What happened to the closure order that the City Council issued almost a year ago regarding the House of Fear? "Absolutely nothing" That's what the councilor who signed that decree, Elisabeth Merino, acknowledges. "We gave them a hearing to regularize their situation and they presented some documents. But once the powers regarding Classified Activities were taken away from me, I could no longer access those files nor did I have access to more information. I went as far as I could," she declared to La Voz.
Regarding why she did not execute that closure order while she still had the powers, she insisted that the association was given a "hearing." "It was not carried out since the House of Fear began to regularize its situation as a restaurant business and not as a cultural activity. There were a couple of meetings, trying to mediate so that this could be resolved," says Merino.
However, she acknowledges that they had "difficulty obtaining the restaurant license." And the fact is that the premises belong to the City Council and were ceded to the Society of Culture, Sports and Recreation House of Fear, but for purposes that are not those that it currently carries out, and for which it lacks a license.
"I don't know if that could have been regularized," says the councilor, who has also not been able to specify whether the chimney works that were installed more than two years ago had authorization. "I don't know anything else about it," Merino reiterated, referring to the councilor who assumed those powers, Maciot Cabrera. La Voz has also spoken with Cabrera to try to clarify what happened with that file, initiated by the complaints of the neighbors, who have been complaining for more than two years about the "pestilent smell" emanating from the chimney of the premises.
- What is the current situation of the House of Fear?
- The file is open and right now, as it is not resolved, if you are not an involved party, I cannot give you more information. But it is being resolved.
- But almost a year ago, a closure order was already issued.
I don't know that. I also read it in the press, but that was issued by the other councilor you spoke to. But I don't know either.
- Do you know that we called Elisabeth Merino before, but you don't know that she issued a closure order?
- No, because I was in the opposition when, according to you, that closure order was issued.
- But having assumed the powers of the area and of that file, will you know more or less what had been done previously and why that order has not been executed?
- Yeah. No, no. The truth is that I don't know it. There are so many files and so many stories every day, that I don't know each of the files or what happened before I came in.
- Is there a deadline for it to be resolved?
- I suppose so.
- But you don't know either?
- Yes, of course... I tell you, it is a delicate issue, there are complaints in between, and I cannot give you more information until the file is resolved.
- But we are talking about a public issue. The premises they are using belong to the City Council, right?
- Yes, it is a premises that belongs to the City Council, but the complaint is made by a private individual.
- We have spoken with the complainant, but the question is what is the City Council doing, which a year ago already concluded that the House of Fear is acting "in fraud of law", without a license, and in a premises that is municipal property.
-Resolving the file. And working on the file.
-And the chimney, which is the main complaint of the neighbors, can you confirm if it has authorization?
- All that part of the chimney, of whether it complies or not, are the responsibility of the Technical Office, which is the one that has to inform if things comply or not. What we do in Activities is to verify that all the reports are favorable, both that of the Technical Office, as well as that of Urban Planning, as well as all of them, and once all the information is favorable, we determine whether the license is granted or denied.
- So now it is pending whether it gets a license?
- I tell you that you would have to talk to the Technical Office.
- And from the Infractions area, was a sanctioning file opened?
- A sanctioning file? No idea. I don't think it's a sanctioning file. I speak from ignorance, but I don't think there is a sanctioning file. At least no sanctioning file with the House of Fear has passed by my signature. If the file was started before I came in, I don't know. Not with me.
- The City Council itself detected that it is operating without a license, that the premises are not theirs, that it belongs to the City Council, and that the assignment did not cover that activity, and nothing has happened? Not even a closure, or even a sanctioning file?
- And what do you want me to tell you?
- The explanation that the City Council gives to that
- Well, I told you before that I cannot give you more information than what is public. When the files are resolved, you will know, like all the neighbors, what the situation is. Meanwhile, I can't tell you anything else.
La Voz has also spoken with the Councilor for Urban Planning and head of the Technical Office, Eduardo Placeres, who states that the closure order was issued by Classified Activities, and that therefore it depends on the area that Maciot Cabrera now manages.
Regarding whether any license application is being processed in his department to legalize the restaurant activity of the House of Fear, Placeres states that he does not know, because "there are many files", but insists that in any case it would also depend on Classified Activities. "They always ask Urban Planning for the engineer to report, but it is Activities that asks for it, it has nothing to do with an urban planning issue," he stressed.
As for the chimney, he has also not been able to specify whether it had authorization when it was installed two years ago.
