Yesterday a public event was held in the Casa de Cultura to present two of the emblematic projects of this term of office: the remodelling of the Plaza Mayor and the Fossa promenade. The event was led by the mayoress, Ana Sala, and included the intervention of the municipal architect, Noemí López, and the architect of Aras Arquitectura y Urbanismo, a company contracted by the Town Hall to draw up the projects, Juan Pina.
The project for the Plaza Mayor consists of remodelling the space to solve the problems of filtrations in the car park located under this space, but also the aim is to give greater public use and exploitation of the square. To this end, a building will be built as a cafeteria in the area where the fountain is currently located with a children's play area, translucent and fireproof awnings will be installed to create shade in the square and a grandstand will be created to connect the square with the Odeon Theatre area and offer greater security to this space. "In this way the square goes from being a place to pass through to a place to stay, creating more leisure space for the use of citizens," said the architect Juan Pina yesterday.
As far as the remodelling of the promenade of the Fossa beach is concerned, it is a 2.2 kilometre project which covers the entire promenade and adjacent streets. It is planned to act in the Calalga square creating a clear area that allows the celebration of events, a children's play area and an area with sports equipment. The trees in the square will be removed and a tapestry will be created with coloured circular elements that will be repeated along the promenade combined with benches.
The project also contemplates the creation of a singular viewpoint in the highest area of Calalga with an element in the shape of a large paper boat. Playful fountains will be created, benches, litter bins and bicycle racks will be installed, and the paving and lighting of the entire promenade will be renewed.
In Plaza Mediterráneo, a tourist information office and four toilet modules will be created along the entire promenade. The wall that currently separates the promenade from the beach will be maintained, although with a new covering. All the actions are framed within the promenade so that no action is taken in the beach area or in the private area of the buildings.
Both technical proposals are valued at 2.200.000€ in the case of the Plaza Mayor and 6.000.000€ in the case of the Paseo de la Fossa, although these are approximate and not definitive estimates. The architect also pointed out that the works on the Plaza Mayor are expected to take 8 months from the signing of the contract and that it is proposed to carry out the works on the promenade in three different phases to be carried out in the low season, as the total execution time is estimated at between 15 and 20 months.
The mayoress explained that these are two projects that "have been very difficult to carry out, the Plaza Mayor project was put out to tender and awarded and the company finally withdrew, but this has allowed us to improve the project. As for the project for the Paseo de la Fossa, which is already 50 years old, it is an ambitious project that includes paving, furniture, lighting, children's playgrounds, etc.". The mayoress pointed out that the projects "have been drawn up and are ready to go out to tender, now it will be up to whoever governs to carry them out" and thanked the technicians of all the departments involved for their efforts.
After the presentation, the public were able to express their doubts and suggestions, and it was announced that the panels with the technical proposals will be displayed at the entrance to the Town Hall and on the municipal website.