The Mayor of Dénia, Vicent Grimalt, and the councilor for Ecological Transition, Maite Pérez Conejero, have presented today the project for the creation of a sea interpretation center in the Nova Faroleta facilities, ceded as property to the Dénia City Council by the Ministry of Finance and Public Management.
To develop the project, a grant has been requested from the Local Fisheries Action Group (GALP) La Marina for 184.287 euros (VAT included), a budget that includes rehabilitation works and equipment for the facilities.
The rehabilitation will change the layout of the building -with one floor and a roof terrace, where the guide light is located- located on Calle del Dr. Manuel Muñoz. It was built in 1914 and its function was to serve as a guide for the ships that entered through the mouth of the port. The building has been in disuse for a few years, after the last lighthouse keeper and his family, who had it as their residence, left.
Pérez Conejero has highlighted the importance of preserving "the packaging" of this building with comprehensive protection cataloging, which has an interior surface of 109 m² and a total plot of 95 m². For his part, Grimalt has recognized the work carried out by the Department of the Environment to carry out the project and the long bureaucratic procedure with the different ministries for the transfer that will contribute to the "preservation of a historic building", one of the few that remain in the port, in the words of Grimalt.
After the rehabilitation, the building will contain two open-plan spaces for exhibition, the largest also serving as a projection room with a capacity of 50 people, and the office of the Servei Ambiental Marí i de Pesca. The garden that surrounds it wants to be transformed into a themed space: the southeast part, with a simulation of the seabed, with its flora and fauna, and old and current fishing gear; the northeast wing will be dedicated to the installation of real-size models of the main cetaceans sighted off the coast of Dénia (common rorqual, bottlenose dolphin or pilot whale, for example); while on the southwestern slope, nets and longlines will be repaired through workshops and other activities related to fishing tourism and marine environmental education will be carried out.
Among other activities planned in the center, there are culinary workshops, gastronomic presentations and tastings of local marine products.
At the moment, and as the councilor and the mayor have commented, the tender has not taken place, pending the final approval of the 2023 budgets, which include an item for the rehabilitation of the building. Grimalt has estimated that "in a couple of years, in 2024, the sea interpretation center, located in an emblematic area such as the Grupo de los Marineros neighborhood, may be operational."
Maritime and Fisheries Environmental Service
In addition to serving to host informative talks, exhibitions, projections or activities related to the hotel industry, as the mayor of Ecological Transition has commented, the Nova Faroleta will be the location of the office of the Servei Ambiental Marí i de Pesca
From this location, rescue and rescue actions, investigation of nature reserves, monitoring of native and invasive species, marine clean-up campaigns and control of poaching through the coast guard service will be coordinated.
They could use it for something else.
Who is going to visit an "interpretation center"?
Really, they could do, for example, the Juan Chavas Museum or something for the writer María Ibars or the Tenor Cortis.
From Democratic Crusade we propose its reuse for educational destination.
We propose that the defendant "Centre de formaciò comarcal" be made there to implement courses with training centers.