Adeje will have its municipal auditorium in service in the first quarter of the year. The construction company Satocan finalizes the work, extended for more than half a year due to thirty modifications made to the project, which increases the budget by 1,670,620 euros and raises it to more than eight million euros. This enclosure rises on the old theater from the town and stands out for its equipment, in which the two performance halls stand out, with capacity for 500 and 120 people, respectively.
In a non-binding report, the Advisory Council of Canary Islands assesses that the new increase in the cost of this work “is not considered to be in accordance with the law” and argues for this that “the reasons why certain new services, being non-substantial modifications, were not included in the initial contract are not sufficiently expressed” . However, the Adeje City Council clarifies to said collegiate body that this modification of 31.95% of the contract does not exceed what is established by current regulations and the translation of the European directives (Parliament and Council) regarding the limit percentage of budget increase through modifications.
The mayor, José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga, maintains that “we are talking about a project of great interest to Adeje, which is going to convert a facility that no longer met the minimum conditions for the cultural programming of our municipality into a high-level multi-use complex, which respects the technical needs for the development of theater and music.
The councilor appreciates that with the opening of this facility “it is not only about improving our cultural agenda, but also about revitalizing and generating economy around the cultural activity that is generated here.” Along these lines, he defends that “we have projected the theater that Adeje and its neighbors deserve. It is an important work that adjusts to the new technical demands and that adapts to the space where the old theater was. An added difficulty to project and execute this auditorium.
The Adeje Municipal Auditorium project dates from 2018, which is why it has required progressive adaptations to the new regulations. In this regard, and taking into account the application of European directives, the local government of Adeje emphasizes that the changes correspond to “a modification not initially foreseen in the specifications that govern the contracting.”
Modifications that “do not alter the economic balance of the contract for the benefit of the contractor in a way that was not provided for in the initial contract”, is exposed by the City Council. As a result of these variations, there is no change in the amount of the contract that exceeds, isolated or jointly, 15% of its initial price, excluding IGIC, from the perspective of the Consistory and its reports.
everything is justified
The municipal government understands that the modification of the work and the budget increase are “duly motivated” in the supporting report of the project and in the mandatory reports. The Consistory alludes to the report sent to the Consultative in which, among other 30 reasons, mentions the adaptation of the fire-fighting measures that are resolved with the installation of a water tank and a pump room under the inner courtyard of the complex that form this enclosure and the cultural center of Casco Adejero.
To this are added technological improvements for the acoustics of the Auditorium, the seats in both rooms, the use of spaces that motivates expansion of places such as the hall and the number of rooms, as well as the obligation to adapt the installation of energy and lighting to the needs generated with the changes introduced. Among them, the one forced by regulations to use electrical cables ignfireproof, a condition that also occurs on stage, which will also have a fireproof curtain.
Another obligation introduced with the modifications, this security one, which the Adeje City Council included, is to install a public address system for general and emergency communication throughout the building, in addition to adapting the air conditioning machinery to the requirements of European regulations and redistributing the Air conditioning for better energy efficiency.
And the impact of covid-19 on this project cannot be missed. In order to prevent the spread of viruses, operational modifications were established and the employment machinery similar to that contemplated in the original project, but with the latest technology.
The Municipal Auditorium of Adeje is a work promoted by the Consistory in agreement with the Cabildo de Tenerife. It establishes that the financing of this work will be provided by both administrations, so that the insular does so by 61% (4.95 million) and the municipal assumes the remaining 39% (3.17 million).
In a visit to the works in November 2021 by the Minister of Culture of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Enrique Arriaga; the mayor of Adejero, José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga; and the insular director of Culture, Alejandro Krawietz, Arriaga stated that “from the Cabildo we have been sensitive to the request made by the Adeje City Council, which has decided to modify the initial project that had been included in the Cultural Infrastructure Plan.”
Enrique Arriaga thus alluded to this modification, of which he stated that the approach of the municipal Corporation means that this new proposal entails “an increase” in the cost of the work in an amount greater than three and a half million euros “with respect to the contribution of the Cabildo, which practically reaches five million.
In his capacity as island head of Culture and vice president, he said that the Cabildo and the Adeje City Council “we are convinced” that “it will be an infrastructure capable of meeting the demand that exists in the municipality.” He argued that, then and now, he defended and defends the mayor of Adejero, José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga.
At that time, the island and municipal authorities expressed their confidence that the construction work would be completed “in time and form”, that is, in September 2022. However, the changes introduced mean that the works will continue until the next month of March, at least, according to the estimates presented by the City Council.
