On January 7 (2025) a pleasant event took place in Saldus Municipality – in Zirņi, at 4 Bērzu Street, a social housing building was officially opened, welcoming its first tenants already today.
The opening ribbon was cut by Māris Zusts, Chair of the Saldus Municipal Council, Kaspars Leimanis, Chairman of the Board of SIA “KaimS”, and Eva Rozīte-Ņikitina, Head of the Zirņi Parish Administration.
The building includes 32 fully equipped apartments, including three apartments adapted for persons with mobility impairments. Most of the apartments are one-room units, while some are intended for larger families. The apartments are delivered with full interior finishing, combined shower and toilet facilities, and kitchens equipped with kitchen units and the necessary plumbing. A shared laundry and drying room is also available in the building.
At the opening event, Inta Vanaga, Deputy Chair of the Saldus Municipal Council responsible for education, social affairs and culture, emphasized the building’s importance in the history of Zirņi Parish:
“During the Soviet era, this building was part of the collective farm’s infrastructure. On its left side, active community life took place, while on the right side there was a hotel that remained unused for a long time. Over time, the idea emerged to rebuild the building into a social housing facility, and when project opportunities became available, this plan was successfully implemented.”
Chair of the Saldus Municipal Council Māris Zusts noted that the project makes a significant contribution to the development of the housing stock:
“This is a beautiful project with great added value. One of the challenges in the municipality is the availability of housing space, and this project has been successfully implemented thanks to a professional team, contractors, construction supervisors and project managers.”
The Council Chair thanked everyone involved – the project team, contractors, construction supervision specialists and CFLA representatives – and wished the new premises and their tenants a beautiful and fulfilling life.
Project Manager Marita Melvere expressed satisfaction with the results:
“It is a great joy to see successful cooperation that, within a year, ensured dignified living conditions for 32 families. This was achieved thanks to careful preparation, good cooperation and professionalism.”
Kaspars Leimanis, Chairman of the Board of SIA “KaimS”, highlighted three key success factors of the project: a strong team, professional supervision, and the municipality’s involvement in making the decision to implement the project.
Ina Behmane, Head of the municipal agency “Social Service,” noted that the new tenants will receive support from social workers to promote successful integration into their new place of residence and to provide assistance with everyday matters.
Eva Rozīte-Ņikitina, Head of the Zirņi Parish Administration, acknowledged that this is one of the largest projects implemented in any of the municipality’s parishes, expressing her delight that it was carried out specifically in Zirņi.
After the speeches and the ceremonial ribbon cutting, two tenants of the social housing building were presented with apartment keys, and they moved into their new homes already today.
The building was rebuilt within the project “Reconstruction of the Hotel Building into a Social Housing Facility at 4 Bērzu Street, Zirņi, Saldus Municipality.” The aim of the project is to ensure suitable living conditions for socially and economically vulnerable persons by increasing the availability of social housing in Saldus Municipality and reducing waiting lists for such apartments.
The project began in the third quarter of 2024, construction works started in February 2025, and the building was commissioned on January 5, 2026. Construction works and author supervision were carried out by SIA “KaimS”, while construction supervision was provided by SIA “RS būvnieks”.
The total project cost is EUR 2.25 million. Of this amount, EUR 1.62 million is financed by the European Regional Development Fund, and approximately EUR 635,000 is funded by the Saldus Municipality.
