He is proud of having been able to inaugurate the Casa de la Juventud as mayor, a pending challenge that began in 2007 with the BIC declaration of the building, in British colonial style, of which there are few examples on the island, and which led to its acquisition by part of the Government of the Canary Islands. It has been an important achievement for the Executive that he leads but which still has some pending challenges in the municipality “on which work is being done”.
-Finishing the Green House was one of them?
“Definitely. It has taken a while due to problems at the beginning of the works and because it had to be put out to tender on two occasions both for the furniture and for the electrical service. The rear part remains, in which a park is planned in accordance with the surroundings of the house, which is accessible, with parking, spaces conducive to reading and resting, and certain bushes to preserve part of the thermophilic forest. The project is almost ready and next year we will have to see if we can execute it, either through a grant or with our own resources”.
-And when will the pool reopen?
“It is a challenge that for this Government is of paramount importance. It is true that since the concession company withdrew, in June 2019, the City Council has been immersed in a legal process that was delayed more than expected due to the pandemic. The resolution came in December 2021, the contract with Eulen was terminated and we are in the liquidation period, but that does not prevent the work we are doing and dealing with maintenance. In addition, we have hired an external consultant to accompany us throughout the procedure to start it up again. A market study has been carried out and action is going to be taken inside to improve the facilities, which will cost close to 400,000 euros financed by the municipal coffers. We are also analyzing the administrative formulas so that the same thing does not happen again and that it is attractive for the company that takes over the management and we can enjoy the pool for a long time”.
-The opposition denies that while the legal process with Eulen lasted, the government group has been working on the new specifications to get the tender out as soon as possible…
“We have not stopped working and, furthermore, the opposition is aware of everything we are doing because the procedures have been carried out in full and have been explained to make a decision among all that gives a margin of safety and does not have to be repeated. going through the same situation”.
-In the previous interview, he confessed to me that he would feel “frustrated” if in this mandate he cannot solve the situation of La Quinta. What steps have been taken to achieve this goal?
“The neighbors know the situation in which we find ourselves, both in ‘La Quinta Vieja’ and in the new part. In the latter, they have always tried to reach an agreement with the developer and the stumbling block is the same according to the Justice: the urbanization is not finished and the developer is the one who has the competition. The public company Gestur has been contracted, which has made a legal and urban assessment of what needs to be done so that it is received. If we take that with the Compensation Board, much better, but if not, it will have a full account of the steps that are taken because it is a question of finding a solution that will not be quick or simple but definitive. The deadlines will be tried to speed up as much as possible, but there is a legal and urban procedure from which I am not going to separate and I have transferred it to the neighbors”.
Do the neighbors understand? Is there a good tune?
“I think it could be better. Among other things, because it is a procedure that has been going on for many years and some of them know it better than me and all the steps that have been taken have been explained”.
-Are you satisfied with the arrangement of the slope and the pedestrian path that goes to this urbanization?
“Yes, it has also cost a lot but in the end the important thing is that the works are executed and done well because it is one of the entrances to the municipality. The pedestrian crossing was one of the essential conditions in the event that a dissuasive car park was built behind the cemetery. At the beginning of the mandate, the Cabildo believed that it was not a priority, we did, and we are in advanced conversations with the owner to buy the land and we have commissioned a project. We hope that the Cabildo also gets involved because it is a privileged area for access to public transport”.
