Financing for nursery schools and kennels.
Councilor Loconte: “Resources remodeled but the objective remains unchanged”
Kindergartens and kennels, two major projects on which the Municipality of Andria – Public Works sector is working and which, despite the remodulation of resources by the State, will not be prevented from being implemented. The Councilor for Public Works, Arch. clarifies and reconstructs the fundamental steps of the story. Mario Loconte.
«Despite the remodulation of the funds, with the Public Works Sector – explains Loconte – we are trying to save two projects that will allow the city to build two new kindergartens, although compared to the initial programs the resources are lower. This will not stop the initial goal set. As also with respect to the kennel, this project suffered a setback due to the remodulation of the funds which placed our Municipality in serious difficulty for the implementation of the initial project which, also with respect to the new requirements posed by the regional implementation regulation places the burden on the institution for more spaces and services which obviously require as many resources which the new remodeling is not able to guarantee. We are in contact with the Ministry to find a solution that saves the financing without jeopardizing the realization of the work.”
The Municipality of Andria, in response to two tenders from the Ministry of the Interior in agreement with the Ministry of Education on 22 March 2021 and 2 December 2021, has nominated two projects aimed at the construction, respectively of a children’s centre, in the district Valentine’s Day and for the construction of a nursery in Largo Ceruti. Both applications were admitted, confirming two loans to the Municipality of Andria, namely 3 million euros for the Children’s Center and 1.9 million for the nursery. Exactly on 11 October 2022 the Municipality of Andria signed the concession agreement with the Ministry for the construction of the Children’s Center in the San Valentino district and on 11 November 2022 it signed the other concession agreement for the construction of the ‘Nursery in Largo Ceruti. Since then, the Public Works Sector of the Municipality of Andria has taken steps to assign tasks for the drafting of technical-economic feasibility projects, taking into account all the steps, service conferences and related preparatory authorizations for the validation of the projects. Until 28 December 2023 with the scheduling of the proposed resolution of the Council of the technical-economic feasibility project relating to the Children’s Centre, but the same approval is blocked following a communication from the Ministry which announces that on investment 1, 1 of the PNRR, a new allocation of resources will be activated to which the Municipality of Andria, if the conditions are met, will be able to compete. In essence, the process was blocked by the Ministry which communicated to the Institution that the Government was in the process of remodulating the funds for nursery schools and that the de-financing decrees would arrive with the subsequent new notices for the assignment of the new resources.
«On 15 May 2024 – adds the councilor – the new public notice will be issued which has the PNRR objective of allowing the construction and creation of new nursery schools in the 0-6 year age group as help for families: in this announcement Andria is already present and ranked fifth out of 387 municipalities eligible for financing. The new rankings see the construction of two new kindergartens admitted for the Municipality of Andria, in the S. Valentino district and in Largo Ceruti, with a remodulation of the financing amounting to 3.24 million euros”.
There is other good news on the topic of “asylum”: the procedure aimed at reopening the “Gabelli” nursery is underway. In fact, the Social Services Sector, in collaboration with the Public Heritage and Works Department, has already acquired, during the services conference, which began last April, the preliminary opinions for the authorization of the service by SIAN, SPESAL and SISP as well as by the Provincial Fire Brigade Command. The Municipality has tried to pay off the serious debt situation of the structure and is now slowly proceeding with its reopening, respecting the stringent constraints of the rebalancing plan. On the kennel issue, however, the Municipality of Andria has applied in 2021 for a tender for the construction of a health kennel and shelter kennel. Subsequently, with the Decree of the Ministry of the Interior dated 11.16.2021, the organization received funding for an amount equal to €1,158,000.00 (assigned contribution) and €2,000.00 co-financing), as per the Technical and Technical Feasibility project. Economic candidate, for a total amount of €1,160,000.00. The offices were activated immediately afterwards with the expression of interest in the assignment of the design, safety coordination and works management tasks.
«While we were working on the drafting of the project – explains the Asst. Loconte – a note has arrived from the Ministry itself which has remodulated the allocated funds, refinancing the work considering the amount of the resources definitively assigned as €858,124.36, thus causing a halt to the work in progress. At the same time, the Regional price lists were updated with the increases in the costs of construction materials and the entry into force of the new Regional Law which definitively approved the new implementing regulation which contains the new rules on the control of stray animals, canine registry and animal protection. Rules they have established additional and increased requirements and parameters compared to the previous Regional regulation which have “imposed” an increase in the useful surface area necessary to allow the performance of the functions and the correct positioning of the structures relating to the health kennel and the shelter kennel, an increase which has reverberated in the costs of construction and management of these structures.
With this Regulation, therefore, there is a greater commitment of spending and resources to ensure compliance with the requirements and parameters imposed. We are in contact with the Ministry to find a solution.”
