Changes to the network of educational institutions or the suspended municipal zoning plan can only be made in the four months leading up to the elections, said Aivars Maceks (National Alliance), chairman of the Bauska municipal council, in an interview with LETA. At the same time, he hopes that following the municipality’s decision to appeal to the Constitutional Court, regulations for wind farms will be established in the country. The politician also believes that the state must provide clear guidelines for cases involving threats posed by drones.

Bauska municipality is one of the last local governments to address the issue of school network reform. Why was it put off for so long?

Was there any reason to decide on it sooner? Everyone relied solely on pressure from the Ministry of Education and Science. We wanted a sound justification and to wait for the Cabinet of Ministers’ decision. When it finally came, we realized that nothing significant had changed. However, we have not yet given up hope of achieving justice, because we cannot be put into the same category as the country’s major cities. In my opinion, that is quite unfair.

Therefore, after reviewing our financial resources, we plan to fund these schools for another year. We will continue to monitor the situation so that everyone understands what is really going on. In January, we will review the results to see if the assigned tasks have been completed.

Regulations for the protection of Bauska’s Old Town were also recently adopted. Is not it too late to draft such regulations, and will not the requirements be unfair for those who already live there?

Such regulations have essentially existed for a long time. Several sections had been included in the new zoning plan, but the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development indicated in its opinion that they could not be included in the zoning plan. Therefore, we had to issue these regulations in separate binding regulations.

It is not too late. These requirements have, in fact, already been in effect.

Work is currently underway to bring facades up to a standard, and the biggest problem is the issue of windows. In any case, these regulations must be clear so that when someone purchases a property in the Old Town, they understand what needs to be done and what to expect.

Does the municipality provide any support to homeowners in the Old Town?

There is a program. Every year, we allocate a specific amount in the budget for both research and renovation projects. It is not a large amount - about EUR 14,000, but in any case, we have to start somewhere and move forward step by step. We cannot afford to allocate all of the municipality’s funding to saving the Old Town. We have to take into account that people live in other parts of the municipality as well.

Another important issue related to the Old Town is the Bauska bypass, which the city council has also advocated for. What stage is this project currently at?

The Bauska bypass is planned to be implemented through a public-private partnership. The land acquisition process for the connections to the A7 motorway has already begun. The design and land acquisition cannot be fully completed because redesign work is still underway in connection with the Rail Baltica railway solutions. We must ensure that no land remains unused between these projects and that one project does not interfere with the solutions of the other.

The bypass is very important for the Old Town. That is why we have already rebuilt Kalna Street and Zala Street to ease traffic.

We cannot allow all traffic to pass right by the old buildings. There is vibration; in some places, the construction workers did not even want to go inside because they were afraid something might collapse on top of them during the renovation work. That is why we need to ease traffic, avoid left turns as much as possible, and slowly redirect traffic so that the Old Town is not destroyed.

You set some fairly strict requirements for Rail Baltica builders regarding the condition of local roads. Was that a demand from residents?

It stems from our experience with large-scale projects, where we realized that residents’ interests are not always taken into account. That is why we spent more than three months negotiating, coordinating, and trying to reach an agreement on a contract regarding our small municipal roads during construction, specifically, who would maintain them on a day-to-day basis.

We expect that construction of the railway in certain areas will take five, perhaps ten years. The builders wanted to document the condition of the road at the beginning and at the end. But the question is, what happens in between? We already do not have enough money for municipal road maintenance. We cannot invest everything under the wheels of heavy machinery. Many of these roads were built back in the collective farm era, without proper load-bearing capacity. During the grain harvest season, maybe 15-20 trucks drive there, and even then we can see how much needs to be invested in road maintenance. But if 40 or 100 heavy vehicles carrying loads pass through during construction, the road simply will not hold up. People have to use these roads to get to work and take their children to school. That is why we needed to reach an agreement on how to maintain these roads.

Are you checking whether the builders are complying with these conditions?

Yes, we have already received the first complaint about a road being used in a way other than what was agreed upon. Contractors will always be tempted to cut corners, even if it is just half a kilometer or a kilometer. It is going to be hard work.

The biggest challenges, in my opinion, will come around 2029 or 2030, when the bypass and the railway project will overlap. In Bauska, there will be a spot where, in fact, a single bridge will have to be used by both projects, as well as by usual traffic. We will have to find a way to make it work.

Do you believe that these two projects - Rail Baltica and the bypass - will actually overlap?

One hundred percent.

