This is how the beaches are prepared: "This summer we will have the most natural coastline in history"
After the destruction of the Gloria storm and the coronavirus health crisis, which has paralyzed numerous works and actions, the question arises: Will the beaches be ready in time for summer? Pepe Doménech, Councilor for Beach Planning and Management, explains where the adjudication, cleaning and installation of infrastructure are. And first of all, remember that the beaches are closed and we must avoid the temptation to go for a walk.
What is already underway and what is suffering delays
According to Doménech, It is planned that it will arrive on time with the contracts made by the City Council, for example, that of the beaconing of the beaches: the beaconing It is the infrastructure of buoys and channels that delimit the beach area where boats and other vehicles can go. This service was awarded to a company the same week quarantine began, and should be ready by June 1. The city council is now pending to receive the documentation of the company, and if from April 25 the range of activities is opened and they are allowed to work, they could start, explains the councilman.
On the other hand, according to the mayor, right now you can only advance in Beach cleaning: «La empresa retomará la actividad la semana que viene. La idea es que limpie lo queda de abril donde luego tendremos restricciones, es decir, en la zona dels Molins y el Riu Alberca. En esas zonas hay limitaciones desde el 1 de mayo hasta el 30 de junio por la Ley de Protección de la Costa, que hace que en la franja de 15 metros a partir de la duna no se pueda tocar nada. Por eso se quiere aprovechar abril para su limpieza.»
Already in May, the rest of the coast will be cleaned, and they would begin to be placed the walkways and the bins. The elements of the accessible beaches they will also begin to be placed in May. «Este año tendremos las playas más naturales de la historia, con pocas pasarelas, con poca infraestructura, por el retraso que está trayendo la crisis sanitaria y por los graves destrozos que hizo el temporal Gloria», explains Pepe Doménech.
The health alert and the stoppage of activities marks the times
One of the main issues affecting the start-up of all planned award lots is that the deadlines for submitting documentation right now are suspended. Under normal conditions, there is a month to present the documentation since the contract is awarded, and that period is the one that is suspended. This affects the chiringuitos of the Marineta Cassiana and Bovetes, which were scheduled to go into operation on May 1, but «es probable que no abran en esa fecha: primero tiene que firmarse toda la documentación y el contrato, y además, no sabemos si el confinamiento va a seguir y si esas actividades estarán permitidas en ese momento«, dice el concejal. La solución para esta incidencia sería «habilitar algún tipo de prórroga o prorrateo en el precio de concesión por el tiempo que no pudiesen montar», explains Doménech. The rest of the beach bars throughout the beach line, which would come into operation in July, are pending awarding.
Other elements of the beaches, such as Hammocks and water games They will come out next week at the Contract Table to be awarded, indicates Doménech.
Furthermore, the footbath They have not been able to be ready for Easter as intended, due to the paralysis that all the works are suffering. The viewpoint in front of the English Cemetery has also not been removed as planned. But these works will be resumed as soon as possible.