The town of Rydułtowy has been included in the number of 29 municipalities awarded funding of EUR 3,521,346 to deliver the “Local Development” Programme. The programme “In Szarlota’s Shadow – Mining for the Potential of the Town of Rydułtowy” had assumed land purchase. Regrettably, the reduction in funding from EUR 10 million to EUR 3.5 million rendered the plan impossible. The town has engaged in talks to take the area over from SRK Bytom pursuant to Article 23 of the Hard Coal Mining Operations Law, in order to make our Local Development Plan assumptions an actual possibility.

Having joined mayor Marcin Połomski and Association of Polish Cities advisors Danuta Wesołowska and Lucyna Maury, Ryszard Grobelny visited the site around the “Leon III” mine shaft, viewing the shaft’s inner structure as well as the infrastructure around the Polish State Railways station.

The visit ascertained the mayor’s and strategic team members’ belief that the original plan of developing the site around the “Leon III” mine shaft was both correct and innovative. Activities planned by the town – i.a. securing land from Mine Restructuring Company Bytom to develop a housing for lease complex, constructing a transit terminus, and taking over the site around the “Leon III” mine shaft, shaft proper included – will all contribute to Rydułtowy’s development.

Prior to signing a funding agreement, the municipality shall draft a number of documents, including an updated budget with a list of fundamental endeavours to be delivered over the period of 9 July 2021 until 31 March 2024.

Projects grouped by individual dimensions have been entered onto the “To-Do List”:

• ECONOMIC DIMENSION – “IMPULSE FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP”
• SOCIAL DIMENSION – “WE CARE ABOUT SOCIAL NEEDS”
• ENVIRONMENTAL DIMENSION – “ON A QUEST FOR ECO-SOLUTIONS”
• SPATIAL DIMENSION – “TIME TO SETTLE IN RYDUŁTOWY”

All proposals have been submitted for approval to the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy. Project proposals were presented on 23 August to the Development Board comprising representatives of the local community.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy offered the 29 victorious municipalities an option to use grant funding (under the Technical Assistance 2014-2020 Programme) to finance any documentation not eligible for drafting within the framework of the submitted project for reasons of limited resources, yet useful in applying for funding under the new European Union financial perspective.