The Board of Directors, chaired by Giacomo Minio, meets to update on the status of the work in view of the presentation conference. Mayor Miccichè announces new operational offices and progress in the program of events.
In the last few hours, under the presidency of Giacomo Minio, the Board of Directors of the “Agrigento Italian Capital of Culture Foundation” met in the premises of the University Consortium. The meeting served to take stock of the situation and update the Board of Directors on the progress of the work of the Foundation, established in April last year. A preparatory summit in view of the conference to present the work carried out so far to the prefect of Agrigento, Filippo Romano, a figure seen somewhat as a guarantor of the great Capital of Culture project. The scheduled date for the conference is scheduled for next week. In the meantime, Mayor Franco Miccichè has confirmed that very soon, upon the reopening of the former College of the Filipino Fathers, some rooms on the third floor of the building will be used as offices and operational headquarters of the Foundation. In fact, until now, the Foundation’s meetings, having no other location, took place in the Town Hall. Still nothing has been done, however, for the officialization of the complete program of events but the mayor confirms that “everything will be ready shortly, by June”.
As regards the operations of the director of the Foundation, Roberto Albergoni, the one who should actually take care of the organization of the events that will take place during the year 2025, it should be noted that, despite having been officially appointed and having signed the prestigious role, currently it is still without a real contract “for mere bureaucratic reasons – explains the mayor – but it will be done as soon as possible”. The economic plan currently sees one million euros in the Foundation’s coffers, paid by the Municipality of Agrigento, waiting for the municipal administration to pay another one million and 800 thousand euros within the year; sums withdrawn from the “treasure” accumulated in recent years with the tourist tax. “We will then be able to count on the next million euros that will arrive from the Ministry of Culture planned for Agrigento Capital of Culture – explains Giovanni Di Maida, member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors – which will bring the total available for the organization of the events to 2.8 million thousand euros. Also part of the sums allocated by the Sicilian Region, four million euros, will go towards our events while the bulk of the amount will be allocated to infrastructural works linked to reception in the city with various improvements, as well as to the promotion of the Agrigento Capitale event of Culture”.
“We are getting to work on individual projects – declares Roberto Albergoni – taking up the trace of the events included in the Dossier presented to the ministry, even if some time has passed and in the meantime new proposals are arriving from bodies or associations. Soon – concludes Albergoni – after the meeting with the prefect, we will organize a real discussion with the city because we are open to everyone’s ideas. The date of this meeting and discussion, in which we hope to have a large participation, will be communicated shortly”.
LORENZO ROSSO
