In Bolbasovo, an old airfield with international status is being given new life
Today, the urban settlement of Bolbasovo resembles a major construction site. Non-stop efforts are being made here to transform the former military town in the Orsha region into a so-called "settlement of the future." This directive was given by the President after his visit to the Orsha Aircraft Repair Plant last summer. Journalists managed to visit the airfield in Bolbasovo and assess the scale of the reconstruction. It is truly impressive!
We discuss the positive changes with the Chairman of the Bolbasovo Settlement Executive Committee, Gleb Gulenkov. It's not easy to catch him in his office, especially now, when there are so many facilities requiring attention. Some repairs are nearing completion – for example, the district hospital or the local House of Culture. Others are just gaining momentum. A prime example is the reconstruction of the Bolbasovo airfield, which last year received the status of an international cargo airport. Construction of a modern runway began here in August. It runs right next to the future multimodal industrial and logistics center. It is important that "Bremіno-Orsha" (the name the center will bear) will be able to fully utilize not only the capabilities of the airfield but also the major republican and international highways and the railway – everything is nearby.
Recently, news emerged that the Development Bank will issue a loan to the National Airport "Minsk" of up to 25 million dollars – specifically for the reconstruction of the airfield near Orsha. Representatives of the general contractor, "Construction and Installation Trust No. 8" of Minsk, have been working here since September 22. Foreman Vasily Petrovsky admits that bringing new life to the old runway is not just a job:
— There is a sense of significance in being part of history. We have experience with the cement-concrete materials we are using in Bolbasovo. We collaborated with the National Airport a couple of years ago. Our debut in terms of such a particularly deformation-resistant coating was the construction of the Minsk Ring Road.
The foreman has no time for long conversations. A couple of minutes to rest, and the massive asphalt pavers under his control are back in action. On the 90-meter-wide runwayand a little over three kilometers in length, they have room to maneuver. For the main, finishing layer, the highest class equipment is prepared – the American concrete paver complex Gomaco.
The runway in Bolbasovo is a huge support for the industrial logistics of the Orsha region, believes Gleb Gulenkov:
— Our village recently turned 90 years old. Previously, it was called "military town No. 20", and in 1995 it was reclassified as civilian. Today there are almost 4 thousand people here, the majority are able-bodied. Therefore, the second birth that Bolbasovo is experiencing is a second chance for the village. We associate great hopes with the opening of the industrial and logistics center – this is about 3 thousand new jobs. We are also waiting for positive decisions regarding the city-forming enterprise – the aircraft repair plant. It has been operating at full capacity for literally a couple of months.
Gleb Leonidovich voiced what, in his opinion, is the most significant of what has already been done in the urban settlement:
— The improvement plan, which will require about 7.5 million rubles in total, initially included about 70 items related to housing and communal services, healthcare, education, construction... The guidelines were people's wishes. For example, the pressing issue of launching the iron removal station has been resolved. Built under a republican program, it is currently operating in test mode, but even at this stage, the water quality is noticeably better. Bolbasovo has maximally approached the arrangement of courtyards, sidewalks, and parking spaces. The school, kindergarten, and 17 out of 50 apartment buildings have undergone major repairs. To give the local children something to do, with the support of sponsors, two modern playgrounds will be installed in the village. One will be located in the courtyards, and the second will be placed near the monument to long-range aviation – a Tu-16 aircraft. Vasily Chirkunov, a former military pilot, and now the deputy director of the Orsha Aircraft Repair Plant, once flew a plane of the same type.
Vasily Ivanovich is eagerly awaiting the local airfield to get a second wind:
— Both the aircraft repair plant and the airfield are the lifeblood of our settlement. Compare it: once, 1,200 children studied in two shifts at the local school, now there are under 250. Previously, the population was 9,000 people, and now it's half that. Simple arithmetic shows that the settlement needed a stimulus. And it got one. It is symbolic that along with the revival of Bolbasovo, we managed to renovate the monument to long-range aviation – a Tu-16 aircraft. Thanks to the sponsors, we managed to do it before May 9th of this year.
Vasily Chirkunov well remembers how, back in 1987, they, the workers of the aircraft repair plant, installed this beauty that had served its time. This year, the memorial Tu-16 was completely reconstructed, and important lines for every resident of Bolbasovo, authored by Felix Chuev, appeared on its fuselage: "The earth considers those who were, who are, who will be in aviation to be the flower of the nation."
COMPETENTLY
Dmitry Pavlov, Head of the Department of Airfield Standards and Air Navigation of the Aviation Department of the Ministry of Transport and Communications:
— The reconstruction of the airfield in Bolbasovo, which is officially registered as Orsha airfield, is planned to be carried out in three stages. The construction customer is Minsk National Airport, the general design organization is Belgiprodor, and the general contractor is Construction and Installation Trust No. 8. In general, the facility is planned to be commissioned by 2021. The first phase – capital repair of the runway with a taxiway and fencing – the contractor promises to complete by November of this year. Then it will be engaged in the restoration of taxiways, equipping the airfield with necessary equipment, and the construction of auxiliary facilities. A good pace has been set, and to accelerate it, two shifts are working at the site. Currently, the main scope of work is the installation of the upper concrete layer of the runway coating, which is required by the technology.The material is manufactured on-site: for this purpose, a mobile concrete plant has been installed at the airfield.
