Mountain Rescue Zavidovići upgraded the Maoča picnic site for visitors

Who stands behind the project

The Mountain Rescue Service - Zavidovići station is an association with a long-standing presence at the Maoča picnic site. Its activities over the years included training, rescue operations, maintenance of the facility and equipment, as well as a continuous presence that gave additional safety to everyone visiting the location.

What the association did with this project went beyond the boundaries of the traditional role of a rescue service. Instead of waiting for visitors to have problems, they worked to systematically reduce them. A tidy picnic site with clear paths, waste bins, shelters, and sanitary facilities means fewer incidents, less panic, and fewer calls for rescue intervention. That approach speaks of an organisation that understands prevention as part of its work.

What was done at Maoča

The project encompassed a comprehensive package of interventions divided into three sections:

Basic infrastructure

• 15 public waste bins were installed - a direct response to an issue visible every weekend
• Shelters with foundations were built - protection for visitors from sun and precipitation
• The roofs of the public WC and storage were renovated - sanitary minimum and a place for equipment
• The parking area was arranged - easier access, especially for families with children

Content for families

• Children's play equipment was installed - slides, climbing frames, benches
• The picnic site ceased to be a destination only for adults and became a family space

Operational part

• The interior of the Mountain Rescue house was renovated - important both for the rescuers and for the visual identity of the picnic site

Why this - community context

Maoča has been a well-known and used picnic site, but with an increasing number of visitors it needed organised infrastructure. Cleanliness, sanitary needs, and protection from rain or sun could not be left to luck or chance. Through these interventions the picnic site became accessible to families with children, groups of hikers, and local residents throughout the year, regardless of weather conditions.

A tidy picnic site with a playground, benches in the shade, and a clean sanitary unit means the difference between "let's go home quickly" and "we're staying all afternoon" - and these are exactly the differences that build local tourism.

Project preparedness

The Mountain Rescue Service - Zavidovići prepared the project documentation thoroughly before executing the works:

• an analysis of the current state of the picnic site was conducted and key shortcomings were identified
• an assessment of technical, ecological, and economic aspects of the project was carried out
• architects, engineers, and designers were engaged for detailed plans and technical documentation
• technical drawings were developed for shelters, the playground, the parking area, and renovation of the WC and storage roof
• a detailed cost estimate was produced with materials, labour, and costs
• contractor quotations and approvals from relevant institutions were obtained

That approach confirmed that the association knows how to prepare a serious project - not improvised, but through a planned process with accompanying documents.

Sustainability - why this endures

The sustainability of the project rests on several pillars that complement each other:

• Ecological approach - waste bins and conservation of natural resources are at the very core of the plan
• Regular maintenance - the Mountain Rescue Service as an active association with its facility on-site supervises the condition of the objects daily
• Increased attractiveness - more visitors means more revenue for the surrounding hospitality providers, indirectly strengthening the local economy
• Community engagement - the City of Zavidovići actively participated in the realisation, which guarantees institutional sustainability

Project message

Maoča needs no discovery, it has been known and used for a long time. What it needed was organisation: that cleanliness is not left to luck or chance, that shelter from rain exists, that the toilet works, that children have a place to play while parents chat by the river.

The Mountain Rescue Service - Zavidovići did exactly that with this project - quietly, systematically, with experience at the same location, and with the support of the City. This is the type of investment that is not visible in spectacular photographs, but is felt every time a visitor arrives at Maoča with their family and finds a tidy, clean, and functional picnic site.