Hard working and Reliable

"Panorama of Polish Cities" interviews Marian Adamek, the Mayor of the City and Municipality of Pleszew.
- What are the main features that can most be touted in the town?
- The City and Municipality of Pleszew are centrally located in Poland and have a significant population, numbering some 30 thousand people.  Two national roads meet here (routes no. 42 and 43) that are part of the Poznań-Katowice and Poznań-Łódź routes.  In terms of rail lines, there is a direct connection with most large cities, including Poznań, Szczecin, Katowice, Przemyśl, Kraków, and Łódź.  The citizens of Pleszew have been inhabitants of Wielkopolska for generations and have taken on the characteristics that are typical of the region's residents: hard work, thrift, reliability, economy, patriotism, and close ties to tradition.  In addition, the town leaders have placed emphasis on the environment (within the municipality and city, a sewer system with a daily capacity of 6000 m3. and a solid waste facility are in operation, and 176 km of water lines have been laid, as well.
- Could you explain what are the city's main growth priorities?
- This year's budget is a reflection of our priorities.  In it we have allocated 26% of our expenditures for investments (expansion of primary schools nr.1 and 2 at a combined cost of PLN 6.1 million, completion of the water supply system in our rural areas, construction of new roads and sidewalks and of a new apartment building for the Pleszew TBS, and expansion of our public library).  Our primary remaining investment task is to complete the gas supply system for the municipality and the town.
- How has the economic health of the town fared in the face of free market economics?
- The economy of Pleszew is dominated by the machinery industry.  The largest of these plants are FAMOT -Pleszew S.A. the SPOMASZ food processing machinery plant, the Pleszew Paper,

 Works, the Zryw Printing Cooperative for the Handicapped, and the GASPOL S.A. Warsaw- Pleszew Regional branch.  Moreover, Pleszew is a town of boilermakers.  We have dozens of smaller and larger facilities producing all sorts of boilers.  The largest of these are the Rystal Company, the Kotlarz Cooperative, and the Ekomet Boiler and Metalworks Factory.  In terms of business activity and smaller production facilities, we mostly have private companies.  When compared to other cities in Poland, general economic situation in Pleszew is not so bad, but our ambition is to maintain systematic economic growth and to combat unemployment, which means compensating for the dominant position of the machinery industry, which is not an easy thing.
- How would you entice potential investors to choose Pleszew over other towns?
- Pleszew has in its favor its geographical position, the fact that it is a county seat and that it is the leading town in the region, that it has significant economic and cultural potential, a highly-skilled work force educated in part within the extensive local school system, and significant human potential.  In addition, a package of tax reliefs can be worked out individually with each investor in discussions with town authorities.  It is also possible for the town to partially reimburse employers for the costs of creating new jobs. In this area, we work with the County Employment Office.
- How do you envision the future of the town?
- My vision of the future is closely connected with a Strategic Development Report currently being worked out, which is a continuation of all the activities we have begun in term of developing our infrastructure, acquiring new outside investors, promoting the Pleszew area, and disseminating knowledge about the benefits of joining the European Union among our inhabitants.  We are doing all we can to improve the lives of our citizens and to continue the economic growth of our town.
- Thank you for talking with us