Kolinportti services to cease as Juuan municipality seeks demolition permit

Services at the Kolinportti site, located along Highway 6 in Juuas, will be discontinued, and a demolition permit is being sought from the Juuan municipality. The permit applicants include Kolinportin Asema, which operates the service station, North Karelia Cooperative Society, responsible for the Kolinportti Sale store, and Lujatalo Oy, which owns the long-vacant commercial space. According to the plan, only fuel distribution will remain on the site.

Kolinportti requires nearly four million euros in renovations, while constructing a similar new commercial building would cost about five million euros. The property comprises approximately 1,000 square meters of commercial space. Shareholders in Kiinteistö Oy Kolinportti are unwilling to undertake renovation efforts due to the building’s condition and the unprofitability of the businesses.

Jani Pakarinen, managing director of Kolinportin Asema, stated that the company has unsuccessfully attempted to sell the Kolinportti business operations. The property incurs monthly electricity bills amounting to tens of thousands. Kolinportin Asema has also managed a café and restaurant within the service center, which will cease operations by the end of December.

Services in Kolin village are attracting more visitors than Kolinportti. The Sale store at Kolinportti employs three individuals, and the store’s closure will lead to employee negotiations regarding transitions to other cooperative locations. According to the cooperative’s findings, residents of Ahmovaaran mainly use services at the Juuan S-market, located 25 kilometers from both Ahmovaaran village and Kolinportti.

Additionally, the growing services in Kolin village, including restaurants, hotels, and shops, are within ten kilometers of Kolinportti. Kolinportti opened shortly after the establishment of Kolin National Park in the summer of 1992, with only the roof having been renovated since construction. The municipality hopes to find a new entrepreneur to provide services at the Kolinportti site, which witnesses nearly 800 cars pass daily, with increasing tourist traffic to Kolin. Juuan municipal leader Henri Tanskanen expressed hope for a party that would develop new service offerings for the area.