The Corporation's plenary session approved this Friday the updating of the cost prices for the two phases of the works co-financed by the State, the Autonomous Community, the Island Council and the City Council itself.
The plenary session of the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council approved this Friday, in its ordinary session corresponding to the month of July, the two multi-year expenditure commitments that must be included in the City Council's budgets for 2026 and 2027, amounting to €781.592,77, to cover the necessary update of the execution costs of the two phases of the urban regeneration and renewal area (Arru) project for the Las Llaves Urbanization.
In total, the investment and spending commitment proposal for Phase II submitted for plenary approval sets €3.258.000 for the period from November to December 2025, €426.323,36 for 2026, and €355.269,41 for 2027.
The approval of these commitments also required the approval of modifying addenda to the bilateral agreements signed in 2020 and 2021 by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, the City Council of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, and the Gran Canaria Housing Consortium. These agreements established co-financing of €1,3 million and almost €3,4 million, respectively, for the execution of phases I and II of the project. Now, according to the addenda, the City Council must allocate almost €246.000 for the price increase in phase I, and approximately €71.354 for phase II, in addition to the €588.238,65 it already committed to contribute by agreement of the bilateral commission of December 27, 2023.
The updated budget for the execution of the Arru works in the Las Llaves urbanization, which includes 516 homes, amounts to a total of approximately €4.356.048, of which €1.353.671 corresponds to phase I, intended for blocks 1 to 8, and the remaining €3.002.376,58 to phase II, which includes blocks 9 to 25.
Islands of freshness
Another issue approved by the plenary session is the project to create "islands of coolness" in schools and urban areas of this municipality. The proposal, promoted and developed by the Department of the Presidency headed by Deputy Mayor Elena Álamo Vega, seeks to renaturalize public spaces to promote urban biodiversity and mitigate the effects of climate change. Its budget amounts to almost €3 million, of which just over €2,5 million (85%) will be financed with ERDF funds through the Biodiversity Foundation, and the remaining €450.000 (15%) will be contributed by the City Council itself.
The project's actions are aligned with a Green Infrastructure Master Plan. The first three include the renaturalization of a degraded lot on Avenida Touroperador Neckermann in Campo Internacional de Maspalomas, which will become an extensive green area accessible to residents; the transformation of the concrete school playgrounds into wooded areas with shaded areas; and the restoration of the slope of the Botanical Park hillside, which will be stabilized and transformed to enhance vegetation and biodiversity. The first three schools to receive the action are the CEO Pancho Guerra and the Los Fraguel Rock Infant School, both in El Castillo del Romeral, and the CEIP Juan Grande. Elena Álamo reported that to create the cool islands as climate refuges, priority will be given to planting trees, shrubs, and aromatic and climbing plants adapted to the local climate, as well as the installation of shade elements and improvements in water management. These areas are intended to attract wildlife that will contribute to promoting urban biodiversity.
Cooperation Plan
On another note, the municipal council plenary session also unanimously approved this Friday the proposal for public infrastructure works to be carried out using the €876.516,49 allocated to this municipality for 2026 in the budget allocation of the Island Council's Institutional Cooperation Plan. In this regard, the council, chaired by Mayor Marco Aurelio Pérez Sánchez, will inform the Island Council that of this total amount, it will allocate €361.218,24 to adapt and improve the Fataga wake, plaza, and intergenerational center as regional multipurpose buildings; another €324.976,36 to the bus stop and recycling center project on Fernando Guanarteme Street in the historic center of Tunte; Some €95.322 for the rehabilitation of the public square of El Castillo del Romeral and the adjacent parking area, and finally another €95.000 for the rural electrification of Huerta del Conde and Manzanilla.
