The Butska AH is one of the most ambitious and most promising hromadas in the Cherkasy Oblast, offering landscapes impossible to replicate by any settlements in the region. It is achieved due to the tourist canyon and the desire of residents to use it rationally. This year, with the assistance of the Butska AH, the first gastro-festival was held. The plans include set-up of a honey museum, school of arts and a solar power station.

Amalgamation took place on 24 December 2017. Three settlements – Kuty, Bahva, and Ulyanivka – accessed to Buky urban-type settlement. Today, the AH population is 2850 people and the total area is 38 thousand hectares. According to Serhii Zaliznyak, head of the AH, four more settlements were to join the hromada under the perspective plan, but the village heads decided in a different way.

In general, the head of the Butska hromada calls the decentralisation process “a new breath” and “light at the end of the tunnel” for small settlements. If earlier people were sitting without jobs, or had to work abroad, today they are actively recruited.

It is worth noting that before amalgamation, the territory of ​​Buky, and in particular the canyon, was completely free-of-charge and did not bring people profit.

“We have already completed a detailed plan of the territory with cafes, toilets, restaurants, sports geounds, children's playgrounds, restaurants, sightseeing areas, and spent UAH 250 thousand on it, this technical documentation is needed for any investor. If it’s a stop, there will necessarily be a toilet, a shower cabin, information centre, bicycle rental. If the person agrees to these conditions, we only support this. The hromada is moving in the direction so that local people are involved in making profit,” explains Mr. Zaliznyak.

Igor Ostrovyi has his own vision of the Buky canyon. Since the prospect is large, the hromada’s task is to create the appropriate infrastructure. There is a partially built hospital in front of the Buky school. Large budget funds were once invested in this facility, but then the construction was frozen. AH representatives are trying to find an investor to give this building a new life. As an option, it would be appropriate to arrange a hotel complex there.

The first hydroelectric power station in Ukraine was built on the Buky territory. Its renovation is also among hromada’s plans.

At the same time, a solar power plant is being built in Buky, and will provide at least 15 jobs. Technical documentation has already been approved, distribution of land plots is underway. The power plant will be launched this year.

The Buky secondary school is currently attended by 250 pupils. The hromada has three buses that bring children to it from other 8 settlements.

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