Iryna, a resident of Mykhailivka-Rubezhivka:
“I am a local resident. These treatment facilities… I can’t open a window or take my child for a walk in the evening. The whole village is smelling it. She lives on that side, I live right here.”
Olha, a resident of Irpin:
“This is a cry of the soul. The mayor probably doesn’t hear us. Why did we elect the mayor? To help the community. For some reason, we don’t see any help.”
The residents of Mykhailivka-Rubezhivka are frustrated. And they have been for a long time. Four years ago, Irpin’s mayor Oleksandr Markushyn promised that a collector would be laid, and the issue of sewage drainage from the village would be resolved. Today, people have again come with this problem to a field meeting with the mayor.
Kateryna Pasiuk, a deputy of the Irpin City Council:
“When we united with Irpin, the main issue was the construction of the collector, the connection point of which would be in Irpin. And what do we have today? If we saw that Irpin was spending money only on reconstruction or only on the Armed Forces, everyone would wait, hold their noses, and wait.”
People reminded the mayor that resolving the sewage issue was one of the conditions for the unification of the settlements. And now they are outraged that nothing has been done so far.
Olha, a resident of Mykhailivka-Rubezhivka:
“You promised that by the beginning of 2025 we would have both a plan and allocated funds.”
Oleksandr Markushyn, Irpin’s mayor:
“We are currently developing the project. I think it will be in expert examination by the end of September. And by October, we will have a ready project, and either funds will be allocated, or we will allocate funds ourselves, and we plan to start laying this collector this year.”
This time, the mayor promised that they would start laying the collector this year. And next year, it would be put into operation. But people do not believe him.
Victoria Kovtun, a resident of Mykhailivka-Rubezhivka:
“Because the mayor has promised so much to the residents of the village, but unfortunately has not fulfilled anything.”
Andriy Pomazan, a deputy of the Irpin City Council:
“The mayor says this has been ongoing since 2021. The mayor promised our residents that this project would pass expert examination in August and that some agreements with partners would be signed in September. As of today, I personally have no trust in the mayor’s words.”
The community has become so disillusioned that they are demanding step-by-step reports from Oleksandr Markushyn.
Iryna, a resident of Mykhailivka-Rubezhivka:
“Can we create some internal document by which you will report at each such meeting? Because every time you come, the words ‘planning’ are just words. There is no specificity at all. Just talk.”
Kateryna Pasiuk, a deputy of the Irpin City Council:
“It seems to me that only today has the ice begun to break. Perhaps under the pressure of the community, we will hear, and not just hear, but see compliance with some deadlines for the project, or at least it will be presented to us. Because we have not seen it yet.”
And to ensure that the mayor’s words do not again diverge from action, they agreed to create a working group that will oversee the preparation and construction of the future collector.