Thursday, October 2, 2008

POTALA – A plan for the next ten tears

    The POTALA is the Plan de Ordenacion del Territorio del Area de Levante Almeriense (Territorial Planning for the Almerian Levante Area). It includes plans for all infrastructures (transport, water, electricity and gas), urban planning and economic development in the area stretching from Carboneras in the South to San Juan de los Terreros in the North-East and Santa Maria de Nieva and the surrounding mountains in the North-West. The area includes the municipalities of; Antas, Bedar, Carboneras, Cuevas del Almanzora, Garrucha, Huercal-Overa, Los Gallardos, Mojacar, Pulpi, Turre and Vera. The plan affects a population of almost 78 thousand people and the total area included in the plan comes to just over 426 square miles (the same area as Hong Kong) and has 23 miles of beaches.

    The plan is now in its final stages after having been approved by a majority vote from the ayuntamientos affected by it with the exceptions of Mojacar which voted against it and Antas which abstained. The reason for their dissension was that both towns wanted more of the land which is currently protected against development to be freed from urban restrictions.

    The plan projects an investment in the area over the next ten years of a thousand million euros, seventy per cent of which will come from public funds and the other thirty from private investors.


 

Transport

    The POTLA integrates all of the plans for new roads, road improvements and rail connections for the next ten years. The most important investment in the area will be the AVE high speed train with a station planned in the Vera Playa area. The AVE will cut the journey time from Madrid down from five and a half hours to two and a half hours, making a relaxing weekend at the beach here a definite possibility for residents of the capital.

    There are several new roads anticipated with bypasses for Turre, Carboneras, Pulpi and Santa Maria de las Nievas. There is also a new road behind Mojacar from the roundabout by the Cepsa petrol station to the end of Mojacar Playa, another coming directly from the A7 motorway to Garrucha and another connecting the Los Lobos exit on the new Aguilas motorway to the back of Mojacar. Major improvements are also planned for many other roads in the area.


 

Water, Electricity and Gas

    The plan foresees the zones needs for water and energy, with water to come from the Carboneras desalination plant, electricity principally from the Carboneras power station with new power lines and sub-stations planned in strategic areas, and gas from the gas line being laid from Almeria to Algeria.


 

Urban Planning

    The POTLA in theory will regulate the planning confusion that has reigned in the area over the last couple of years, defining the areas which are to be provided with street level infrastructure and made 'urbanisable' land, with large areas specified in Vera, San Juan de los Terreros and Sierra Cabrera. The plan leaves the power for legalising those properties currently illegal or unregulated in the hands of the ayuntamientos, meaning that only those in precarious situations such as in ramblas or near reservoirs will have problems with legalisation. Of the approximately six thousand illegal properties in the area it is estimated that only about a hundred will remain that way.


 

Economic Development

    Perhaps the most far reaching part of the POTLA is the designation of special areas for the production and tourism industries. There are four areas reserved for production industry the largest of which surrounds the intersection of the A7 Almeria-Murcia motorway and the AP-7 Cartagena motorway, there is another slightly smaller one on the intersection between the A7 and the new motorway to Purchena and another between Pulpi and the AP-7 toll motorway. The fourth area is reserved for heavy industry and is behind the Carboneras power station.

     The other area which will be the heart of the tourist industry in the Almerian Levante is the Llano Central, an area of over 13,000 acres which is for the development of tourist attractions in the area. The area is in the centre of, and includes land in, the municipalities of Antas, Bedar, Garrucha, Los Gallardos, Mojacar, Turre and Vera, and a project with detailed ideas for its use is being drawn up at a cost of 60,000 euros.


 

The POTLA is a detailed and exhaustive plan which can be found on the internet and downloaded in zip format from the following link.

http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/obraspublicasytransportes/www/estaticas/ordenacion_territorio/levante_almeria/levante_almeria.zip

Fiestas del Virgen del Carmen

July 16 is the day of the Virgen del Carmen, the patron saint of all sea goers and especially loved by fishermen. It is a day celebrated in hundreds of towns up and down the coast of Spain, with celebrations in this area in Garrucha, Villaricos, San Juan (in Pulpi and in Cabo de Gata) and Carboneras. The tradition involves taking the Virgin from the church or hermitage where She is kept and carrying Her through the streets accompanied by a band and often by the fishermen's wives in traditional costumes, floral tributes are usually made to the effigy. The procession takes Her down to the local port where She is put aboard one of the fishing boats and taken out to sea again accompanied but this time by the fishing fleet and almost anything that can be sailed out of the harbour. This is all done in the best fiesta style with plenty of bonhomie and alcohol. There is a darker side as alcohol and water don't mix too well and it is not unusual to hear of someone falling overboard and drowning during the festivities.

