MONTESILVANO. 2024 will be the year work begins on Stella Maris and Villa Delfico. This was stated by mayor Ottavio De Martinis, re-elected with almost 70% of the votes.
Mayor, is such a large majority an opportunity or a risk?
«I think it absolutely represents an opportunity, because it allows me to have enough stability to make decisions with peace of mind and complete all the projects».
What will he do right away?
«I will certainly finalize all the actions already started, aimed at offering citizens and tourists a redeveloped and enhanced area in some peculiarities».
What summer will it be in the city? «We hope to repeat last year’s season in terms of attendance and satisfaction, which was a wonderful season. We want to treat ourselves and give an equally beautiful summer, with the icing on the cake represented by the World Skate Games in September.”
You should be the last mayor of Montesilvano before the merger with Pescara and Spoltore in 2027. But will the merger really take place by 2027 or is it possible that it will be postponed to 2029 as the president of the Spoltore municipal council Lucio Matricciani said?
«I have always said that haste is a bad advisor and that fusion is such a complex and difficult process that it cannot be rested on the hands of a clock. With Pescara and Spoltore we have continued a journey and we have realised, along the way, the difficulties that exist. We will try to follow the program, carrying out all the necessary operations, but if it took even a few more years I wouldn’t cry scandal, but I would see it as a great opportunity for the territory.”
In any case, are you still against Nuova Pescara?
«I am very sceptical. I have always hoped for a review of the process which in my opinion should have been thought of from the perspective of a metropolitan city, rather than a merger which, as it was conceived, hides difficulties and risks. An experience with a metropolitan perspective would guarantee what the citizens want, and would avoid the disappearance of Montesilvano and Spoltore which risk becoming just suburbs”.
How long will the council take? Will there be confirmations?
«I hope to compose the council in the shortest time possible, closing the game within a week. Considering the numbers and names that came out of the polls, there will be reconfirmations compared to the last mandate. There could be some news for the female quotas, also in light of the fact that two out of three councilors are Daniela Renisi And Barbara DiGiovanni they didn’t apply.”
In the city there are also abandoned works that were talked about during the election campaign: wooden school, Villa Falini, via Lazio, Villa Delfico. What will happen?
«Villa Falini is the only work for which we do not have a certain future, because it requires an intervention that makes it usable, but above all because it has a testamentary constraint that exclusively provides for a shelter for the elderly, so we will have to resort to private individuals. What needs to be done is to think of a variant that can bring an increase in volume to the existing structure, so as to preserve the surrounding land, avoiding the construction of a second building. As regards Villa Delfico, we obtained financing through Pinqua (National Innovative Program for the Quality of Living, ndc): the Region is the implementing body and therefore the procedures are the responsibility of the institution, however they assured us that the redevelopment works will start by 2024. Work on the Stella Maris will also start within the year: I spoke to the rector of the university and today that project has all the legs to walk because it has obtained the necessary opinions. Regarding the wooden school, as I clarified in my programme, the idea is to create a legality safeguard: there is an ongoing discussion with the ministry to verify its feasibility”.
Is 2024 the turning point year? «This will be an important year, during which most of Montesilvano’s unfinished works will begin a new life. On Via Lazio, as for Villa Falini, we did what we could do, that is, vacate the structure, but now Pescara and the other owners must be able to sell to someone interested in investing. It would be something extraordinary, because the building as it is, both from a structural point of view and for urban decoration in a highly tourist area, does not reward. The Municipality of Pescara will redo a notice for the sale, but as far as I know, there seems to be an interest from a third party.”
What is your promise to the Montesilvanese?
«My promise is to continue with the same determination, passion and commitment that we have put in these five years. It’s the only way to thank the Montesilvanese who place great trust in me. I want to make our city more and more beautiful, attractive, decent and inclusive. I will infuse enormous energy to reach the goal. Also from the point of view of New Pescara, if it were to be done, I want our territory to play a leading role and not a supporting role.”