FDCAN Works
The plenary session also approved the two pending public works projects that the city council will finally implement through the Gran Canaria Island Socioeconomic Development Program during the 2023-2027 period and funded by the Canary Islands Development Fund (FDCAN). These projects will include the rehabilitation and improvement of various municipal roads, specifically Avenida Francisco Vega Monroy in El Tablero and Avenida Alejandro del Castillo in San Fernando de Maspalomas, for which €496.000 and €550.000 have been allocated in 2026 and 2027, respectively. And on the other hand, the project budgeted at €556.000 is intended to improve the regulating reservoir and the supply network for the towns of Arteara, Ayagaures, and El Rodeo Alto, with an investment of €296.000 in 2026 and the remaining €260.000 in 2027.
Honors and distinctions
The plenary session also unanimously approved the list of honors and distinctions for the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council for this year. At the proposal of Mayor Marco Aurelio Pérez Sánchez, it will name Pedro José Franco López a Favorite Son of the municipality, and Theo Gerlach and Andrés Ocón Guzmán Adopted Sons. It also plans to award the municipality's Gold Medal to Tatiana Mar Vaquero Escribano, Francisco Brazuelo Cañizares, María Dolores Osés Merino, Orlando Viera Morales, Ann Kristin Ekstrand, and Josefa Trujillo Abrante, and to honor Benito Pérez Franco as an "Honorary Councilor."
Elderly residence
The plenary session also approved four multi-year spending commitments. The largest, totaling €700.000, is intended for the costs of drafting the Senior Residence project. Of this amount, €20.000 will be charged to the current City Council Budget for 2025, while the remaining €680.000 will be charged to the next fiscal year, 2026. The City Council's intention is to begin the entire process with the drafting of the project while seeking alternative ways to secure the necessary funding for the works. The other three spending commitments aim to guarantee, both in the current budget and in the general budgets for 2026 and 2027, the necessary items to cover the surveillance and private security services for cultural centers and events run by the Department of Culture (€150.456,37), and the security of public parks, street markets, and events run by the Department of Health, Commerce, Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Roads and Public Works, and Parks and Gardens (€520.475,82).
White Village Seniors
The plenary session also approved an extraordinary budget amendment to allocate €20.000 for the repair and renovation of the Aldea Blanca municipal senior center to adapt it as an Alzheimer's center, a task for which another €2026 will also be allocated during the 380.000 financial year. First Deputy Mayor Alejandro Marichal explained that the aim is to adapt the senior center built next to the Aldea Blanca funeral home, which is far from the town center and is now underused, to adapt it and use it as an Alzheimer's center while the City Council plans to carry out the renovation work on the current official center.
Bill Pay
Another matter approved by the plenary session was the out-of-court recognition of credits totaling €1.104.704 for the payment of outstanding invoices relating to the operations and general expenses of the departments of Social Services, New Technologies, Public Lighting, Health, Celebrations and Events, Local Police, Senior Citizens, Sports, Markets, Local Development, Mobile Fleet, Culture, Roads and Public Works, the Presidency, and Equality.
Illumination of the Trinity
The plenary session also approved a budget amendment of €67.000 to supplement the credit allocation for the Celebrations and Events department with €50.000 to pay outstanding invoices, and to grant a €17.000 subsidy to the Parish of the Holy Trinity of El Tablero for lighting the church and its surroundings. The goal is to install exterior spotlights to improve the visibility, safety, and accessibility of the church and its nighttime architectural beauty.
Meloneras Golf
The plenary session approved the submission to the Municipal Environmental Authority of the request to initiate the simplified strategic environmental assessment procedure for the minor modification to the municipality's General Urban Development Plan for the Meloneras Golf Course Partial Plan promoted by the commercial entity Hijos de Francisco López Sánchez SA.
Maspalomas Open Water 2025
The plenary session also approved a €30.000 grant for the organization of the international open water swimming meeting 'Maspalomas Open Water Gran Canaria 2025', scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 20, with the 1000, 2000, and 7.400 meter events. Registration for this meeting—open with discounted fees until August 15—will close definitively to participants on September 15.
Youth Day Motion
The plenary also approved an institutional motion by the Canary Islands Federation of Municipalities (Fecam) for the celebration of International Youth Day on August 12. This resolution calls for the promotion of active youth participation and the implementation of cultural, educational, sports, and environmental awareness activities aimed at this population group.
