At the «Kazka» children's town in Mykolaiv, the mosaic in the pool surrounding the ship is crumbling — the contractor believes that completely dismantling it is one possible solution

The condition of the tiles around the pool at ‘Kazka’. Photo: NikVesti

At the «Kazka» children’s town in Mykolaiv, the mosaic in the large pool around the «Buian» ship continues to crumble. In some areas, the tiles have already come loose, exposing the concrete base of the structure.

This is reported by NikVesti.

Repairs to this pool lasted from 2017 to 2021 and cost the city budget 6.2 million hryvnias. The work was carried out over four years by the company «Antares-Bud». During the renovation, the contractor restored the pool basin, installed decorative elements in the form of fish, fitted lighting and painted the ship in yellow and blue colours.

In a conversation with NikVesti, Yurii Liubarov, head of the Mykolaiv Department of Culture, said that he had previously raised complaints against Antares-Bud. However, he was unable to say whether the warranty covered the damaged mosaic.

The condition of the tiles around the pool at Kazka. Photo: NikVesti

The condition of the tiles around the pool at Kazka. Photo: NikVesti

The condition of the tiles around the pool at Kazka. Photo: NikVesti

«The former director mentioned in a conversation that this wasn’t a warranty claim. I’m not a builder, so it’s hard for me to say. We’d need to read the contract. But any outdoor facilities require constant repair and maintenance. Nothing lasts forever. Since 2019, the «Kazka» complex has effectively received no funds for restoration work. Well, it’s not as if it’s going to last forever on its own, given the rain, snow and natural conditions,» said Yurii Lyubarov.

NikVesti contacted Yuliia Filipova, director of «Antares-Bud», who, in turn, explained that one of the reasons for the damage was the improper maintenance of the pool during the winter. According to her, they had repeatedly warned the management of «Kazka» about the need to drain the water during the cold season and cover the structure.

«The water freezes and thaws in winter, and the tiles will come loose. We warned them. We came and repaired these areas on numerous occasions, even though the pools were not being properly maintained. In 2022–2023, nothing was done there at all. When we were working on the small pool, we spent a whole week cleaning it. Is that how it should be? We’re not refusing to help. But the warranty only applies when maintenance is carried out properly,» she said.

The company stated that they are not refusing to resolve the issue, but believe that mosaic tiles are an impractical solution. Yuliia Filipova admits that in the future they may be partially or completely removed, and the surface covered with a special waterproofing paint.

«I believe the mosaic should be removed, at least the horizontal sections where water collects. Remove it, paint it with high-quality paint that will repel water and be easy to clean. Because these small tiles aren’t suitable for such a large area,» says Yuliia Filipova.

As of the end of May, Yurii Liubarov, head of the Mykolaiv Department of Culture, confirmed to NikVesti that he had inspected the site together with the contractor. The department is currently awaiting proposals from the company on how to restore the pool.

«We met and inspected both the small and large pools. They said they would monitor the weather conditions. They will be coming soon to assess the situation. And then they will propose a creative solution on how to make it look good this year. They will assess whether to remove the tiles partially or completely. We are waiting,» he said.

It is worth recalling that in 2024, a similar situation involving the deterioration of the finish occurred near the cascading fountain. It became covered in cracks, and the tiles began to fall off. Following this, the company promised to rectify the defects in the renovation at its own expense, and in June 2024 began restoration work. In July 2024, the «Kazka» administration announced that it would file a complaint against «Antares-Bud» for the poor-quality repair of the cascade fountain’s tiles and would demand that the work be redone.

And NikVesti wrote about the damage to the tiles in the large pool a year ago.