The planning of the Business Center is progressing

15.4.2025 | The planning of the business center envisioned for Kotka’s Kantasatama is progressing. The City Board has decided to participate in funding the business center planned for the building at Laivurinkatu 10 with an amount just under €33,000.

The planning work is commissioned by Kotkan Julkiset Kiinteistöt Oy (JuKi), which has conducted a tender process for architectural, structural, and HVAC engineering design and selected Arkkitehdit Tommila Oy and Insinööristudio Oy as contractors. The total cost of these services is €98,500.

The design costs will be divided into three parts between JuKi, Cursor Oy, and the city, making the city’s share €32,833.33. As the planning progresses, the final renovation needs and total costs of the property will be clarified. Only then can conclusions be drawn about whether it is appropriate to locate the business center at Laivurinkatu 10.
If the project is deemed feasible, the property will be transferred from the city’s direct ownership to the management of JuKi.

The Kantasatama Business Center is defined in the city strategy as a key development project. In the “Home Port for Businesses” project implemented by Cursor Oy, a concept for the business center’s operations was created. The content-based operations of the business center are currently being initiated within the ongoing Eagle Accelerator project, also managed by Cursor. In parallel, a solution for business center premises in Kantasatama has been pursued.

The business center is planned to include rentable office spaces, communal work and meeting spaces, and a café with an outdoor terrace. A few larger operators have expressed interest in long-term rental, which would support the project’s financial viability for JuKi.

The property is a three-story brick building with a protected façade, built in 1932, currently used as storage and office space. Converting the building into a business center will require a major renovation, including repairs to the yard deck and foundation structures, window replacements, and a complete overhaul of interior spaces and technical systems.

Inquiry to Kouvola Regarding Kymi Sinfonietta Funding

The City Board has decided to send an inquiry to Kouvola’s City Board regarding the funding of Kymi Sinfonietta.

The shareholder agreement jointly approved by the cities of Kotka and Kouvola in winter 2021 includes provisions on the minimum funding level for the orchestra company until 2025. The agreement obliges the shareholders to negotiate the company’s funding for the coming years no later than spring 2025. The basis for these negotiations is to ensure the stable continuation of the orchestra’s operations.

In its meeting on 11 March 2025, Kouvola’s Sports and Culture Committee decided on the funding level for the Kymenlaakso Orchestra for 2026–2027. The decision was to set the annual funding at €480,000 for those years and to continue negotiations with the City of Kotka, ensuring that the funding agreement adheres to the aforementioned principles, aiming to maintain stable long-term funding for the company. In addition, the committee decided, contrary to a proposed amendment, to maintain funding for the Uuno Klami Composition Competition.

Kouvola’s decision means that the city’s annual contribution to Kymenlaakso Orkesteri Oy will decrease from €580,000 to €480,000 for 2026–2027. The orchestra’s operations and funding are affected not only by the contributions of the owners but also by reductions in state subsidies, the first of which will already impact 2025.

When evaluating the overall situation, it must also be noted that reducing orchestra activities on Kouvola’s side would jeopardize the orchestra’s extra state subsidy, which is designated for promoting regional activities. Due to these state subsidy cuts, the orchestra has started planning the necessary adaptation measures.

Kouvola’s significant reduction in grant levels requires additional measures, the scope of which will also depend on what decisions the City of Kotka makes in response to the decision by Kouvola’s Sports and Culture Committee.

The City Board will approach Kouvola’s City Board with a letter in order to gather responses that will help the city of Kotka form its own position and make decisions on the matter.