Calp gave final approval today in a plenary session to the 14 investments that will be financed with a total of 4,178,125 euros from the surplus of the municipal treasury. The proposal of the socialist councillor faction, which proposes to replace these investments with others, was also discussed.
Specifically, the PSPV-PSOE councillor group proposed to cancel five budget items: the rehabilitation of Club Social La Manzanera, the jetty and coastal renewal of Cala La Manzanera, the improvement of the outdoor facilities of Club Social La Manzanera, the re-asphalting of various "urbanizaciones" and the "M" road for access to the new high school. The total amount of these investments, a total of 2,350,775 euros, was to be used for other proposed investments such as: the housing rehabilitation plan, the local employment plan, the reform plan for the old Victoria cinema, the scrub treatment plant, the reform plan for the Antonio Gades Square premises, the rehabilitation plan for the municipal music and dance school and the assistance plan for families affected by the Covid crisis19.
According to the Municipal Supervisor's report, the proposals were rejected because they should have been channelled as amendments and because "the proposed amendments obey political expediency criteria on which no technical opinion is appropriate".
Defendamos Calpe spokesperson Paco Quiles has stated that "priorities are subjective, these investments were programmed before the pandemic, but now circumstances have changed and priorities should be different".
The spokesperson for Compromís, Ximo Perles, stressed that "the criterion is the need for these works is undeniable, but the impossibility of submitting amendments leads us to abstain".
For his part, the spokesman for the PSPV-PSOE, Santos Pastor, added that "the remaining cash is not aimed at the objectives of the current circumstances; the proposals of the Socialist Group are more necessary for Calp, and for the businesses in the city of Calp it is important that these public funds remain in the closest environment."
Ciudadanos spokesperson Juan Manuel del Pino said that "we believe that the needs arising from the pandemic are already being met and that the proposed investments are important."
Finally, Mayor Ana Sala remarked that "although it is a subjective criterion, we understand that the investments selected are not a whim but a necessity; they are important investments for the future of this city.
Finally, with the votes of the ruling group, it was finally decided to use 4,178,125 euros of the remaining funds from the 2019 budget settlement for a total of fourteen investments such as the 5th phase and completion of the building in Calle Puerto Santa María or the Casa de la Música, for which 726,825 euros have been earmarked.
In addition, 585,525 euros are earmarked for the renovation of the Club Social La Manzanera, 680,750 euros for the pedestrian bridge and the regeneration of the Cala La Manzanera coastline and 95,625 euros for the improvement of the Club Social La Manzanera outdoor facilities.
Other important investments are the re-asphalting of urbanisations (lot 1) for 486,700 euros and the re-asphalting of urbanisations (lot 2) for 494,900 euros. There is also an item of 250,525 euros for the repair of roads and 100,000 euros are included for street lighting (100 solar street lamps).
Another important investment is that of road M for access to the new secondary school, which is included in the Edificant Plan with a budget of 493,975 euros, as well as the adaptation of the areas adjacent to road J with an amount of 83,500 euros.
60,000 euros have been earmarked for the adaptation of the Red House for the family recreation centre and 3,000 euros for the furnishing of this room.
The construction of a water point in the Sierra de Oltà is included in the fire protection and extinguishing measures for an amount of 76,800 euros and, as a novelty, 40,000 euros are earmarked for the preparation of areas for urban gardens.
All the investments envisaged must be carried out within 2021. Although the 2019 cash balance was €6,275,103, part of it has already been distributed by COVID-19 to the various aid programmes.
The plenary also approved 189,205.62 euros, which corresponds to the payment to the Red Cross for the ambulance service. Also approved was 125,066.95 related to the transport of waste to the Campello plant, as well as an out-of-court recognition of obligations in the amount of 3,553.92 euros.