Opinion Falla Oeste regarding the remodeling of the Valgamedios square: "With the works started we have verified how the project has undergone changes"
From the Falla Oeste we want to publicly expose our position as a result of the different news and comments in the press and social networks related to the commission due to the remodeling of the Valgamedios square, where we planted falla since 1947.
Next we will present the chronology of how the events with the commission related to the works in our neighborhood have evolved.
In 2018, four years ago, the West District Falla Cultural and Festive Association was summoned for the first time to a meeting with the City Council to present the project to remodel the West district.
At this meeting, led by the Councilor for Urban Planning, Maria Josep Ripoll, and the City Council technicians on this matter, they presented the planned project to us. This meeting took place before presenting the project to the Alicante Provincial Council, during the drafting process.
This project contemplated the integral remodeling of the square, becoming a single platform for the entire space, both for pedestrians and for vehicle traffic. The basic services were to be buried in the right part of the square (next to the street that goes towards Ronda Muralles). In addition, they assured us that all the elements of the square (planters, benches, bins ...) were going to be removable elements.
Since that meeting, with certain deadlines that have not been met, until the start of the works, we have not had any further notification about any modification of the plaza project. With the works started, and over the course of these, we have verified how the specific project of the Valgamedios square has undergone several changes: the single platform becomes a two-level platform. At this time, from the West Falla we get in touch with the Party Councilor, Oscar Mengual, to convey our concern when seeing the development of the works. At this time the councilor tells us that there has been a change in the execution of the project and that it will be carried out in two phases: the first is the pedestrianization of the center of the square and, in a second project, the leveling of the street that goes towards Ronda Muralles. In addition, when checking the installation of fixed elements in the square, the councilor told us that in the fallas festivities the City Council will be in charge of dismantling them so as not to prevent the planting of the fallas in their historic locations at any time. This second phase of action, the councilor of the Dénia City Council assures us that the project will be finished before the next failures. We want to emphasize that the non-realization of the plaza on a single platform can pose a security problem for people on days of failures, since there will be unevenness when visiting the failures. Therefore, we ask that this performance be completed before the next holidays.
From the West Falla we want to publicize this list of facts to raise any questions from the commission, neighbors of the neighborhood and citizens of Dénia as a result of different comments on social networks and the local press. From the commission we trust the words that transfer us from the City Council, where they assure us that the planting and the course of the Fallas festivities in our square will continue as we have done since 1947. We will continue to be attentive to the evolution of the works and of the commitments made by the City Council regarding our commission to ensure that the West Fallas have no problem planting in their historic location.