OREANDA-NEWS. August 23, 2012. A working trip of Head of Karelia Alexander Khudilainen to Byelomorsk region was eventful and rich in meetings. In the afternoon the local Administration building was a venue for a meeting with heads of the region and and its settlements, as well as with deputies of the town and regional councils. Head of the region has shared his view of prospects of the Byelomorsk region development and answered the questions.

Problems that concern both local and the republic's authorities are low profitableness of the municipal budget, absence of the large enterprises in the region, high level of unemployment. Forestry, mining and agricultural enterprises located in territory of the region obviously do not suffice all the budget expenditures and maintenance of territories of settlements. The rate of unemployment here one of the most high in the republic, on results of 2011 it has made 5.3%, having decreased a little by August, 1 to 4.9% to the aggregate number of economically active population.

The project of construction of deep-water seaport on which was supposed to be implemented in Byelomorsk has made very little progress in recent years. Implementation of this project reguires laborious work with investors. In the long term thanks to agreements with Gazprom natural gas will come to the territory of Byelomorsk region, that, of course, will recover local economy. However it is necessary to start solving problems of the region, including unemployment, right now, Head of Karelia considers, and it is also possible by means of small business development which, in turn, calls for the local initiative.

Head of Karelia has approved steps of the local administration on development of tourism, as well as that the region was one of the forst territories in the republic to develop the corresponding program. He has mentioned that today the Government of Karelia takes active steps towards the organization of railway communication between Karelia to Finland and accomplishment of check points and roads towards the border.

– As soon as we create an opportunity for good transport communication with our Finnish neighbours and provide a passenger traffic flow by rail, the number of guests coming to the republic will increase. It is necessary to be to it ready, – Alexander Khudilainen said. – However, it is not only monuments of history, but it is infrastructure created by small business that is necessary to bring a tourist to Belomorsk. If we help its development tourists will come to the region.

It is necessary to stimulate small business development by means of microcredits and other means of economic support, Head of Karelia considers. Assistance in promotion of these projects and organization of cooperation between institutions of local government and the state structures will be rendered to the regions by recently created State Committee for Interaction with Local Self-Government Bodies.

From development of tourism the conversation proceeded to the question whether any means will be allocated for restoration of the pavilion of Besovy Sledki, a unique monument of federal significance. This question remained unresolved within several years. According to Head of Karelia, reconstruction of the pavilion is included in the corresponding federal program of the next year, and the Government of Karelia counts that means from the federal budget will be allocated to the extent required.

One of issues which concerned participants of the meeting was maintenance of trips of suburban electric train from Byelomorsk to Medvezhiegorsk. As Alexander Khudilainen mentioned, the Government of Karelia negotiates it with the management of Oktyabrskaya Railway, and the chances are that this railway route will be maintained.

Matters also concerned the possibility of moving several families from houses often flooded by high water in the springtime to new homes. Alexander Khudilainen has once again paid attention to the necessity to include Byelomorsk region and its settlements in the federal program of resettlement of people from the failing housing stock. It requires serious local preparation of all the necessary documentation. In turn, the republic is ready to render assistance to advance the application of the region to receive the funds of the Housing Construction Development Facilitation Fund.

The meeting participants have also discussed preparation of the region to the beginning of a new cold season. Upon the end of the meeting Head of Karelia went to one of boiler-houses of the town that heats the nearby houses and supplies black oil for several boiler-houses of the town. Alexander Khudilainen has taken a close look at the facilities of the boiler-house, asked whether its heads have concluded agrements with suppliers of fuel and asked about preparation of the equipment for winter. Answers of the company director Nadezhda Filippova satisfied Head of Karelia.

Alexander Khudilainen also has visited school N1 of Byelomorsk. During the conversation with its Headmaster Vera Eliseyeva he has paid special attention to preparation for the new academic year, als go into details asking about the capital repairs.

In conclusion of his trip Alexander Khudilainen has called in the Byelomorsk quarry to thank its enployees and head of the enterprise for their help in rectification of the consequences of the emergency situation which occured in Byelomorsk region on August, 8. Workers of the quarry during the entire time of rectification of the washout of the railroad bed supplied railwaymen and builders with rubble, disregard of the difficulties and time expenditures. Now the quarry keeps rendering assistance in restoration of roads and the territory of Matkozhnensky hydropower station.

According to the director general of Byelomorsky Quarry Ltd. Alexander Sazonov, work of the enterprise where a failure has also occured because of the traffic interruption has resumed now. Crushed aggregates are shipped to consumers, the miners are ready to keep rendering their help to road builders and power engineering specialists in restoration of the infrastructure of the region.