BARGA – A few days as re-elected mayor and first interview for Caterina Campani; five years of work as mayor behind us and five years ahead to plan for the good of the municipality of Barga.
Before the end of the last mandate, changes to the regulations were approved by the council: the establishment of the role of president of the council and the possibility of four external councilors. Could your council of external councilors also foresee them?
“I will make my assessments of the councilors obviously based on their skills and needs. I believe that at this stage it is more important to evaluate the team concept as a whole. There are fewer of us on the council, we have gone from 12 to 8 members of the majority and therefore the “workforce” has decreased. So, if anything, a discussion will have to be made on the possibility of encouraging the entry of other forces into the council. This would make the team stronger and certainly more complete.”
Obviously he won’t name names for now?
“Absolutely not. After all the evaluations, we will talk about it later.”
And for the new figure of the prime minister?
“It’s something that will possibly also have to be agreed upon with the opposition, I will make my proposalta.”
What are five or more things you plan to accomplish between now and the end of the year?
“Without a doubt the completion of the works on the sports hall; close the work in progress for the resurfacing of the pavements of Barga and Fornaci; to have undoubtedly completed within the year the planning phase of a work that I strongly intend to carry out: the new car park serving the historic centre.
I would also like the entire planning phase for the recovery of the former elementary school of Fornaci to be defined to make it a place of aggregation for the hamlet, a commitment of ours that goes hand in hand with the funding obtained as municipal administration, through Pnrr and funds for the internal areas, to redevelop the natural shopping center of Fornaci. Here too we want to leave as soon as possible. Another issue concerns Mologno, carrying forward the project for the reconstruction of the cliffs.
Among the projects to be carried out within the year, the use of the first floor of the Mologno station to create a semi-autonomous home for women in our area who are victims of violence. We have already met the Railways to understand the feasibility of the operation.
I would also like the urban redevelopment operation already begun in Ponte all’Ania to be at a good stage with the recovery of the property in Via Nazionale currently underway but which will also concern the recovery of the former Risorgimento cinema in Ponte all’Ania and the external redevelopment of the entire Pieve di Loppia car park area. The works at the cinema and in Loppia have already been contracted and entrusted. The Loppia construction site will start soon.
Within the year or in any case in the first months of 2025, I would like to see the inauguration of the new traffic police barracks in Fornaci completed. It was a long and burdensome commitment, also at a bureaucratic and authorization level, but things are moving forward quickly now”.
And what long-term projects or policies should be implemented?
“Certainly the issue of parking in the historic center and the intervention on the former school are not operations that can be carried out quickly. It will take a bit ‘of time.
Certainly in the sporting field, the completion of some interventions on the football fields, but also the redevelopment of the gate area.
In recent years I would also like to better structure a precise tourism promotion policy
to push Barga’s offer to the maximum on an international level, both at the level of the main events, but also on the values that Barga expresses as a whole, therefore from a cultural, naturalistic, historical and monumental point of view.
In large-scale interventions, in the sense that we are constantly committed, I would include healthcare among the priorities of all time. There are large investments at stake in the Barga hospital and the redevelopment of many spaces. Even in this case, these are interventions that will take a few years but which will lead to strengthening the services of our hospital. The recovery of the old building, together with the reconstruction of building B for the community hospital, will give us more breathing space to be able to better reorganize services.
I also don’t forget the creation of the new nursery in Piangrande, among the objectives of this mandate and also the intention to create a new nursery. I won’t say where but this is our idea that we want to carry forward”.
Looking back, have there been mistakes in your administration of the country that you don’t want to repeat?
“Going around the area I realized that I needed to keep the population more informed about the work carried out by the administration. Therefore, I will immediately strengthen the communication part because despite the difficult years of Covid, many things have been done, small and large, many projects have been put in the pipeline in all sectors and in all territories and I think I have done little to tell people all the work carried out by this municipality, to make everyone more involved and aware of an administration that was working for them and for the good of the community with commitment.
We must therefore try to communicate more and better also by informing people in the area; punctually”
During the election campaign she was harshly attacked on healthcare and school facilities. How will it proceed in these two sectors?
“I have given everything I could give in these as in other fields; we can always do better, we can always improve on many aspects and I am always ready to review certain things and certain commitments when they are not sufficient, but not on the attack on the dilapidated school structures. I don’t accept it. The nine complexes have been made energy efficient, most are new and even the less new ones have seen investments in security and furnishings. We have to say that our schools are dilapidated, in all the places where so many investments have been made; and today I can affirm that these nine complexes are an asset and a value for our territory.
On healthcare? These are particularly difficult years, especially due to the critical situation of the lack of personnel which also affects services. It’s a critical situation, but not just here, almost everywhere. It is clear that the topic requires as much and constant attention as I have had in recent years. Lots and lots of attention that I have always had for all health issues. We have always been on top of every situation, every problem, in following the projects. We have always discussed and coordinated with the company in everything that was needed. In short, there will always be maximum attention to every problem, starting with the question of the transfer of services from the former Ceser which is still in progress, I would like to reiterate. The former Ceser will still be a point of reference for health services”
During the election campaign he repeatedly reiterated that the medical car in Barga will soon be available 24 hours a day…
“It’s a certain thing. I confirm. The company envisaged this in the plan presented at the company conference for Barga. Self-medication with doctor and nurse twenty-four hours a day.
Work is underway on its headquarters, also in agreement with the Misericordia del Barghigiano. The idea would be to build the base of the medical car right where the Pet Point of Mercy is located.”