    The history of the Virgen del Carmen can be traced back to the old testament which tells of the prophet Elias retreating to Mount Carmelo (from which comes Carmen) in modern day Israel where he had a vision of a cloud rising from the sea, later interpreted to be a manifestation of the Virgin Mary. From there comes one connection with sea farers. A connection can also be found in the fact that the Virgen del Carmen is known as the 'Estrella del Mar' (star of the sea) harking back to the days before GPS when mariners navigated by the stars.

Worst watermelon harvest for 25 years

This year has been a terrible year for watermelon farmers with fifty per cent less reaching the market than last year. The reason for this decline has been due to a lack of water in many areas, the high salt content of the irrigation water and the transport strike in June. The lack of water and poor quality of what there is has resulted in the watermelons cultivated not reaching a suitable size for the market meaning that many haven't even been picked, being left in the fields to rot or be eaten by goats and sheep. As if this weren't enough the transport strike came at a time of peak production, affecting 20 per cent of the watermelon production in the Levante area. This also caused a steep drop in the price which has not recovered since then. Producers are now getting 12 to 20 cents a kilo on a product which sells for about one euro a kilo in the supermarkets.

Tourist rescues couple from sea in Mojacar

     A man on holiday in Mojacar rescued a couple who got trapped on rocks at the Playa de Cantal. The Red Cross had raised a red flag to indicate the dangerous state of the sea at the time but there were still people swimming in the sea despite the danger. Raul Alcedo Olea from Malaga saw the couple get into trouble. He said that his attention was caught by the time they were taking to come to the surface so he jumped into the water fully clothed to help them. He was helped by several people to pull the woman out of the water but the man went under again and he had to pull him out by the hair. Raul said that if he had stopped to think he probably wouldn't have jumped in to save them. The Mojacar Red Cross went to the scene straight away and took the man and woman to the emergency services.

Andalucian water ski championship to be held in Cuevas del Almanzora

    During the first weekend of August Cuevas del Alamanzora will host the Andalucian water skiing championship. The championship will be held on the rowing canal built for the Mediterranean games in 2005. The competition itself will be held on the Saturday with the Thursday and Friday being dedicated to allowing any visitor who wants to try water skiing to do so free of charge.

    The cuevas councillor for sports, Paqui Rodriguez expressed her satisfaction that the rowing canal is being used for another important event as this has always been the policy of the ayuntamiento.

    In January this year there was an 'open doors' event which attracted more than seven hundred people and gave them the opportunity to take part in activities in the water and on land. There have also been regattas and there is a club which uses the canal for training at weekends.

San Juan de los Terreros to host bands festival


    The beach of San Juan de los Terreros is the stage for the XV Festival Provincial de Bandas de Música, with 2,600 musicians participating in 53 bands. The bands will be playing from Thursday to Sunday during the last two weeks of July.

    The bands are not pop bands but municipal bands of the type that accompany the virgin in processions at Easter or this week during the Virgen del Carmen fiestas in many fishing towns. This year the bands of Turre and Alcolea are participating for the first time. Almeria has a particularly strong tradition of this kind of band and they are very popular among the young people of the towns and villages of the province.

    The festival starts July 17 and the last day will be July 27.

Plans to build four star hotel in Turre

    The construction company Urbasa is to build a four star hotel in the municipality of Turre. The new hotel which is to cost around 1.75 million euros will have 32 rooms, consisting of four double suites, one junior suite, five single rooms and 22 double rooms. It will have a heated swimming pool, a spa and tennis courts.

    The construction company will start work when it finishes another hotel it is building in the Balearic Islands which is projected to be completed at the end of the year. Special attention has been given in the building project to the environmental impact of the hotel and special measures will be taken to protect the area in which it is to be built. The hotel will be part of the Catalonia chain of hotels.

