In Irkutsk, the citywide contest for the best homestead was summed up. The winner received 100 thousand rubles, second and third places got 70 and 50 thousand. The contest had two stages and assessed not only the appearance of houses and yards, but also landscaping, greening, and sanitation. The story of winner Svetlana Petrova, whose homestead on Kirpichnaya Street was the best, shows how personal initiative and love for ones home can transform a whole part of the city.

By order of the mayor, the cash prizes for the winners were set at 100,000 rubles for first place, 70,000 rubles for second place, and 50,000 rubles for third place.
The citywide competition began in July 2012 and was held in two stages — at the district and city levels. In each district, three winners were selected, who then continued to participate in the city stage of the competition.
Participants were evaluated according to the following criteria:
- compliance of the location of the residential house and household outbuildings with land use and development rules, and with territorial planning documentation;
- sanitary condition of the yard, the street along the property and up to the roadway;
- external aesthetic appearance of the residential house and household outbuildings;
- landscaping of the territory;
- design and individuality of the property (for example, in a national style);
- equipping the residential house with utilities (water supply, sewerage).
- improvement of the territory.
The mayor presented the first-degree diploma and a certificate for 100,000 rubles to Svetlana Vasilyevna Petrova. Her property on Kirpichnaya Street in the Radishchevo suburb was recognized as the best in the competition.
Svetlana Vasilyevna said that the house, built in 1953, is her family home. By profession, Svetlana Vasilyevna is a communications specialist; she is now retired and devotes all her free time to improving the house and the adjoining grounds. According to the owner, more than 300 species of plants grow on the property, including beautiful roses.
“Looking at how my property has changed recently, my neighbors have started devoting more time to their own plots. It doesn’t take much time, and it doesn’t require much money either; the main thing is to do everything with love and with desire. I’m sure that, after learning about my victory, many Irkutsk residents will also take part in the competition next year,” said Svetlana Vasilyevna.
Viktor Kondrashov warmly congratulated the competition winner and advised her to join forces with her neighbors and create a territorial public self-government body to more effectively solve the problems of the private sector.
“Start by joining together, and we will definitely help and support all your initiatives,” the mayor advised.
Second place went to a property on Dmitry Donskoy Street. The city head and journalists were warmly welcomed by the owner, Olga Mikhailovna Leshtaeva, her daughter, and her granddaughter. They showed Viktor Kondrashov around the property, explaining in detail every corner of it: how the idea came about to turn a pile of construction debris into an alpine hill, how Olga Mikhailovna spent an entire winter making, with her own hands, the figure of a gypsy that now adorns the patio, and how the neighborhood children love coming to play on the playground.
Sharing his impressions of what he had seen, the mayor emphasized that “the competition participants are special people. Their faces are bright, their eyes are shining, they are full of enthusiasm. And that cannot but be pleasing.”
Third place in the citywide competition was awarded to a property on Yerevanskaya Street in the Sverdlovsky District. The owner of the property, Galina Ivanovna Fedoseeva, received 50,000 rubles.
“One of the main tasks of the authorities is to change people’s mindset. For the city to become clean and beautiful, first and foremost the city’s residents themselves must be involved in this. Holding a competition for the best property is one stage of the large, systematic work to improve Irkutsk. About 300,000 rubles have been allocated from the budget for the competition. This money will serve as an incentive for people who care about their street and their property. And I hope that the competition will spark a wave of interest in improving their territories and unite them to solve the problems of the private sector,” said Viktor Kondrashov.
The mayor noted that the competition will be held every year. It is possible that next year the awards will be presented in several categories.
Based on materials from the press service of the Irkutsk city administration