Given the current cuts in funding, including in the transportation sector…

The railway will be built. About 15 years ago, when the environmental impact assessment began, I was working in Iecava and knew that funding had initially been allocated for a straight route. Then our "brilliant minds" decided to reroute the project into Riga, through the train station and the airport, and everything started from the wrong end - the one we should not have started from.

In my opinion, we should have built the straight route first, and only then considered the access roads. That put a spanner in the works for funding. As for the idea that we could "back out" of this project - forget it! All of Europe has decided on it; Lithuania and Estonia will have it built by then. Then either this project will be taken away from us, and the question will be what payments will be deducted from the state budget. Or we will have to fight for it ourselves.

Public-private partnership projects are an opportunity. They are a necessity. Riga’s bypasses will also have to be built sooner or later. Traffic is growing tremendously, partly due to the construction of infrastructure and military facilities. Our roads have simply become too small.

How has rise in fuel prices affected local governments, particularly in terms of school transportation and traffic?

It has had an impact. I just signed an agreement regarding a fare increase for school transportation. This reflects a cost that has objectively increased for the carrier. We had to compromise and agree on a price increase - EUR 0.15 per kilometer. That is quite a significant increase.

Of course, contractors also want to request cost increases, but in their case, the price of fuel was not always factored in in a way that allowed us to discuss it right away. When it comes to materials, that is a different matter. We have not really gotten to the asphalt phase of the projects yet; we hope things will stabilize, but unfortunately, the price of bitumen is also an issue.

Everyone takes their own risks when entering a procurement process. You can ask for a lot, but it is not always possible to justify or support those requests. I certainly would not want a repeat of what happened at the start of the war in Ukraine, when everyone was rushing to raise prices, but in reality they were making a profit. We have to learn to work in an unfamiliar environment, switch suppliers, and find solutions. We had a tough time, and in fact, we figured out for ourselves how to calculate the price increases - what to agree on and what not to agree on. The Ministry of Economy’s guidelines only appeared later.

How many shelters are planned to be adapted?

In the first phase, there will be ten facilities; in the second, eight.

Has a calculation been made of how many residents the shelters will be able to accommodate?

The country has a target of providing shelters for a certain percentage of the population, but we should not delude ourselves. I tell everyone that, initially, we need to forget about shelters for everyone. Shelters will be available in cases where, for example, children need to be evacuated during an emergency. We will not suddenly build shelters for everyone in a single year, even though Finland has been doing this for 50 years and has provided shelter for more than 98 percent of its population. No other European country has done this.

We also should not create the impression that a shelter will be a great salvation. People often misunderstand and think of a bunker. A shelter is essentially protection against shrapnel and the shock wave of an explosion - it is similar to taking cover in a hallway between two walls. That is why I tell people very simply: my dear friends, do not think that anyone will rescue you in the first few hours or days. Prepare your basements, find a safe spot, stock up on water, canned food, pasta, and a propane tank. Take care of yourselves. In a crisis situation, no one will be able to help everyone during the first seven days.

Speaking of safety, the Bauska municipal festival has already ended, but there will certainly be other public events this summer. Has a plan been developed for what to do in the event of a drone threat?

We had to figure out the logistics for the major festival on our own, since the national guidelines were issued only later and did not address all of our questions. We knew exactly what was happening with the children, where they were being taken, where the sports halls and schools were located, and how group leaders would respond if something happened. Of course, the main emphasis is on avoiding gatherings and dispersing. For outdoor events, the procedure is simple - people move away from open areas, into the woods, into the bushes, or behind cover.

I have more questions about transportation of schoolchildren. It is not as much of an issue in the summer, but September, fall, and winter are coming. What happens if an alert goes off while the bus is on its way to or from school? It might be simpler on the way to school, but what happens on the way back? Some say the driver should drive into the woods or pull over next to a wall. But if he veers off the route and parents cannot find their child along the route, what happens then? If there are ten children left on the bus, should the bus turn back to school? There are no clear answers to these questions yet.

Will you try to find these answers on your own, or will you ask the government for help?

I have spoken with colleagues from Latgale; the Association of Local Governments has held discussions with the prime minister on this matter. The impression is that they are thinking about how to get the children to school, but not about the trip back. I need to understand how the driver will receive the information, how the school principal will know which children are on the bus and from which classes, and how parents will be notified. It is a whole chain of tasks.

Should each municipality decide this on its own?