Seron celebrates its fourteenth ham fair

The mayor of the municipality of Seron, Juan Antonio Lopez, expressed his delight at the fact that for the fourteenth year running the number of people attending the Feria del Jamon had exceeded the attendance the year before. The number of people who enjoyed plates of ham and cured meats (embutidos) at a symbolic price ran into the thousands with coach parties arriving from all over the province and even from places as far as Jaen or Cordoba.

    The ham was served in two sessions the first at one pm and the second starting at nine pm with many retiring to the town's bars after the first to await the second session. After the second session the party continued with a dance and a rock concert for the younger visitors.

    Seron is a town with an ideal climate for naturally curing ham, dry and not too hot which makes the jamon de Seron a staple industry of the area.

National newspaper gives local property a boost

National newspaper gives local property a boost    

    El mundo, one of Spain's most widely read national daily newspapers, has recently given the Garrucha, Mojacar and Vera area a boost in its 'Su Vivienda' (your house) supplement. The supplement recently published a special report on taking advantage of the slump in the property market to buy a place by the beach and included was a list of 'the twenty most attractive destinations to buy a house on the coast'. While this area didn't come first, that privilege went to Marbella still a beautiful place even after all the scandals, it did come in a respectable twelfth place. The main selling point for this area was the AVE, the high speed train, plans for which have now been approved with a stop in Vera Playa. When it is completed Madrid will be a relaxing two and a half hours ride away as opposed to a tiring five and a half hours drive away. Some people say it's no coincidence that the AVE to Vera has been approved by a government led by a president who has just bought a holiday home in ... Vera Playa.

    

Petrol thieves strike during transport strike

Petrol thieves strike during transport strike

    Two men have been accused of theft and criminal damage in court number two in Vera.

    The men were seen in the small hours of the morning in one of the side streets of the town by local police in Cuevas de Almanzora, one day during the transport strike which closed most local petrol stations. The men, when they realised they had been spotted, tried to hide between the parked cars whilst at the same time hiding containers beneath the cars. Whilst checking the men's identification the police officers noticed a strong smell of petrol and discovered five containers with different quantities if petrol in each of them. When questioned about where the petrol came from the men were evasive and behaved nervously. As the men could not demonstrate their ownership of the fuel the police confiscated what was later measured as 34 litres of petrol.    

    Later the same morning three residents of Cuevas reported to the Guardia Civil the theft of petrol from their cars while parked in streets close to where the men had been stopped. As a result the two men were arrested as the presumed authors of the three counts of theft as well as for the damage occasioned to the vehicles in order to extract the fuel. A date has been set for their trial.

Fined more than 5,000 euros for illegal beach bar

    A resident of Mojacar, identified only by their initials J.C.D.A., has been given one of the biggest fines ever given by the Servicio Provincial de Costas de Almeria, the body responsible for policing the beaches of Almeria regarding construction and use.

    The fine, which came to more than 5,000 euros was given for building a chiringuito or beach bar on public land on the Las Ventanitas beach in Mojacar. The construction was no bamboo and palm leaf affair. The illegal construction included a stone wall almost thirty feet long and nearly four feet high and another wall, this time made of concrete breeze blocks, about twenty feet long and three high. There was also a fifteen foot wooden stair and a 67 foot long wooden fence. All of this invading what is known as maritime-terrestrial public domain, i.e. the beach, an area protected by law.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Study predicts savings from new motorways

The Almerian chamber of Commerce and Unicaja bank have presented in Almeria a report, 'The Velez-Rubio - Tabernas Motorway as a factor in economic development', drawn up by Economic Analysts of Andalucia (part of the Unicaja bank group) and promoted by the chamber of commerce. The report is an exhaustive analysis of the economic impact the construction of a motorway joining Velez-Rubio and Tabernas would have and includes an analysis of the effects of the new motorway currently being built between Purchena and the A7 motorway Albox junction. The report includes cost-benefit analysis of both motorways and also input-output analysis which deals with the short term effects of the construction works on employment and production.

