The project to transform into a modern sports facility the old court of El Calvarioin the municipality of Saint Ursulahe started in August 2019 with a budget of 756,000 euros, but three years and two months later it continues without being executed due to technical discrepancies between the drafters of the project and the construction management. An unexpected obstacle that the mayor, Juan Acosta (AISU)he regrets and that has led the northern City Hall and the Council of Tenerife to completely rethink the action and raise the planned investment above 1.7 million euros.
Acosta acknowledges that this situation “generates impotence, since the functioning of the administration does not allow us to act to shorten the deadlines and avoid such a long wait. The initial work was awarded in 2019, but it was soon stopped due to discrepancies between the project writer and the works management regarding the roof and the foundation, the loads and possible safety problems in the face of strong winds».
«On January 14, 2020, Island Government Council suspended the execution of the contract and in September 2021, the insular director of Sports began the resolution file of the award contract. A procedure that has not been completed until July 2022, ”details the mayor.
Juan Acosta regrets this wait of more than two and a half years to solve this technical problem for a project considered unfeasible, but acknowledges that this obstacle has also made it possible to draw up a new proposal, rethink everything and improve the final result, the cost of which has increased by more than one million euros.
One of the main changes is that two paddle tennis courts will be conditioned and not three, as initially planned. Also, there will be a field for soccer and basketball; a building with a multipurpose room, bathrooms and changing rooms; an open space for bicycles and skates; calisthenics area; area with bio-healthy devices; gardens and playgrounds. An important improvement has also been introduced in the accessibility of the entire space.
“We have taken advantage of this situation to promote a complementary project in the area of the old pond, which will be transformed into a park with a children’s leisure area, space for pets and a picnic area,” explains Acosta. This park attached to the sports space will soon be subject to citizen participation and will be financed with the City Council’s own funds. Its final cost is around 478,000 euros.
Pee to delay and administrative complications, Juan Acosta celebrates that the City Council of Santa Úrsula has managed to maintain the 756,000 euros of the initial budget commitment of the Cabildo and raise that figure to 1,757,000 euros, with 90% insular contribution and 10% municipal funds. In addition, the Consistory will be in charge of bidding for the works to avoid further delays.
The Santaurus Consistory is waiting for the legal cabinet of the Council of Tenerife authorize the transfer of the necessary funds to start this tender “as soon as possible”. Acosta assures that he understands “the desperation of the population due to the delay of this work, but it must be understood that it has been something completely unrelated to the City Council, which has not stopped insisting until a solution is found.”
The term of execution of the work of the sports space will be one year, from the award. In parallel, work is being done on the tender for the annex park. This action is “one of the great priorities of the local government, together with the necessary works for the reopening of the swimming pool». To try to compensate for the delay in this project and the closure of the El Calvario sports center, now partially demolished, the City Council has enabled the use of the covered pavilion in the afternoon Early Childhood and Primary Education Center (CEIP) Mencey Bencomo.
Padel courts, court and calisthenics
In the plan of the project of the new sports center of El Calvario, already modified, the layout of the multifunctional building can be seen, equipped with a room for directed activities, bathrooms and changing rooms; the two paddle tennis courts; the space for soccer and basketball; the calisthenics area, and an esplanade for bicycles, skates and skateboards. In addition, there will be an area for bio-healthy devices, children’s games and gardens. The modification of the project also makes it possible to improve accessibility and give a new use to the current pond, which will be an annexed park with its own project and a cost of around 478,000 euros.
