounds in 2026.

«We built a sports ground in the Central District, and in 2025 — in the Inhulskyi District. We had plans for 2026 to build a playground in the Zavodskyi District. Will we be doing anything this year? Please tell me, are there funds for this?» asked Dmytro Chuchmai.

Dmytro Chuchmai asked whether funds had been allocated for the installation of new playgrounds. Screenshot from the YouTube channel NikVesti

Oleksandr Sienkevych replied that the only question was where to get the funding.

«I’d love to open playgrounds every month. The only question is where to get the money. How much might a playground like this cost? How much does the design and cost estimate documentation cost?»

«About 200,000 hryvnias (design and cost estimate documentation, — note),» replied Dmytro Chuchmai.

«I would ask you to look for resources within your own organisation, and we, for our part, will reimburse these costs by the middle of the year at the latest. There are benefits to these playgrounds. They are specifically designed to enable people to engage in activities, including those with disabilities who use wheelchairs. I think we will promptly work on this issue as a project so that our architectural team can implement it. We will then seek funding both from the budget and from extra-budgetary sources; we may approach Bloomberg for support,» replied Oleksandr Sienkevych.