Two communities in Ukraine’s western Ternopil region have opened an upgraded school and a rebuilt public service centre financed by the European Investment Bank and the European Union.
A €511,000 renovation of Gymnasium No. 3 in the town of Borshchiv has made the building warmer and more energy-efficient for 522 students and staff, the EIB announced on Monday.
The work is projected to nearly halve the school’s energy consumption and save the community about €21,000 a year in energy costs.
The refurbishment included energy-efficient windows and doors, insulation to the roof, attic, façade and foundations, and an upgraded heating system with an individual substation — a unit that helps regulate heating for a building.
Interiors were refurbished and new paving and lightning protection were installed.
Service centre brings multiple services under one roof
In the village of Trybukhivtsi, a €420,000 reconstruction has turned a village council building dating from 1939 into a public service centre intended to serve about 8,000 residents, including internally displaced people.
It brings administrative services, social support and civil registration together in one place.
The building was insulated and fitted with new water, sewage, electrical, heating and ventilation systems.
Changes including an expanded entrance, redesigned layout, a second emergency exit and a vertical lifting platform were made to improve accessibility and increase capacity, while 14 additional staff workstations were added.
Communities in the Ternopil region were improving schools and public services despite Russia’s war and attacks on civilian infrastructure, EIB Vice-President Karl Nehammer said.
The Borshchiv project was delivered through the EIB-financed Ukraine Public Buildings Energy Efficiency programme, known as UPBEE.
The Trybukhivtsi centre was financed under the EIB’s Ukraine Early Recovery Programme, one of three recovery initiatives backed by €740 million of EIB financing.
The projects were implemented with the Ukrainian government and local authorities, with technical support from the United Nations Development Programme.
