The Santa Cruz City Council is one of the Canary Islands councils that has obtained the most Next Generation funds from the EU. Specifically, it has achieved 28 million of the total of 60 to which it aspires. This amount corresponds to seven projects, while there are another five pending resolution for about 15 million, and another seven are being prepared for future calls. This was detailed yesterday by the mayor of Santa Cruz, José Manuel Bermúdez, in the balance of these European funds for reconstruction after the years of pandemic.
Those already achieved have to do with the Low Emissions Zone, a project that includes the rehabilitation of Imeldo Serís and La Rosa streets, or the acquisition of electric buses. The total amount of this project is 9 million. The second is the rehabilitation of more than 300 homes in Añaza, and it has 10 million for it. The Tourism Sustainability Plan is another of those that have been accepted, endowed with five million, as well as the digital transformation of the administration, for 700,000 euros.
This package of accepted initiatives includes the remodeling of the Guimerá Theater, which receives 159,000 euros; the installation of renewable energies in schools, with 309,000 euros, and the pedestrianization of the area around the Nuestra Señora de África Market, which obtained 1.7 million.
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The projects that are pending a response are those for the rehabilitation of public buildings, mainly for the new headquarters of the Local Police, in Urbanism, the adaptation of General Antequera, and the Fiestas headquarters. This adds up to about 2.2 million. Another of those presented belongs to the social field and, if the financing is granted, it would allow the hiring of 33 social workers. The amount is 485,650 euros.
In the Public Services section, the implementation of the fifth container is to be brought forward to 2023, since its deployment is scheduled until 2025. For this, they have requested a four million grant. Work is also underway in this area to install a network of clean micropoints (385,000 euros).
Likewise, financing has been requested for the second phase of the Low Emission Zone, with the creation of a cycling network throughout the municipality, in addition to the digital transformation of the entire urban transport system. Seven million are requested for this project.
But if the projects achieved are important, those that are being prepared for upcoming calls are just as transformative, according to the Consistory. Thus, work is being done on another seven to have them ready as soon as the calls come out, such as the promotion of electric mobility and thermal energy installations in sports facilities; the rehabilitation of public housing, the urban regeneration project in the El Hierro ravine and the Refinery area; the Interreg Atlantic: innovation, resource efficiency, biodiversity and culture; the Barranco de Tahodio project (under study), or the economy of care, related to Social Care.