    The projected Velez-Rubio motorway would act as a backbone to the province, providing a new North-South connection, joining the marble industry, the port of Almeria and the planned Renewable Energies Technological Centre. The marble industry is the third most important industry in Almeria after agriculture and tourism. In 2005 it was worth 750 million euros and employed 5,520 workers. Presently 35% of Almeria's marble is exported from the Port of Valencia in containers and only 10% from Almeria's port, although the port of Almeria cannot presently handle container freight, plans for enlarging the port are in the pipeline. The Renewable Energies Technological Centre has 62.2 million euros earmarked for it in the near future and is Spain's bet for research and development of solar, biomass and wind derived energy. Almeria is already a world leader in solar concentration technology. The cost of this motorway is estimated at 472.5 million euros but the saving in time, congestion and accidents is estimated at 746 million euros, an overall saving of nearly 275 million.

The Purchena- A7 motorway (known as the 'Marble Motorway') under construction at the moment has a cost of 320 million euros but will save local businesses and government 480 million, a benefit of 160 million euros.

    The report does not take into account environmental impact.

Municipal greenhouse for Huercal Overa

    The first preparative work for the construction of a municipal greenhouse in Huercal Overa has been completed the town's councillor for the environment, Miguel Perez, has announced. The land has been levelled and foundations have been laid in the Rambla Grande and the initial work on the anchor points has been completed. The building of the greenhouse is being paid for by the ayuntamiento, the Andalucian employment service and the Almeria provincial government. It will be used as a nursery destined to the cultivation of plants which will be used in different parts of the town.

    Miguel Perez also said that apart from helping with the aesthetic improvement of the town the new greenhouse would mean a saving for the ayuntamiento as now the plants used in the town's gardens, parks, fountains and roundabouts have to be bought from external suppliers. The new nursery will also provide employment in the town as all the workers needed to run it will be directly contracted by the ayuntamiento. The project is part of a national scheme for fomenting stable employment.

Works start on Murcia International Airport

    Ramon Luis Valcarcel, president of the Community of Murcia last week officiated the ceremonial laying of the first stone of the new Murcia International Airport. In his speech he aisd that those present were making history as the airport was the most important tool for progress in the region for the future and for maintaining the Area's economic growth. He went to add that the airport is to be one of the largest airport infrastructures in the country, with a projected traffic of more than three million passengers in the year after its opening in 2010, which could reach 12 million per year after the finishing of the final phase projected for 2030. The capacity of the airport after opening will be eleven flights every hour resulting in up to 3,200 passenger movements an hour.

    The total budget for the construction comes to just under 266 million euros, the first phase costing 219 million, with the rest destined for the second and third phases. The airport is predicted to create 20,000 jobs, both directly and indirectly. It is also predicted that the new airport will triple the number of tourists visiting the area.

Psychological help for Red Cross Volunteers

The 25 Red Cross volunteers who received the survivors of the immigration tragedy that took place last week are to be offered counselling and psychological help to overcome what was a highly traumatic experience for many of them. The help will be given in the form of workshops which will help them recover from the enormous emotional impact of being the front line of aid to those rescued.

    The first to come off the boat was a baby, the only child of the ten who set out to survive the crossing, followed by her mother who collapsed into the arms of the waiting helpers. Both mother and child needed urgent medical attention for exposure and dehydration as did many of the other would be immigrants. One of the women came off the boat in a state of shock, begging the Red Cross to search for her children, both of whom had died on the crossing and been put overboard into the open sea.

    Many of the survivors could not walk and some had to be carried in the arms of the volunteers as there were not enough stretchers for all of them. The Port dining hall had to be used as a makeshift medical centre until those that needed hospital treatment could be taken by ambulance.    

   The Red Cross ERIE (Immediate Emergency Response Team), which was formed to provide aid for immigrants arriving in boats, has been called to 300 incidents since its formation; it has attended to 2,420 immigrants, 465 of whom were under 18 and 12 pregnant women.

Public prosecutors publish road crime figures

    The Red de Fiscales de Seguridad Vial De Andalucia (Andalucian Road Safety Public Prosecutor's Network) has published its breakdown of the road crime figures for Andalucia in 2007. According to the report, which gathers Guardia Civil data from the region, last year in Andalucia there were 3,501 arrests for traffic offences, 481 deaths in road accidents, 2,855 people seriously injured and 434,125 fines were handed out.In Almeria 237 people were arrested in 2007 for traffic offences.

