Yakushynetska amalgamated hromada was one of the first among the rural AHs to set up an administrative service centre, fire and rescue unit, municipal police, state architectural construction inspection, construction sector and an architectural department. Many issues began to be solved on the ground, that is convenient for people and encourages to be proactive.

The AH participates in the Integrated Spatial Planning for Amalgamated Hromadas programme organised by CANactions School for Urban Studies with the support of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme.

Vasyl Romanyuk has been the AH head since May 2017.

— Mr Romanyuk, this spring your AH, consisting of seven villages, will have its two-year anniversary. Is amalgamation process completed?

— By the end of this year three more village councils (together six villages) of our Vinnytsia Rayon, as well as several settlements of the neighboyring Lityn Rayon, can join us. The hromada will increase, and we will open an internal bus route between villages, in particular, will bring people to the administrative service centre.

— The one-storey building of the village council now looks like an attachment to a two-story building, the construction of which is almost completed. What will it consist of?

— The new building has an area of ​​540 square metres. The village council will be located on the second floor, and the ASC, equipped according to the European standards, will be on the first. We create a new ASC in cooperation with the U-LEAD with Europe Programme.

— Immediately after passing the oblast centre, on the roadway, I saw a beautiful sign “Yakushynetska AH”. Have you put it for the passers-by not to think it's still Vinnytsia?

— The city of Vinnytsia has its own cultural heritage (in the broad sense of the word), we have our own. Vinnytsia is moving forward, and we are moving as well, developing the city and villages. I am convinced that it is important for the hromada to show its responsibility for the situation on the territory with information signs.

In general, it is responsible to be in close proximity to the oblast centre with the administrative centre of the rayon. Medical care centres were transferred to the AH balance. Every healthcare facility was provided with the Internet and computers.

A convenient and modern bicycle parking lot was set up in the school yard

— Has the hromada development strategy covered all villages?

— Our hromada has almost 450 registered enterprises of different forms of ownership and private entrepreneurs. This is a solid economic foundation that is being strengthened.

The issues of each village were taken into account in the AH development strategy for 2018-2025, which received a positive assessment of the European experts.

— It is nice to see that streets in Yakushyntsi are clean, separate garbage collection is organised, public transport stops are arranged, sidewalks are tiled, beautiful children’s playgrounds and street training equipment appeared. Please, tell me about an issue you consider to be the main topic of this year.

— We declared 2019 the year of education. This will direct half of the budget to this sector. Over the past years, we have substantially strengthened the material and technical base of our schools. There is plenty of work in this field that needs a lot of funds.

— Has the cultural life in the villages changed after amalgamation?

— We established the Department of Education, Culture and Sports in the structure of the village council, that initiated many interesting events.

— The AH participates in the Integrated Spatial Planning for Amalgamated Hroamdas programme. What scenarios have you worked out and what development priorities identified?

— The representatives of the working group of our hromada participating in the curriculum part of the programme have developed three scenarios. These concepts are not separate, but complement each other, since they are aimed at creating comfortable living conditions in the hromada. Leaders of public associations, village council deputies, active residents, entrepreneurs took an active part in the discussion and generated a lot of interesting ideas for the future.

The first scenario is that the hromada moves in the direction specified by its own programme documents: it builds, repairs and illuminates the roads, arranges utility institutions. The second focuses on the maintenance and development of engineering infrastructure. The third concerns the development of tourism potential and promotion of organic farming.

In general, implementation of the development scenarios will increase the level of living comfort for hromada residents, provide high quality of service delivery and increase the investment attractiveness of the territory.

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