Last Friday the Carmen festivities began, in such an emblematic neighborhood as Valterra.
According to its history, it was created in 1956 and is known as the fishing district of Arrecife, where its oldest houses were built with salt and hence its characteristic color and structure.
These houses in the past belonged to sailors and workers from factories such as La Rocar, Garavilla or Lloret.
If we compare 1956 with 2016, the truth is that it is difficult to see any difference, except for the poor condition of many of the houses, not to mention almost all of them. Walls peeling, sidewalks raised, a poorly maintained park.
And all this is not because its inhabitants do not care about their neighborhood, but rather because the Arrecife City Council has not seen fit, at least for the festivities, to clean up the neighborhood.
It is a shame that such a central place with so much history, between Puerto Naos and El Charco, is so abandoned by this council. And this situation leads me to ask myself: Where is the much-announced revitalization of the neighborhoods? What about the reforms and works so necessary to improve the quality of life of its citizens? When will the improvement work in Valterra, in its streets and on its sidewalks, take place? When will the housing works be carried out, which are included within the ARU (Urban Replacement Area), a project that, to vary, is about to expire without fulfilling its purpose?
How easy are good intentions and promises in the campaign, and how difficult it is to put them into practice, even more so when it is not of interest.
*Delia Hernández, Councilor of Ciudadanos (C´s) in the Arrecife City Council