There is also information about the impact of the new traffic laws. Since December 2 last year driving under the influence of alcohol and exceeding the speed limit depending on the severity of the offence can be classified as serious crimes with prison sentences from 3 to 6 months as well as fines and thirty to ninety days community service and the loss of a driving licence from one to four years. Since these changes in the law there have been 149 arrests in the province of Almeria for driving under the effects of alcohol, of which 60 were caught in random spot checks, 48 were tested positive after being involved in road accidents and 41 were caught after being stopped for committing a driving infraction. So far in Almeria no one has been arrested under the new legislation which makes driving at more than 60 kmph in urban areas or exceeding the speed limit on any road by more than 80 kmph a crime punishable with a prison sentence.

Circulation of 500 euro notes falls

The number of 500 euro notes in circulation in Spain has fallen to 110 million, a third of the total cash in the hands of the public. This figures is a drop to a level not seen since October 2006. According to figures published by the Bank of Spain there are 82,814 million euros in circulation of which 79,477 million are in banknotes and 3,337 million in coins.

    In part this fall has been a result of the crackdown by Hacienda (the Spanish tax office) on fraudulent activities using these banknotes. They automatically investigate anyone who has carried out transactions involving more than one thousand 500 euro notes.

    The number of banknotes put into circulation depends on the demand by financial institutions who need to supply their customers' demands. Apart form the Bank of Spain there are fifteen other banks which emit money, each one 'specialising' in notes of a particular denomination. The number of banknotes to be emitted each year is decided by the Central European Bank based on the previsions made by the national regulatory organisms.

Garrucha man jailed for dealing cocaine

    A 32 year old man was imprisoned for three years by the Almeria Provincial High Court for cocaine dealing. The man, a resident of Garrucha, was arrested in 2004.

    The man was observed by the Guardia Civil on November 7, 2004 at about one in the morning, meeting various different people briefly next to a public telephone on the Paseo del Malecon in Garrucha. After observing him some time and recognising the man as being a known drug dealer in the locality the Guardia Civil stopped him and searched him when the man left the scene and drove away. He was found to be in possession of a substance which after analysis was confirmed to be 3.2 grams of cocaine with a street value estimated by the Guardia Civil to be around 300 euros. The man also had 1,489 euros in cash on him at the time.

Immigrant tragedy in Almeria

    Nine children between one and four years old were among the fourteen who lost their lives in the latest immigration tragedy to affect Spain. The story unfolded when a 6 metre semi-inflatable with 33 people on board was spotted in the sea some 25 miles off the coast and a rescue operation was initiated involving boats and a helicopter from the Guardia Civil and Salvamento Maritmo. The survivors were taken to Almeria capital where they were received by Red Cross Volunteers and told their rescuers of the others who started the trip with them and whose bodies they had thrown over the side of the boat.

    The boat, with 47 passengers on board from Kenya, Senegal, Nigeria and Cameroon, left the Moroccan coast powered by a 25 horsepower off board motor but before sighting land the motor broke down leaving them adrift without food or water. In the seven days before they were rescued the children were the first to die, although one baby did survive.

    Six of the survivors were taken to local hospitals where they were treated and the others were accommodated in the special facilities built for holding illegal immigrants in the Port of Almeria. The repatriation process has been started for the survivors

    Only four days earlier another fourteen immigrants died when the boat they were attempting to reach Spain in overturned in waters off Motril in Granada.

    According to the Pro Derechos Humanos human rights organisation 230 immigrants have lost their lives this year attempting to reach Spanish coasts.

Ikea studies possibility of opening in Almeria

The Swedish multinational, Ikea, has held talks with the ayuntamiento of Vicar about the possibility of opening a store in the Viapark Bahia de Almeria commercial park in their municipality.

    The Bahia de Almeria shopping centre is destined to be the biggest in the province with a total area of 10 hectares, 30,000 square metres of which is to be dedicated to shops. As well as a Carrefour supermarket the main focus of the centre will be home furnishings and sports, as well as additional automobile services. It is located off the Aguadulce exit of the A7 motorway about fifteen minutes outside Almeria. Originally projected to be open this summer the opening has been delayed until September or October.

    Ikea has set conditions on its opening of a store; it wants to be part of the second phase of development with an exclusive site on the other side of the motorway accessed through an underground tunnel. If all goes according to plan the new shop could be open by 2010. The second phase of the Viapark project involves another 50 hectares of construction.

Junta buys land in natural parks

    The Junta de Andalucia has destined 14 million euros in the last year on the purchase of private land within Andalucia's natural parks in order to ensure their conservation.

