The selection of houses for participation in the “Tom Sawyer Fest-2018” started in Kazan

Volunteers plan to repair the facades of 3-4 houses in the summer.

(KZN.RU, February 9, Ekaterina Vislavskaya). The selection of houses for participation in the festival “Tom Sawyer Fest-2018” began in Kazan. Participants of the initiative group inspected 12 houses-applicants and talked with their tenants.

The festival started in 2015 in Samara, and it will be held in Kazan for the third time. In total, 11 cities of Russia will gather on the “Tom Sawyer Fest” in 2018. Its concept is that volunteers repair the facades of wooden houses in the historic center of the city under the guidance of professional builders and restorers free of charge for residents. The aim of the festival is to update the historical environment, attract the attention of citizens to the problem of preserving historic houses.

According to Dmitry Polosin, the director of the Chak-chak Museum and one of the curators of the “Tom Sawyer Fest”, there are about 54 valuable wooden houses remained in Kazan. It is impossible to repair everything at once. There is not enough money or hands, as the work is done solely by the means of sponsors and by the forces of volunteers.

“We will start a selection of volunteers late in February through students and the media. For now, there are no newcomers, just our old ones remain, about 15-20 people. The average age of participants in the festival in Kazan is 30 years old”, he said. “We will involve the older generation. The opinion about the festival is very different in each age group. Everyone says that this is a wonderful thing, but nobody needs it. That it all should be broken down. The older generation cannot rethink this, they believe that these houses are their past, and it cannot be saved. Young people have to be convinced that this is our history, fr om which the real Kazan has gone, and it must be saved in time”.

12 houses are considered as applicants in the streets Volkov, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Zhukovsky, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, Kalinin, Mehovshchikov, Narimanov, Sara Sadykova, Fatykh Karim, and Shchapov. Initiative group of 7 people went to the houses, inspected their condition, and talked with the tenants.

“We went ourselves, without specialists. So we assessed the technical condition of the houses with our own eyes and from the words of the tenants. We paid attention to communications, gutters, the condition of roofs, foundations, and attics. We looked at the local area because this is also important. We need to put a construction trailer somewhere, store things and wash”, explained D. Polosin. “At the same time, we look at the information on the house through the administration of the Vakhitovsky and Privolzhsky districts. Wh ere does it stand on the balance list, when it was repaired the last time, etc”.

During the summer, Kazan citizens will manage to repair only 3-4 houses, as much depends on the front of work and weather conditions. Volunteers have to make a list of the houses-finalists until April, and then inspect them with specialists who will help determine the scope of work and make an estimate. It is planned to begin restoration of facades in May.