(Sixth Power) – Forlì – 7 June 2024 – “We would like to return to the controversial monument of Porta Schiavonia, inaugurated on the first anniversary of the flood, to inform citizens of the opaque administrative process behind its creation. First of all, however, a reflection seems necessary to us. The inauguration, one year after the flood, of a monument to the many volunteers who distinguished themselves in those days should have been a moment of unity in our city. For this to happen, a public process should have been started, shared with citizens, neighborhoods, associations, to define how to proceed, how to involve schools and the world of culture in the realization of the work, etc. Instead, the Municipality has subordinated even this very symbolic and delicate moment to its own electoral campaign purposes, operating in a unilateral manner and without confrontation”: Jacopo Zanotti, municipal councilor of the Democratic Party, and Federico Morgagni and Riccardo Helg, candidates, write this in a joint note. Democratic Party list.
The administrative process of the work gives a good idea of all this. From numerous accesses to the documents carried out, it emerges that already well before the creation of the statues (even last April 26th), the Superintendence had prescribed that they be placed at a distance from the historic Porta di Schiavonia, “in order not to constitute visual interference with the architectural and decorative layout of the door”, as well as, with much emphasis, not to build (!) the planned imposing reinforced concrete base. Nonetheless, the Administration proceeded, with considerable expenditure (47,000 euros), to have the concrete work and base carried out, using, for the umpteenth time, an anomalous administrative procedure, with which on 8 May the The two sculptures were executed at the Arlam company and the start of the work was announced the following day. The painter Ido Erani, in an interview given on May 12th to a local newspaper, will introduce himself as the author of the sculptures, specifying that he “having dedicated months to the creation of the works” on behalf of the Municipality’s cultural service, but forgetting the Cesena sculptor Navacchia, who a few days later was discovered to be the true creator (!). In the face of these obvious anomalies, in the following days the Superintendency received repeated reports from concerned citizens, following which the Superintendency itself asked the Municipality, on 14 May, for urgent clarifications on the work in progress. Incredibly, the Municipality, instead of sending photos of the work as completed, tries to patch it up, leveling the base with a pneumatic hammer and bulldozing”: Jacopo Zanotti, Federico Morgagni and Riccardo Helg tell us again.
“However, the statues must be inaugurated for everyone and so, with an improvised solution, they are placed at ground level and the surface of what remains of the base is covered with a mixture that simulates mud. All “remedied” by a new and timely determination in which the construction of the base is entrusted, in this case even after completion, for a cost of over 7,000 euros. To the disconcerted citizens, the Municipality responds that it was one “normal maintenance”. In short, it was a bad mess, in which it clearly emerged that the Municipality’s priority was not to honor the many volunteers of those tragic days, but rather to hastily inaugurate the monument, in time for the electoral round” : say the exponents and candidates of the Democratic Party.
However, the numerous questions that the story still raises remain unanswered: who in the Municipality, and when, entrusted, formally or informally, the task of creating the work to the painter Ido Erani, who then worked on it for months? Who in the Municipality, and when, entrusted the task of creating it to the sculptor Navacchia? What are the agreed fees for the two artists, whose names do not appear in any official document of the Municipality? Who will have to pay these fees? The Municipality or the company awarded the contract for the execution of the sculptures? How is it possible that the resolution awarding the execution of the work was adopted two days before the completion of the works? And again: why did the Municipality ignore the Superintendence’s requirements, with an increase in costs borne by the citizens? Who and with what acts ordered the demolition of the base and what additional cost did this demolition cause? And, above all, what is the overall cost of the whole affair for the Municipality’s coffers?”: these are the questions posed by the outgoing Democratic Party municipal councilor Jacopo Zanotti, and the two candidates from the Democratic Party list Federico Morgagni and Riccardo Helg.
