Scandal Surrounding Skanstes: The Director of the Urban Planning Department May Be Dismissed 0 54

Purmale confirmed to the LETA agency that the possibility of her dismissal is indeed being considered, however, at this moment she has not officially received any orders regarding this matter.

Purmale stated that she intends to contest any potential decision regarding her dismissal, as she believes that both she personally and the department have worked diligently and professionally. She emphasized that she is fighting not only for her reputation but also for the reputation of the entire department.

This is necessary, among other things, to prevent financial consequences for the municipality related to the project. If responsibility is acknowledged, the municipality will be obligated to remove the remaining contaminated soil, which could cost between 5–8 million euros.

Purmale was appointed as the director of the urban development department in 2020 when the municipality was managed by a temporary administration.

As reported, an audit was conducted in the Riga City Council, during which the implementation of the Skanstes area revitalization project was examined. The municipality has expressed concerns that not all contaminated soil was removed during the project's implementation.

As previously stated by Riga Mayor Viesturs Kleinbergs, there is a possibility that some of the remediation work was not completed or was carried out with deviations from the approved plan, which could result in contaminated soil remaining both on the adjacent territory and on the children's playground.

In May 2025, one of the largest urban environment projects opened in the Skanstes area - a multifunctional park with new paths and a landscaped area covering 15 hectares.

The first phase of the territory revitalization project was implemented with co-financing from EU funds, subsidies from the state budget, and financing from the Riga municipality. The total costs of the project amount to 21.7 million euros, of which the financing from the European Regional Development Fund is 4.6 million euros, the subsidy from the state budget is 670,334 euros, and the co-financing from the Riga municipality is 16.5 million euros.

After the opening, it was noted that the sewage system in the Skanstes park is sinking, and this risk had been previously warned about by the Baltic Center for Investigative Journalism "Re: Baltica."

Not all necessary calculations were conducted during the design of the sewage system, and this deficiency was not given due attention.

During the search for a contractor, one of the candidates warned the municipality about the possible sinking of the facility in the clay soils present in the area if the sewage system were built according to the originally proposed project. However, ignoring the warning, the Riga City Council refused additional expertise.