ANCONA «There is not enough civic sense, we will move the resources elsewhere». David Francescangeli, president of Cus Ancona, speaks. The sports club does not intend to renew the management contract of the football and basketball fields of the Xaverians of Posatora, which officially expired yesterday. “There aren’t the social conditions to do this” explains the management of the University Sports Center.
The complaint
Only a few weeks ago, in fact, the Company had reported an act of vandalism, the breaking of a window with stones. Yet another gesture of incivility. «We managed the facility for six years and I had to change the door near the basketball court six times» says Francescangeli, who in addition to the playing fields also manages some closed spaces used as changing rooms and warehouses. “The last time the door couldn’t be fixed, it had to be re-installed but it didn’t make sense and then find it broken after three months” the president vents. «We changed the net of the basket I don’t know how many times, and after three days it disappeared» he himself denounces. Not to mention the negligence of those who exploit the facility, open to the public as if it were a park. An example above all: the three glass containers full of beer bottles, complete with other full bags placed nearby and the glass left in the grass. «We receive letters from families accusing us of mismanaging the facility. No insult beyond harm” says Francescangeli.
Expenses
Then there are the costs, since the field and its annexes were open to everyone as a service for the neighborhood. The Cus should pay an annual concession fee of 3 thousand euros but the Municipality gives it back, again annually, 6 thousand in management balance. In fact, therefore, the Cus would collect 3 thousand euros but the revenue does not go beyond that, since the rentals of the field for training or tournaments are symbolic. And that “the caretaker alone costs us 5 thousand euros a year” the president recalls. Or that “the last mowing cost us 800 euros”, in addition to the damage to be repaired. “Of course we cannot put a caretaker who is present until 1 in the morning” he adds. Because between the contracts to be updated and the extra hours, the cost would double. In short, the Cus was very happy to offer a service to the community but “if people do not understand the commitment …”.
Fate
What fate, then, for these spaces? The Municipality does not intend – at least for now – to open a new tender to look for a manager. «We will give a temporary extension to an association that uses a vegetable garden near Villa Colonnelli» explains Stefano Tombolini, councilor for public works. The idea is to merge the sports fields – for football and basketball – with Villa Colonnelli, which must be reborn. There are 900 thousand euros of landslide funds from the Municipality on the table but “it won’t be enough”. «In fact we are trying to do a public-private partnership operation» according to Tombolini. The idea? «The main one would like to transform these spaces into a day center for self-sufficient elderly people but it would also be a fantastic location for wedding ceremonies, if the social purpose were to fail» anticipates the councilor. First, however, we need to find the money. «We are moving with a banking institution and a couple of operators» Tombolini can anticipate.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Read the full article on
Adriatic Courier
