The San Bartolomé City Council has renounced the municipal swimming pool project for Playa Honda. The sports center that this town was going to have began to be built at the beginning of 2011 and has been practically paralyzed for the last two years. In this place, right now there is a hole where even a group of young people sneak in to practice skateboarding. The City Council intends that the work "return to its original state", that is, that the hole be filled and the multi-sports courts be put back in place, and wants to do so with the money from the bond deposited by the company.
This was explained by the first deputy mayor of San Bartolomé, Carmen González, who acknowledged that "unfortunately and after so long trying to avoid it", the City Council has had to renounce this project, which "cannot be carried out due to economic problems of the awarding company itself, which is unable to finish the project". It had a budget of 3.5 million euros.
In an interview on Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero, the councilor explained that the UTE formed by Lanzagrava and Cedaga "cannot finish the work". "It has been paralyzed for almost two years and they cannot finish it", she indicated. Therefore, the City Council will initiate the termination of the contract with the company.
Back to the multi-sports court
After that, the works will have to be faced so that this plot returns to its original state. "It is about filling the hole that is there, dismantling the foundations that were laid and reinstalling the multi-purpose courts, which is what was there before", explained Carmen González. In addition, "depending on the amount it costs to return this plot to its original state", the City Council will consider putting it out to public tender.
The first deputy mayor also pointed out that the UTE had to contribute half of the 3.5 million euros and the other half was provided by the City Council. "The company put its part from the beginning and, once the work was put into operation, the City Council began to pay its part divided into a series of years", she indicated, while recalling that when CC was in the opposition, it already criticized the viability of this project.
In this way, and after years with a hole open in the middle of Playa Honda, the town is left without one of its great projects. "In the short and medium term it was impossible for it to go ahead", Carmen González insisted.
Despite this, the first deputy mayor did not want to give up on this project forever. "Perhaps later and in another location, within Playa Honda but in another place, where access to parking is easier and annoyances for the neighbors are avoided, it could be done. We have had to give up on this location at this time, but we will try to at least return it to its previous state", she stated.
