The residents of Savica have been protesting the renovating project in their park a while now: it’s been a month since they woke up to see construction equipment and fences around the park, provoking them to guard the area around the clock to prevent further unannounced work.
On Saturday, 27 May, their efforts partially paid off, as the fences surrounding the park were finally taken down, reports zagreb.info. A couple of weeks ago, the citizens’ initiative ‘We’re keeping our park’ (Čuvamo naš park) sent a letter to mayor Milan Bandić with a list of requests regarding the controversial project. They insisted on a public discussion about the park renovation that would include the residents of Savica neighbourhood, as well as a transparent public contest for the project.
“This small victory is an important step forward”, the initiative announced, adding they plan to stay cautious and will continue with their activities to save the park. They have also invited citizens for a picnic in Savica park today, starting at 1:30 PM.
“Dear neighbours,
We’re happy the fences were taken down, but knowing the mayor, we remain cautious. We were told he’s coming to open a new dog park tomorrow [28 May] at 2 PM. Our presence in the park would surely spoil the ceremony and we think that was his motive for removing the fences.
That’s why we invite you for a hang-out in the park on Sunday, 1:30 PM at our stand. We want to gather in large numbers and put up a banner or two. If you haven’t had time for lunch, bring some sandwiches and drinks and we’ll have a picnic in the park. Invite your friends as well!”
