Alejandro Marichal: “For a year now we have been working with the residents on a comprehensive project to improve sanitation, lighting and public spaces”
The Canary Islands Government and the city council launch 'El Patronato Experimenta', an initiative to improve community life through proposals made by residents
The Board already has a comprehensive project for the renovation of its infrastructure and public spaces , an action that will allow the modernization of an urbanization built in the seventies and adapt its services to current needs, and which has been developed by the municipal Housing company, Gesvisur.
The first deputy mayor, Alejandro Marichal , explained the project to the residents of the neighborhood during a meeting in which the councilor for Housing, Lucía Jiménez, and the councilor for Citizen Participation, Ruyman Cardoso, also participated.
The project includes the renovation of the water supply and sanitation networks, low-voltage electricity, public lighting, and telecommunications , as well as the reorganization and improvement of public spaces. Its total budget exceeds 4 million euros.
Marichal proposed to the residents that, once the necessary budget is secured, the ideal first step would be to renovate the sewage system. Currently, they are working to find funding for this initial phase, which has an allocation of over €430.000 within the project's construction budget. “The Board already has a project outlining the necessary work for the development, following more than a year of meetings with residents. This project is for them, and we want to develop it while maintaining direct contact with the neighborhood,” stated Alejandro Marichal.
The project also plans to transform the neighborhood's common areas, including the park, by incorporating meeting areas, a children's area, physical activity areas, areas for the elderly, a space for pets, and urban gardens.
'The Board of Trustees Experiments'
Alongside this renovation project, the meeting saw the launch of 'El Patronato Experimenta' (The Experimental Board) , an initiative of the Canary Islands Government's Directorate General for Transparency and Citizen Participation, in collaboration with the City Council and the technical team at Lawarita. This initiative empowers residents to propose ways to revitalize and improve community life and shared spaces. Participating in the presentation, along with municipal representatives, were the Canary Islands Government's Deputy Minister for Administration and Transparency, Antonio Llorens, and the Director General for Transparency and Citizen Participation, Carmen Delia Alberto.
The call for proposals will remain open until September 24th and will allow the selection of a maximum of five projects . Following this selection, a second call for proposals will open on October 1st, inviting others to join the projects as collaborators. Workshops and support for the proposals will take place between October and November and will culminate in a public event presenting the results.
The ideas can relate to improving the use of public spaces, community relations, citizen participation, neighborhood history, intergenerational initiatives, or promoting local traditions, among other areas. Antonio Llorens emphasized that “The Experimenta Trust will allow proposals to originate from those who know the neighborhood best: its own residents. It's not just about gathering ideas, but about supporting them and working together to transform them into projects that can contribute to improving community life.”
Those interested can submit their proposals until September 24th through El Patronato Experimenta . They can also request information at elpatronatoexperimenta@gmail.com or by phone at 685 755 461.
