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Bilmak Territorial Community
Zaporizhzhia
Population:
The Bilmak territorial community is located in the territory of the Polohy district, Zaporizhzhia region.
Total area: 639,207 km2
Population: 11,330 people
Men: 3,811
Women: 4,182
Children: 1,203
People of retirement age: 2,134
Internally displaced persons: (about 3,700 from among the community residents)
The community includes 1 settlement and 21 villages and has its administrative center in the settlement of Kamianka.
History
The fact that the area of the Bilmak settlement territorial community was settled in ancient times is evidenced by findings of tools of the Paleolithic era here. Near the settlement, on Bilmak-mohyla (324 m above sea level), the Hostra mohyla mound has been preserved, around which there are 7 other small mounds of the Bronze Age. Around 1782, on the banks of the Kamianka River, settlers from the Poltava province founded a state-owned quarter and named it Kamianka after the river.
The population began to grow rapidly due to the resettlement of peasants from the northern provinces of Ukraine. The settlers were engaged in animal husbandry and agriculture, which was facilitated by fertile soils, large pastures, and an abundance of fresh water.
The peasants’ huts were scattered along the Kamianka River and its tributaries among thorny bushes and tall steppe grasses. They were built of clay, covered with straw, and in some places with reeds.
In the early 20th century, two single-grade elementary zemstvo schools, as well as a literacy school, were opened.
The district local history museum, opened in 1969, was popular among the residents of the settlement.
Economy and Welfare
The community’s economy is mainly represented by agricultural enterprises.
The main employers in the community are agricultural enterprises, the Kuibyshev Poultry Farm, and the Trudivskyi Quarry.
Most enterprises are registered in the trade sector, but in this case, we are talking about either self-employment or small-sized business entities.
The community occupies a favorable geographical position. The distance from the regional center, Zaporizhzhia, is 138 km. The distance from the port city of Berdiansk and the city of Mariupol is 70 km.
The field of education is represented by 5 preschool institutions, 5 general education institutions, a children’s and youth sports school, an art school, an inclusive resource center, a branch of the Fedorivka Center for Vocational Education, as well as a culture and leisure center.
The healthcare sector in the community includes the communal non-profit enterprise “Kamianka Primary Health Care Center”, which ensures the activities of 2 paramedical and obstetric stations, 5 paramedical stations and 2 general practice outpatient clinics; and the communal non-profit enterprise “Kamianka District Hospital”.
Community and War
The community has been under temporary occupation since March 3, 2022. After the occupation and acts of looting (stealing cars, belongings, accommodating in people’s houses, kidnapping and torturing people), residents of the community began to leave their homes for the territory controlled by Ukraine.
The administrative center of the region – the city of Zaporizhzhia – became a real refuge and is still home for the vast majority of community residents who left their homes and became internally displaced persons.
Since the summer of 2022, the community leadership has begun supporting community residents who live in the city of Zaporizhzhia (providing food products, hygiene products, and financial assistance).
More than 90 residential buildings in the community have been damaged or destroyed by russian shelling.
Today, one of the main priorities of the work is to support the community’s military personnel and implement defense-related measures.
Community People
The community is led by the head of the settlement military administration, Borys Kovalchuk.
With the initiative and support of the community leadership, a large number of projects were implemented from the community amalgamation (July 2019) until the beginning of the occupation.
– the roofs of the Intelekt school, the children’s art school, the hospital, and 1 apartment building were repaired;
– all window blocks in the base school were replaced;
– paving of 2 kindergartens was arranged, all kindergartens and schools were equipped and furnished in accordance with the fire prevention requirements of the State Emergency Service;
– major repairs were carried out to the catering units of 2 schools;
– major and current repairs of communally owned roads were carried out annually;
– a new school bus was received;
– the community territory was improved and reconstructed and an area of 1 park in the settlement of Kamianka was arranged.
– a multifunctional sports ground was built.
The priority tasks today are supporting military personnel, implementing defense-related measures, providing assistance to internally displaced persons (financial aid and food) and providing legal support to community residents on any arising issues.
Development Strategy
The community prepared a Development Strategy for the period until 2027, but it is not being implemented due to temporary occupation.
After the deoccupation and an operational analysis of the state of the territory, changes will be made to the existing development strategy or a new one will be created.
Before the full-scale invasion, the community participated in the “Rural Yard” project, which provides long-term loans to rural residents on preferential terms. The main requirement for obtaining a loan is the specific purpose of the funds: construction or reconstruction of houses, purchase of housing, agricultural machinery or livestock, laying of internal and external engineering networks.
