Though the fish is undoubtedly large, opposition deputies doubt that it should have cost as much as it did.
Daugavpils City Council deputy Ivars Šķinčs said: "I said already at the council meeting that the ideas that cost more than 200 thousand are not great ideas. We could have used the money for nobler goals [..]."
The Daugavpils Mayor, Andrejs Elksniņš, says that the district of Stropi in Daugavpils should be developed as a recreation area. Evidently, no resort is imaginable without some 'reel' big fish. The money, according to Elksniņš, was also obtained locally – from a derelict building in the area sold recently for over 375,000 euros.
The Daugavpilians addressed by Latvian Radio said:
"I know nothing about this object."
"There will be a big, huge fish there, I know nothing more. I know it will cost 242 thousand."
"We don't know who would need the money more, of course, it's alright if it's for the children. Is it a lot? Of course, it's a lot of money. I don't know if the playground costs that much, there are different prices. Playgrounds are necessary, the question is only about the sum."
The "multifunctional play complex Fish" will be 11 meters long and 4 meters wide, and will be meant for children aged 4 to 12. The builder is Gumi Mix Group, which was the only contestant in the tender.
The municipality also plans to install a similar one near the city's open-air stage, titled "Owl". One can only guess what it will be shaped as.
The Fish, meanwhile, will be ready in June.
