ArmInfo. The construction works of Gyumri Friendship Park have been resumed since March, 2022.
The official launch of the park construction (7.2 hectares area), located near Charles Aznavour Square, was in October 2021. Due to adverse weather conditions in recent weeks and winter months, construction had been temporarily stopped.
"We have resumed the works in the park with a new impetus. At this stage, the external engineering infrastructure works are being carried out: external water line, sewerage, irrigation system, power supply cables. The construction of the electric substation and all the alleys are on in parallel. By mid-September, the first stage will be completed," says Mushegh Gonchoyan, Site Supervisor of Construction & Implementation, Gyumri Friendship Park.
The park reconstruction project is implemented by the Tourism and Urbanism Charitable Foundation (TUF). It is the first model of private-public cooperation and socio-economic development in Gyumri.
The construction of some objects of the park is planned to be completed in the middle of September this year. Then the park will be open for the citizens of Gyumri and its guests. In fall 2023, it is planned to fully open the park with all its facilities.
"For the first time in Armenia, a participatory design concept has been developed in the framework of the Friendship Park project. The park should be built with the active involvement of residents. The reconstructed park in Armenia will introduce a new model for the correct zoning, preservation, and sustainable development of green areas," says Yelena Muradyan, Project Manager, Gyumri Development Programs, TUF Foundation.
The total budget of the park reconstruction project is about $12 million, of which more than $4 million has been invested by the Foundation's partner organizations and several individual benefactors.
The Government of the Republic of Armenia is involved in the renovation of the engineering infrastructure of the park and adjacent streets with the budget of $1.8 million within the framework of the "Local Economy and Infrastructure Development Project" program carried out on a World Bank creditъ
The EU4Business "Innovative Tourism and Technology Development for Armenia'' project, which is implemented by German Development Cooperation (GIZ), also joined the park reconstruction project. Within the framework of this project, 20 Vernissage pavilions will be built in the park as well as a skating rink, which is essential element of winter tourism.
The reconstructed Friendship Park will develop the city's infrastructure connecting the historic center of Gyumri (Kumayri) with its residential and industrial areas. It will not only stimulate the growth of tourism in Gyumri but will also become the first modern green area in Armenia.
Tourism and Urbanism (TUF) Charitable Foundation
In July 2020 the Tourism and Urbanism (TUF) Charitable Foundation undertook the projects by the IDeA Foundation targeted at the tourism and urbanism development (in Gyumri, Dilijan, Tatev, Artsakh, and Yerevan). The Foundation develops innovative projects in tourism and urbanism, promotes sustainable regional development and positions Armenia on the world map as a competive tourism destination.