In Perm, residents staged a sizeable snow sculpture of a fig to spotlight what they viewed as unfair decisions shaping the Parkovy microdistrict. The artwork drew attention to the perceived mismatch between local promises and the actual development path, as described by those behind the sculpture to socialbites.ca. The act was more than a visual statement; it was a civic signal from neighbors who felt left out of important planning conversations and long-term commitments that affected their neighborhood.
Alongside the frozen fruit, the creators attached a bold caption reading, “We Want a Pool,” and flanked their display with the hashtag #nefokafig. The intention was to generate discussion, to press for visible improvements that residents could point to in the near term. The snow fig stood for only a short window in Perm’s weather and public discourse; by the evening that same day, the sculpture had been removed by unknown parties, leaving behind a void that echoed the people’s unease about the pacing of promised amenities.
The location of the snow fig was significant. It sat in a zone where officials had previously whispered about adding a figure skating center and a health complex with an indoor pool. The choice of site reinforced the message: if the area’s future grand plans exist only in planning papers, what happens to the everyday needs of the community right now?
Vitaly Fedenko, a Parkovoy resident, summed up the mood with a concise remark: they announced, they pledged, yet tangible action did not appear. His words captured a common sentiment that promises should translate into real improvements, not remain latent in documents or idle talks in meetings that lack broad public engagement.
News outlet 59.ru highlighted that engineering studies for the proposed project had already been completed and that a broader plan for the district existed. The initial timetable had called for construction to wrap up in time for Perm’s 300th anniversary, celebrated in the current year. Yet progress stalled, and the plot was eventually parceled out for residential development rather than the proposed facilities. This shift triggered questions about how community priorities are weighed and who gets to decide when and where large-scale projects come to life.
In December, the initiative group gathered support by collecting more than 1,100 signatures addressed to Dmitry Makhonin, the Governor of the Perm Territory, challenging the plan to replace the ice arena with housing. Local residents argued that the decision appeared to bypass public hearings, a process they felt should be standard for developments with such broad social implications. The petitions reflected a broader demand for transparency and a clearer path to civic input before major commitments are made.
Meanwhile officials from the Ministry of Territorial Property provided a different angle. They noted that an ice arena already existed nearby and suggested that the new developer might prefer to extend development slightly farther away rather than duplicate a similar facility. The broader context included discussions about a much larger sports arena project in Perm, valued at about 19.4 billion rubles, with a completion target set for 2026. The ministry did not offer specifics about viable alternatives to the pool or the ice arena, leaving residents with questions about what sort of public amenities would ultimately be delivered and where.
Beyond the Perm discussions, there was also mention of earlier local imagery, including a painted snow figure in Nizhnevartovsk that some perceived as a harbinger of similar debates about public space and resource allocation. This thread added a regional dimension to the conversation, illustrating how communities across the broader area grapple with how best to balance ambitious projects with immediate quality-of-life needs for residents.