Residents describe life and complaints in Omsk's 'Chicago'
The market at Kosmos operates year-round, in both summer and winter.
In the settlement of Chkalovsky, or «Chicago», as some residents of Omsk call it, there are no beautiful historical buildings, and significant areas are occupied by industrial plants. They are separated from residential areas by fences, along which long sidewalks stretch to houses, bus stops, and shops. A typical district from the Soviet era: gray panel buildings, bright orange brick «Khrushchyovkas», quiet courtyards. On one side is a park, on the other a cemetery. Nevertheless, there is its own atmosphere in all this.
Life in the settlement goes on as usual, with daily routines continuing.
More than one generation has grown up here, and many have settled down «in the district» because it«s homey and familiar. We spoke with residents of the settlement and found out whether it has changed over the years, what has improved and what hasn»t, what changes the people of Omsk are most waiting for, and why they love Chkalovsky. Details are in the report by Tamara Bashaeva and Evgeny Sofiychuk.
A fairy-tale hut on chicken legs is perched on a stump in a courtyard.
Walkable Accessibility
In «Chicago», everything necessary for daily life is close to home.
If you look at Chkalovsky settlement «from a bird»s-eye view«, it is divided into small blocks where several houses are clustered around a kindergarten or school. On the ground floors of buildings — shops, at bus stops — shashlik and shawarma stalls, between blocks — squares, and there is also a hospital, clinic, art school, bank, shoe repair shop, and much more. Residents value the district for this — everything is nearby, you can walk.
Inspiring graffiti shaped like a gum wrapper adorns a wall.
«We»ve lived here a long time, we like the infrastructure: pharmacies, many shops, bus stops nearby. I was born in the USSR, and I liked those years more — communal services were better than now. The buildings have been standing for half a century, and there hasn«t been major renovation. And before, remember: especially before elections, if someone had any problems, they would immediately come and fix them so people would vote. Now there»s nothing like that,« — said resident Nina Ivanovna.
Nina Ivanovna fondly recalls the times of the USSR with warmth.
The woman from Omsk noted that this year, there have been fewer utility accidents on Romanenko Street than in previous years. And although the utilities aren«t getting younger over time, and the situation with pipes in the settlement is one of the most difficult in the city, she survived the abnormal cold with hot radiators.
Residents of Omsk want public transport to run more frequently in their area.
As a wish, Nina Ivanovna mentioned that she would like to get from the settlement to «Lenta» on 10 Years of October Street faster — transport there runs irregularly, you have to wait a long time, and it«s the nearest large hypermarket.
A woman from Omsk has lived in Chkalovsky since her youth, calling it home.
«To get there — you have to stand at the bus stop for about an hour, and back the same. I»d like there to be a bus that runs at least every half hour,« — added Nina Ivanovna.
Such trees «adorn» many streets in Chkalovsky and throughout Omsk city.
«As We Age, So Do the Trees»
Residents are glad that much is being repaired and kept clean in the settlement.
«I»ve lived here for half a century,« — another pensioner tells us, hurrying home from the shop on 50 Years of the Komsomol Street. The woman was impressed and pleased that the sidewalk and road were recently updated.
It feels as if the leaden sky is about to burst into rain at any moment.
«I love my district, and the whole city. Raised children here — and kindergartens, and shops, a park, and at »Kosmos« — look at that, everything»s wonderful!« — shared the woman from Omsk. However, she immediately recalled — they used to plant more flowers, there were flowerbeds in courtyards and on avenues, but now there»s no such variety of colors.
A Christmas tree sticking out of gray snow doesn«t look very festive or cheerful.
Looking at the stunted trees, resembling sledgehammer clubs stuck along the road, she chuckled: «As they say, of course they have their years, as we age and become scary, so do the trees. Well, it»s okay, in spring and summer, when there are leaves — they look better.«
The woman is troubled by environmental problems affecting her neighborhood.
Over the years, Chkalovsky has gained more playgrounds, much has been repaired, streets and courtyards are clean, there are places to go for walks. She doesn«t like the city center — there»s less greenery and more noise, but in her home district — everything as it should be.
Smoke rises over the district from all sides, creating a hazy atmosphere.
«My niece came to visit, and she lives on the left bank. She liked it so much! I said — move here! Only it»s a lot of hassle.«
A woman from Omsk wants life to become more fun and enjoyable for all.