This is the continuation of a project which started in 2001 with the purchase of the 564 hectare 'El Cortijico' in the Sierra Maria-Los Velez natural park for 534 thousand euros. This year the Junta has made nearly 3,000 hectares public, with some of the most important being in the Cabo de Gata-Nijar natural park where two properties with a total of 23 hectares were bought for more than a million euros. One of these was at the Playa de Monsul, a place made famous by Steven Spielberg who filmed scenes for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade there.

Merger to form new low cost Spanish Airline

Vueling and Clickair have merged after three months of talks to form Spain's third largest airline. The new airline will adopt the name Vueling although it is a merger with equal shares and the new company formed will be independent of its predecessors. The main shareholder in the new company will be Iberia Airlines with about 40 per cent of the shares. The merger has come about due to the strong competition and excessive offer in the sector and the recent rise in fuel prices. In the first quarter of 2008 Vueling made a loss of 32.4 million euros despite a 32 per cent increase in passengers.

    The new airline will have 45 planes and around 300 flights on 112 routes and will be based in Barcelona. The closest airport they currently fly from is Alicante, but they say they have plans to extend operations in the future.

Cabo de Gata Natural Park gets sustainable tourism charter


Almeria's main natural park, the Parque Natural Cabo de Gata-Nijar, has been given the European Sustainable Tourism Charter. This means that the park has been included in the EUROPARC Federation list of 58 protected areas in seven European countries. The Charter commits signatories to implementing a local strategy for 'sustainable tourism' defined as: 'any form of development, management or tourist activity which ensures the long-term protection and preservation of natural, cultural and social resources and contributes in a positive and equitable manner to the economic development and well-being of individuals living, working or staying in protected areas.'

The EUROPARC Federation is a pan-European body formed by organisations dedicated to nature conservation in 38 countries that believes that the biological diversity of European cultural landscapes can only be permanently secured through a sustainable use.

One of the first tasks carried out in order to obtain the charter was the formation of a working group which will serve as a platform for debate on the management and development of the park. The group includes representatives of; the Junta de Andalucia, the respective ayuntamientos, the Almerian Levante Rural Development Group, the Andanatura Foundation and the Natural Park Tourist Services Businesspeople's Association.

    The awarding of the charter will take place at the Europarc general meeting to be held next September in Romania.

Author presents book on the Indalo in Mojacar

Javier Muñoz, popularly known in art circles as Xaverio, is primarily a painter and sculptor, but he was recently in Mojacar to present the book he started writing five years ago and is now in the bookshops. His book, "Indalo Codex", is more than just another history of the symbol but rather a guide on how to live a better life with the philosophy contained in it reflected in what Xaverio feels is the transcendent meaning of the cave painting code symbol that is the Indalo.

    The Indalo is seen in this book as a universal code found in different ages and civilisations, one of the best known representations of which is Leonardo de Vinci's Vitruvian Man drawn in 1490. The Indalo represents the being in plenitude and harmony with the universe, the ancestral symbol of the universal woman and man.

    The book, whilst not a 'self help' book, offers a guide on how to live a better life following a philosophy based on human rights, respect for the environment, a desire for peace, health of mind and body and that which is good for the planet. This is complemented with a manual of physical and mental exercises which combine the powerful Indalo posture with the "Indalo messages", short statements to be recited like mantras resulting in positive vibrations within and outside us.

    The book, Indalo Codex, is published by Editorial Sirio and costs 36 euros.

Albox now has 092 emergency number

    If you want to call the police in Albox you no longer have to look up their number in the phone book. The ayuntamiento has announced that the number 092 now provides an easy to remember way to contact the local police force. The number will either connect to the police station or directly to the patrol in service at that moment in time.

    The mayor of Albox, Jose Garcia Navarro, stated that this provided the residents of the municipality with a greater peace of mind, secure in the knowledge that in any situation they may feel threatened this short number will bring assistance quickly. The Albox local police will also maintain their habitual telephone number, 950 121 080.

Private company to run Cuevas rowing canal

The ayuntamiento of Cuevas del Almanzora has ceded the management of the rowing canal, constructed for the Mediterranean games in 2005, and of the town's covered swimming pool to the company Celemin Formacion. The company will run these installations for ten years with a possibility of extending their contract to fifty years and will take over their management this summer.    

