Riga City Council city property committee chairman Oļegs Burovs (Honor to Serve Riga) said that in order to ensure organization of the Youth Song and Dance Festival in 2020, the architects will have to divide the second round of reconstruction in two stages.
Costs of the first stage have been estimated at €30 million, and the second stage would cost €19-20 million. The first stage should be completed by June 18, 2020, while the second – by June 2023.
The second reconstruction round will renovate the stage and stands for singers. According to Poga, at present there is room for 7,510 singers. For the upcoming Song and Dance Festival additional temporary stands will be placed for 2,292 singers, while after final reconstruction the number of choristers performing on the stage at a time will increase to almost 13,000.
The second reconstruction round will also include unique acoustic methods – 300 acoustic shields, and a special membrane protecting choristers from the sun and rain.
Also, auxiliary premises will be built behind the stage, including an exhibition hall and offices.
Burovs said that the planned technologies are very complicated and builders would not be able to complete all these works by 2020, therefore a decision has been made to divide the second round in two stages.