Black Smoke and Ash on the Windows
For walks in Chkalovsky, there are alleys, squares, and parks available to residents.
It«s clear that locals love the district and try to be tolerant of many things. The courtyards are cozy, but along the sidewalks stretch neat gray snowdrifts. Near the houses, makeshift »ice rinks« are visible: where there was recently a pipe burst, only frozen lakes remain, dusted with the same gray snow. New Year»s trees with decorations still stand, and over the roofs of houses — gloomy clouds formed by smoke from the thermal power plant. And here, the locals« reserve of leniency runs out.
Sergei is pleased with the introduction of trunk routes that improve transport access.
«See what»s happening! When it«s freezing, every time there»s such black smoke. I sit right in the kitchen, drinking tea and watching it all fly at us. The wind was eastern, then became northern, and on the windowsills there«s gray ash, even though the windows are closed. And the smell is always unpleasant, and we breathe this in,» — Galina Sergeyevna was indignant.
The calling card of Chkalovsky is a rocket sculpture near the «Kosmos» bus stop.
According to the woman from Omsk«s memories, there were no such environmental problems in Chkalovsky before. But much earlier — the heat and power plant has been noticeably smoking since the »90s, and before that, filters handled the emissions, the pensioner believes. Residents of the district are waiting for the thermal power plant to be converted to gas by 2030, as promised, so they can breathe deeply.
«We grew up here, our children. Chkalovsky used to be a very good district: green, wonderful, there were playgrounds. Now there»s less of all that. I have a great-grandson, and I don«t even know where to take him for a walk, the swings and carousels became unusable, they were removed, and new ones weren»t installed.«
She dreamily recalled how in her youth she went with friends to walk in the Berlinka forest, swam in the quarry. Many kind and warm moments are connected with the district, so residents hope that in the future, Chkalovsky will prosper. All that«s left is to wait until 2030.
«So That Life Is Fun»
«Now, in my old age, I like everything,» — smiled a passerby we met on Petra Osminina Street. The stranger gently chided the city leadership, saying that there used to be more playgrounds, and generally everything was different in Chkalovsky. But as it turned out, not all changes — are the result of the managers« work, some things simply became different over time and there»s no way back.
«I»ve lived here for over 20 years. Work is close, the clinic and shops are nearby. But it used to be somehow different. We celebrated holidays in the courtyards, it was fun, but now there«s nothing like that. And I want children to play, for there to be playgrounds. We with neighbors celebrated New Year, held concerts in courtyards, there was entertainment. What»s missing — is for life to be fun, for children and for us,« — shared Munavar Mukhtarovna.
Once she gladly participated in all activities with children and grandchildren, but now such events aren«t held, leisure boils down to walks. And she wants celebration.
Mysterious Smell of Rotten Eggs
Sergei has lived in Chkalovsky settlement for 30 years and considers it the best district in the city. Among the pluses — there«s no private sector, no dilapidated and neglected houses, emergency barracks. Here, multi-story buildings were built right away, which serve faithfully to this day.
«Everything is good with us. Transport runs well, they made a trunk route that wasn»t there before, now it runs strictly on schedule — and we know that early in the morning or late in the evening we can wait for trolleybuses No. 3 and 15,« — shared the man.
It used to be difficult to leave when all the factories were working at full capacity, in the morning transport was so packed that sometimes you had to walk. Now, according to Sergei«s observations, there are fewer people.
«There are fewer people at the factories. If before »Polet« had two territories, now even here it»s not fully operational,« — said the man from Omsk.
Sergei also complained about an unpleasant smell that is constantly felt on Kosmichesky Prospekt near the PO «Avtomatika» stop. Not far from a birch grove, it always smells of rotten eggs, and no one can understand where the source is.
«It»s been smelling for 30 years. We thought maybe it«s the pipes. But last year everything was thoroughly repaired here, pipes were relaid, and we hoped that was it. But the smell returned, and where it comes from — is a secret.»
Major repairs of buildings, as well as replacement of utilities, wouldn«t hurt many districts of Omsk. When you see changes for the better, when the city is cared for, life becomes much more pleasant. Last time we conducted a survey in the Neftyanikov town, whose residents also spoke about problems, shared opinions on life, and recalled what has changed in their district over the years.
