The President of the RT: “No yard in the country has such a history”

(KZN.RU, August 30, Ksenia Shvetsova). Residents of houses №103, №105 and №107 on Gagarin Street celebrated the completion of landscaping of the yard with a great holiday. Competitions, games and creative master classes were organized, singers Dina Garipova and Leina performed at the festival, which was held on Republic Day. The guests of honor were Igor Komarov, the Plenipotentiary of the President of the Russian Federation in the Volga Federal District, Rustam Minnikhanov, the President of the RT, and Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan. They appreciated the work and thanked the citizens for their initiative, activity and concern for their hometown.

All the locals are aware of the unique history of the yard. People whose names are inextricably linked with the history of Russia lived in the houses adjacent to it. Among them are Colonel Boris Mashkovtsev, an Honored Test Pilot of the USSR, a Test Pilot of Kazan Aviation Plant, a Hero of the Soviet Union; Nikolay Gubin, the 1st class test pilot; Ernst Mazin, a retired colonel, a military representative of the KAPO customer, military representative of the Air Force in the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic; Samat Khisamutdinov, the KAPO chief engineer; Georgy Karunin, the KMPO design engineer, the first secretary of the Leninsky district; Mikhail Edelman, the KAPO deputy general director for Supply, and others. But the most famous resident was Vasily Stalin, the youngest son of Joseph Stalin, Air Force Lieutenant General.

That is why the aviation theme has become central to landscaping, and the yard has received the name “Aviator”.

The work on updating the yard began last fall at the initiative of a local resident Andrey Belyakov, who now heads the construction company OOO “Briz”. The public improvement project was developed by Zhanna Belitskaya, the main artist of the city of Kazan, who grew up in this yard like Andrey Belyakov.

The cost of landscaping amounted to more than 12 million rubles. During the repair, the asphalt pavement was updated, parking pockets and sidewalks were built, a large playground and comfortable areas for rest of citizens were organized. “We had an idea to tell about the great people who lived here. Therefore, an information stand with the names of these people was installed in the yard”, said Zhanna Belitskaya, the main artist of Kazan. “In the future, we want to install an art object here: a stele with aviation artifacts and with brief information about the pilots. This is still an idea, but many support it, we will try to implement it”.

An important part of the improvement was the renewal of green spaces. According to Zh. Belitskaya, today about 60 trees have been planted there.

Congratulating the townspeople, Kazan Mayor Ilsur Metshin noted that the capital of the republic is celebrating its next birthday with new labor achievements. He recalled that the WorldSkills World Championship of Professional Excellence had just ended in Kazan, which became one of the most important events of this year for the whole country.

Another important achievement of the city is the renewal of social facilities, added I. Metshin. “By the new school year, we have built 11 kindergartens and two schools. And all this is thanks to the republican programs in the field of construction and overhaul, which are currently being implemented in Tatarstan and which have no analogs in our country”, said the Mayor of Kazan. “I want to thank Rustam Minnikhanov, the President of the RT, and Igor Komarov, the Plenipotentiary of the President of the Russian Federation in the Volga Federal District, and Vladimir Putin, the head of state, in his behalf, for the invaluable support we receive”.

The renovated yard, which became a real holiday gift for residents, appeared largely due to the participation of the citizens themselves, added the Mayor. “Thank you, dear citizens, for your work and love for the city, the republic”, he said.

Every year, more and more changes are taking place in Tatarstan that can improve the living and working conditions of citizens, noted Igor Komarov. “At the close of the WorldSkills championship, Vladimir Putin said that guests who come to Kazan see how the city is developing”, he said. “Even more importantly, Kazan residents see this. Congratulations to all of you on the occasion!”

Rustam Minnikhanov, the President of the RT, also joined in the congratulations. He reminded that today in Kazan a memorial bust was opened to Vitaly Kopylov, a Hero of Socialist Labor, an Honored Machine Builder of the Russian Federation, who made a huge contribution to the country's defense. The reconstructed yard on Gagarin Street is also a tribute to the great people who once lived in the capital of Tatarstan. “Today, the Republic of Tatarstan is an aircraft-building region, we are creating planes, helicopters, engines. This is a merit of those people who worked before us, and we will always remember this”, said R. Minnikhanov. “But not only work is important. We must live in good, comfortable conditions, repair yards, houses. In recent years, a large-scale program has been implemented that helps us in this”.

Rustam Minnikhanov expressed special gratitude to Andrey Belyakov, who initiated the work on landscaping the yard and who invested his own funds in them. “People do not forget their roots, this is very important”, said the head of the republic.

The program for the improvement of domestic territories will continue, added R. Minnikhanov in conclusion. “We agreed that in three years, all the yards of the republic will be repaired”, said the President of the RT. “This yard is an example of creative work. I think that no yard in the country has such a history. Here lived test pilots who, at the cost of their lives, ensured the defense capability of our country, and this legacy should always be with us”.

The celebration of the yard continued with a concert with famous stars of the Russian stage. In addition, the participants were congratulated by Dmitry Borisov, the host of the First Channel.

Asgat Safarov, the head of the Presidential Administration Office of the RT, Leila Fazleeva, the deputy prime minister of the RT, Natalia Fishman-Bekmambetova, an assistant to the President of the RT, Rustem Gafarov, the first deputy head of the Executive Committee, Sergey Mironov, the head of the Kirovsky and Moskovsky districts’ administration, and others also attended the event.