All 9 civil aviation airfields in Belarus were built around the same time, so they require renovation to a greater or lesser extent. The most recent transformations have affected Brest Airfield. Runway repairs were recently completed here, and apron reconstruction is nearing completion. The airfield will be commissioned in October of this year.
We discuss the positive changes with the Chairman of the Bolbasovo Settlement Executive Committee, Gleb Gulenkov. It's not easy to catch him in his office, especially now, when there are so many facilities requiring attention. Some repairs are nearing completion – for example, the district hospital or the local House of Culture. Others are just gaining momentum. A prime example is the reconstruction of the Bolbasovo airfield, which last year received the status of an international cargo airport. Construction of a modern runway began here in August. It runs right next to the future multimodal industrial and logistics center. It is important that "Bremіno-Orsha" (the name the center will bear) will be able to fully utilize not only the capabilities of the airfield but also the major republican and international highways and the railway – everything is nearby.
Recently, news emerged that the Development Bank will issue a loan to the National Airport "Minsk" of up to 25 million dollars – specifically for the reconstruction of the airfield near Orsha. Representatives of the general contractor, "Construction and Installation Trust No. 8" of Minsk, have been working here since September 22. Foreman Vasily Petrovsky admits that bringing new life to the old runway is not just a job:
— There is a sense of significance in being part of history. We have experience with the cement-concrete materials we are using in Bolbasovo. We collaborated with the National Airport a couple of years ago. Our debut in terms of such a particularly deformation-resistant coating was the construction of the Minsk Ring Road.
The foreman has no time for long conversations. A couple of minutes to rest, and the massive asphalt pavers under his control are back in action. On the 90-meter-wide runwayand a little over three kilometers in length, they have room to maneuver. For the main, finishing layer, the highest class equipment is prepared – the American concrete paver complex Gomaco.
The runway in Bolbasovo is a huge support for the industrial logistics of the Orsha region, believes Gleb Gulenkov:
— Our village recently turned 90 years old. Previously, it was called "military town No. 20", and in 1995 it was reclassified as civilian. Today there are almost 4 thousand people here, the majority are able-bodied. Therefore, the second birth that Bolbasovo is experiencing is a second chance for the village. We associate great hopes with the opening of the industrial and logistics center – this is about 3 thousand new jobs. We are also waiting for positive decisions regarding the city-forming enterprise – the aircraft repair plant. It has been operating at full capacity for literally a couple of months.
Gleb Leonidovich voiced what, in his opinion, is the most significant of what has already been done in the urban settlement:
— The improvement plan, which will require about 7.5 million rubles in total, initially included about 70 items related to housing and communal services, healthcare, education, construction... The guidelines were people's wishes. For example, the pressing issue of launching the iron removal station has been resolved. Built under a republican program, it is currently operating in test mode, but even at this stage, the water quality is noticeably better. Bolbasovo has maximally approached the arrangement of courtyards, sidewalks, and parking spaces. The school, kindergarten, and 17 out of 50 apartment buildings have undergone major repairs. To give the local children something to do, with the support of sponsors, two modern playgrounds will be installed in the village. One will be located in the courtyards, and the second will be placed near the monument to long-range aviation – a Tu-16 aircraft. Vasily Chirkunov, a former military pilot, and now the deputy director of the Orsha Aircraft Repair Plant, once flew a plane of the same type.
Vasily Ivanovich is eagerly awaiting the local airfield to get a second wind:
— Both the aircraft repair plant and the airfield are the lifeblood of our settlement. Compare it: once, 1,200 children studied in two shifts at the local school, now there are under 250. Previously, the population was 9,000 people, and now it's half that. Simple arithmetic shows that the settlement needed a stimulus. And it got one. It is symbolic that along with the revival of Bolbasovo, we managed to renovate the monument to long-range aviation – a Tu-16 aircraft. Thanks to the sponsors, we managed to do it before May 9th of this year.
Vasily Chirkunov well remembers how, back in 1987, they, the workers of the aircraft repair plant, installed this beauty that had served its time. This year, the memorial Tu-16 was completely reconstructed, and important lines for every resident of Bolbasovo, authored by Felix Chuev, appeared on its fuselage: "The earth considers those who were, who are, who will be in aviation to be the flower of the nation."
COMPETENTLY
Dmitry Pavlov, Head of the Department of Airfield Standards and Air Navigation of the Aviation Department of the Ministry of Transport and Communications:
— The reconstruction of the airfield in Bolbasovo, which is officially registered as Orsha airfield, is planned to be carried out in three stages. The construction customer is Minsk National Airport, the general design organization is Belgiprodor, and the general contractor is Construction and Installation Trust No. 8. In general, the facility is planned to be commissioned by 2021. The first phase – capital repair of the runway with a taxiway and fencing – the contractor promises to complete by November of this year. Then it will be engaged in the restoration of taxiways, equipping the airfield with necessary equipment, and the construction of auxiliary facilities. A good pace has been set, and to accelerate it, two shifts are working at the site. Currently, the main scope of work is the installation of the upper concrete layer of the runway coating, which is required by the technology.The material is manufactured on-site: for this purpose, a mobile concrete plant has been installed at the airfield.
All 9 civil aviation airfields in Belarus were built around the same time, so they require renovation to a greater or lesser extent. The most recent transformations have affected Brest Airfield. Runway repairs were recently completed here, and apron reconstruction is nearing completion. The airfield will be commissioned in October of this year.