Topchyi asked for the paving slabs in front of the zoo in Mykolaiv to be replaced

Mykolaiv Zoo. File photo

Paving slabs have cracked near Mykolaiv Zoo. Many visitors are expected there this year, as the zoo is celebrating its 125th anniversary.

This was discussed during the Mykolaiv City Council session on 26 March, according to NikVesti.

During the discussion on the reallocation of the budget, councillor Iryna Bondarenko raised the issue of a lack of funds to pay salaries and utility bills in libraries, music and art schools, and other cultural institutions. She asked for funds to be redirected to these expenses from, in particular, pavement repairs.

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However, councillor Volodymyr Topchyi, who heads the Mykolaiv Zoo, believed that the focus should not be solely on music schools and libraries, but on the cultural sector as a whole. In this context, he mentioned the zoo.

«We cannot talk only about music schools and libraries. Apart from music schools, where children learn to play the violin, there are many cultural institutions that are in an even worse state than music schools. Therefore, I think we need to approach this issue holistically and look at how to save our culture. Schools are very important, but we need to look at the problem as a whole. Not to mention that this year marks the 125th anniversary of the Mykolaiv Zoo. People will be coming to us from all over. And we must welcome these people. And it is customary to mark the zoo’s 125th anniversary at the state level. There is a resolution of the Verkhovna Rada,» noted Volodymyr Topchyi.

He drew attention to the paving slabs near the zoo.

«And please, just look at those wretched paving slabs in front of the zoo. People fall there, children fall — they break their legs. If I were to say right now that we should lay new paving, they’d tear me to pieces over those very slabs,» said the zoo director.

In response, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych said that there was no need to lay a sub-base under the paving slabs, but that the top layer could simply be replaced, and he instructed the director of the Housing and Utilities Department, Dmytro Bezdolnyi, to provide information regarding the replacement of the paving in front of the zoo.

«Actually, the tiles there are very old. How many years ago were they laid?» asked Oleksandr Sienkevych.
«More than 25 years ago,» replied the zoo director.
«It was poured, not pressed, and has started to peel away. And children are falling there,» added the mayor.

As a reminder, at the meeting on 26 March, the Mykolaiv City Council reallocated ₴735 million from the budget. Expenditure was increased by ₴735.6 million through subsidies and unallocated funds from 2025 (₴317 million), as well as public investment (₴300 million). The budget decision was approved subject to further refinement.