    The ayuntamiento councillor for sports, Paqui Rodriguez , praised the company's ambitious programme of activities which include making improvements in the swimming pool's infrastructure and the construction of a fitness suite and Padel courts.

    Among the new activities planned for the swimming pool are swimming courses for babies, relaxation classes for senior citizens and therapeutic activities. The rowing canal will host windsurfing, rowing and canoeing competitions, and other activities such as orienteering and archery among others yet to be announced.

    Celemin Formacion will pay the ayuntamiento an annual fee for the use of the installations, although this has been waived for the first five years. The first payment will be for five thousand euros and will increase annually. Each year the company will have to present its prices for all activities and membership which must be approved by the town council. The council reserves the right to us the facilities for special events without charge for five weekends per year.

Cantoria-Almanzora road repairs after years of clamour

    The Al-7102 that links Cantoria and Almanzora is to be improved at a cost of 200,000 euros. The road, which serves a population of around 8,000, is to be reinforced and resurfaced as at the moment, apart from its poor state of repair, it is not prepared for the volume and weight of traffic that currently uses it.

    The local council has been asking the Almerian provincial government for the road to be repaired for over ten years now.

Internet access in all of Almeria by Christmas

The Almerian provincial diputaton has announced its plans to ensure those towns in the province without internet connection will be online by the end of the year. They are investing 475 thousand euros in the project which involves the installation of dozens of towers and antennas which provide a one MB broadband connection using radio technology.

The towns and villages that are yet to be connected are Oria, Bayarque, Alcontar, Laroya, Cobdar, Benizalón, Senés, Velefique, Olula de Castro, Abla, Beires, Almócita, Ragol, Turrillas, Enix,
Topares and Cañadas de Cañepla. Of these the most problematical to connect is Laroya for which satellite connection is being considered.

Cartagena invests 20 thousand euros in young people

    Juventud Cartagena is the name given to the scheme organised by the Cartagena municipal council which they anticipate will count on the participation of more than four thousand young people this summer. A similar 18 thousand euro scheme this spring drew 4,028 youngsters to the 98 activities organised, with the summer plans involving 101 different activities.

     Te activities to be organised include 81 at weekends, eight specially for 14 to 17 year olds and 12 in the 'quedamos esta noche' (let's meet tonight) section. There is a definite nautical flavour to the scheme with a large number of activities at sea, including diving courses, canoeing, sailing, windsurfing, wakeboarding, water skiing, snorkelling and even a midnight river trip in a semi-inflatable between Cieza and Blanca.

    There are also excursions to the Expo in Zaragoza, to Port Aventura theme park, to Tierra Mitica theme park, to the caves in Sorbas, to the Benidorm and Vera water parks and various others.

    There are also workshops in creative massage, sign language, break dancing, origami and other diverse skills and sports activities.

Works start on nursery school in Albox

    The Junta de Andalucia delegate for equality and social well-being, Luis Lopez, laid the foundation stone for the new school on the same day he celebrated his birthday. The school, which will have places for 115 children from new born to three years old, is to be built in the grounds of the Virgen de Saliente public school taking some of its space from the sports facilities there. The building will be about 1,705 square metres in area plus a patio of 935 square metres.

    The current public offer of nursery school places in the town is only 30 in a town with a population of 14,000, and there have been calls for these facilities for some years now. The school will cost 850,000 euros and will be paid for by the Andalucia regional government. The contract for building it was awarded to the Jarquil construction company and the works should be completed in 8 months.

Hospital cleaners union denounces employer

    The CSI-CSIF trades union which represents the workers contracted to clean in the Huercal Overa hospital has condemned Eurolimp, their employer, for its treatment of its workers. Eurolimp, the company sub-contracted by the hospital, has yet to honour the agreement reached last year in the revision of the cleaners' salaries. After several months trying to get the company to pay the increase it had agreed to the union initiated proceedings which resulted in the case being taken to arbitration before the Extrajudicial Service for the Resolution of Labour Conflicts in Almeria, however the company did not attend the scheduled hearing.

    According to the workers' union this was simply another strategy on the part of Eurolimp to delay paying the workers as now the matter will have to go before the courts. The CSI-CSIF commented that the whole situation has arisen as result of a strategy deployed by Ferrovial, the mother company of Eurolimp, to compensate for losses made due to the crisis in the construction industry.