“Exactly one year ago we took a position on Mayor De Vincenzi’s decision to take over the state concession of a part of the former “Flora” dance hall, on the central seafront of Pietra Ligure, with the aim of “radically” transforming its destination: from a place of leisure, music, dances and dances, a room for conferences, assemblies, meetings, etc… While the fact that that building, located in the tourist heart of Pietra Ligure, was removed from the “degradation” in which decades of neglect had caused it to sink, we were left perplexed to say the least by the purpose for which they wanted to use it, which conflicted with its entire past, of over a century, in which it had represented the center of entertainment on summer evenings tourist resort of Pietra“. Thus Mario Carrara, minority municipal councilor in Pietra Ligure.
“Its “location”, right on the seashore, gave it an atmosphere of charm and “magic” which was the key to its success – Carrara continues – The “Flora” was the “reference point” for those from Pietra and Liguria from nearby towns and Italian and foreign tourists who wanted to spend a pleasant and carefree evening. There are countless dance competitions, singing competitions and entertainment opportunities that took place there, as well as the love stories and summer flirtations that were born in Flora. In fact, a year ago we wrote that music and “dancing”, right above the waves of the sea, represented the formula that allowed him to be successful for more than a hundred years. Then, the “new times”, with the transformation into a common disco, marked the beginning of its decline until it became the “shadow of itself” structure of today. It was, therefore, more than logical to think that, given that Pietra Ligure now lives only on tourism, if the Municipality decided to intervene “firsthand” it would do so to give that hall back to Pietra so that it could once again host music, dance , dance and entertainment. Precisely because of its unique position on the seashore. Instead, no. The destination that Mayor De Vincenzi wants to give to the new Flora on the seashore, spending a mountain of money, is to create a 300-seat room for congresses, conferences, meetings, on the incorrect assumption that structures of this kind in Pietra Ligure do not there are some“.
“And the great thing is that, contrary to what we thought a year ago, the Mayor has also found someone who, always on the incorrect assumption that there are no conference rooms in Pietra, or made to believe as such, gives him that mountain of money – continues the minority representative – And it is, as usual, President Toti elected by the centre-right voters of the Liguria Region, who, in these five years, has made a continuous shower of gold fall on the centre-left Mayor De Vincenzi. And the money that Toti promised to give on this occasion, one million and 500 thousand euros, seems really a lot when compared to a single small work. Furthermore, granted for an objective based on an untrue assumption, namely that in Pietra Ligure there are no other rooms suitable for this purpose. However, as all the people of Pietre know very well, not only do the suitable rooms already exist, but they are already fully operational and, what’s more, owned and managed by the municipality itself. Which? The “Guido Moretti” cinema theater which can accommodate up to 350 conference attendees and the so-called Multipurpose Center in via Nino Bixio, which can accommodate up to 120“.
“And the great thing is (that few people know, but De Vincenzi knows it) that the cinema theatre, precisely to host conferences or events with smaller public attendances than its full capacity, is so “equipped” in this regard that, with a system of bulkheads, the gallery can be isolated, separating itself from the stalls, transforming it into two distinct rooms, autonomous from each other. Why then this obtuse obstinacy in wanting to create a structure for conferences, of which Pietra Ligure already has two operational ones, moreover belonging to the same municipality, when, to “relaunch” the city’s tourism, a hall like it was “before” would be needed Flora, mainly intended for musical entertainment and dancing, which, however, has been completely absent from the city’s tourist offer for years? You don’t think about what an attraction it would represent, not only on the occasion of “sporadic” or “occasional” conferences, but every evening, especially in summer and every day of the year for the entertainment of young people, the elderly and tourists. , especially foreigners, who come to Pietra Ligure and find nothing there? Note that this discussion has already been made on the occasion of the council motion that I presented on the topic a year ago and which asked, in fact, to restore the Flora as a musical entertainment hall, but which De Vincenzi and his followers have obstinately, as as usual, rejected, stating that Pietra needs a conference room because there aren’t any“.
“If such a response leaves us dismayed, dictated only by the desire to impose one’s will against everyone and everything and against the interests of the city, we are not surprised by the same “podestà style” attitude against everyone and everything, already seen on the occasion of other discussions, for example, those on the unfortunate one-way street along the seafront, which causes endless queues on the Via Aurelia, but which De Vincenzi and his team say “don’t exist”; despite hundreds and hundreds of citizens having signed online petitions and petitions in accordance with the municipal statute which, however, De Vincenzi did not consider in the slightest, snubbing them, not changing the opinion of the Mayor who behaves like a Sultan. What we still need to reflect on is the enormous amount that the Region will grant, one million and 500 thousand euros, which is intended not for the renovation of the entire Flora building, but only for the second floor! But isn’t it a disproportionate thing to spend one million and 500 thousand euros on just one plan? Do they make it all out of alabaster, fine marble and crystal? And if it had been to renovate the entire building, how much money would have been needed with these parameters? Three, four million euros? Consider, just to make a comparison, that redoing the stretch of via Nazario Sauro, recently inaugurated with great fanfare, cost one million and a thousand euros! Therefore, redoing just one floor of the Flora costs half a million euros more than the entire renovation of a road“.
“But the Flora affair, a work with a stratospheric cost, overpaid with the money of all of us citizens, is not an isolated case. Consider that the other work that Devincenzian propaganda continues to trumpet about these days, with insistent articles and interviews, that is, the famous underpass for the Ponente promenade, which is on everyone’s lips, cost a good one million one hundred and thirty thousand euros , between “Totiane” regional donations and Municipality funds; the latter found largely draining the residue of the sum needed to build the bridge over the Maremola, 830 thousand euros, which De Vincenzi has decided should no longer be built. This “blessed” underpass, only 10 meters long and 2.50 meters wide, therefore costs citizens 113 thousand euros per metre! Which is, in itself, a crazy figure! Consider, just to make another comparison that gives an idea, that the same western promenade, in the stretch from Rio Ranzi to Santa Corona, to serve which the underpass itself is built, cost 600 thousand euros. And that the second section, from Santa Corona to the border with Loano, cost 800 thousand euros. So, in summary: the 10 linear meter underpass, costing one million and 130 thousand euros, cost over half a million more than the entire stretch of promenade to serve which it is built! And the entire Ponente seafront, from the Ranzi stream to the border with Loano, cost almost as much as the 10 linear meter underpass itself under construction! There’s something wrong here…” concludes councilor Carrara.