Each municipality will have to decide on the details for itself, but when it comes to general matters, there are 43 of us, and we cannot all reinvent the wheel. The state, with all its ministries and officials, should be able to prepare a unified explanation, even if it is just a short video, which we can then distribute and supplement with our own details. There needs to be a unified vision.

There are many challenges. At this point, there are more questions than answers, and when we meet with colleagues from all over Latvia, we call each other, ask how you are doing it, and try to adapt something.

During discussions with local government leaders in Latgale, the issue of social care centers also came up. People who are bedridden cannot comply with the "two-wall" principle. What is the situation in Bauska municipality?

As for social care centers, we will do what we can. Services in nursing homes are provided by the Latvian Red Cross, and I have spoken with them about what they will do and how they will move bedridden residents. We have a plan to purchase transportation, which should be available in the coming months. Initially, this was planned for the Vecumnieki nursing home, but since some of the services are outsourced, it will also be available for the social services department’s needs.

However, one should not assume that a single vehicle will be able to transport all bedridden residents. In the Civil Protection Commission, we have discussed all possible resources - vehicles, trailers, and stretchers. In an emergency, of course, we will identify all available resources and do everything possible. But I cannot guarantee that at some point there will not be a shortage of people to do the work. No matter how patriotic we may be, a person’s child, wife, husband, or mother will always come first. That is a very difficult question.

Speaking of social care centers in general, given the aging population, how long are the waiting lists for this service? Do you plan to open new centers?

We are building housing for seniors - 35 units for well-off retirees at a cost of EUR 5 million. We have launched a program to construct senior housing. But we certainly would not want to say that a senior’s pension alone is enough and that the municipality will cover the rest. There will also need to be a contribution from relatives. We have just signed a contract, and the Samaritans will provide services there.

We will start to slow down on this issue, because funding in the social sector has grown significantly in recent years. There is the aforementioned deinstitutionalization project; in Vecumnieki, the municipality still provides the services itself, but in Iecava and Bauska, some services have been transferred to Ceribu Sparni organization and the SOS Children’s Village as a result of a procurement process.

We need to find a balance between education, social services, infrastructure, development, and all other issues. If everything goes to social services and we invest nothing in development, who will live here then? People need good streets; children need playgrounds, schools; they need culture and good environment.

Are any new housing projects underway?

A low-rent housing project with 60 apartments has just been completed. It is fully occupied. There are examples of companies building homes for their own employees, such as Balticovo in Iecava. In areas where large companies are located nearby, such projects are very much needed. What is strange is that, statistically, the population is declining, yet there are no apartments available.

Bauska municipality also made headlines due to its territorial plan, which was put on hold. Do you still believe that the country’s regulations regarding wind farms and solar farms have not been fully developed, and that this is why conflicts arise between the parties involved?

We would have resolved all these conflicts if the minister had not overstepped his authority. I am 100 percent convinced that he overstepped his bounds by lobbying on behalf of a narrow circle of businesspeople. If I receive a 16-page directive and 14 of those pages describe wind farms, while only the remaining two cover other matters, then, excuse me, how am I supposed to interpret that?

We discussed this at the Association of Local Governments, and I have also written to the new Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development inviting him to talks. We need to discuss how to at least revoke this order. I cannot deviate from the Constitutional Court’s ruling, as there is no national regulation on this matter. So let it be.

We have more or less found common ground with business leaders. They, too, understand that we should not venture into two-kilometer zones near populated areas, since the regulations on compensation are unclear. Environmental impact assessments have become more accurate; in many places, there is more precise research into what is being affected and how.

But I have a question regarding agricultural land of national importance. Why should I be allowed to build solar panel parks on high-quality agricultural land? Every square meter and every hectare there is important for agricultural production. If there is low-value land, by all means, build there.

Similarly, why should more pig farms be allowed in Iecava parish when it already has Europe’s largest poultry farm, which stinks within a ten-kilometer radius? Why? It is the right of local governments to plan their own territories.

When it comes to public participation, Bauska Municipality is one of the places where the community is very active.

Local government employees should view residents’ councils as a source of support, but the councils should not overstep their authority. We’re trying to engage in dialogue through various formats. We will soon be having lengthy discussions with the heads of the parish departments and local associations. I need the little we can afford in the parish to come from the people collectively, not just from the parish department head and not just from the residents’ council.

Otherwise, we will end up with a thousand needs but only so much money to go around. I often hear people ask, "Why are not we getting funding?" It is only logical that we cannot get funding for everything. We need to work together and set priorities together. We listen to residents, assess their needs, and see what we can do.