“Yesterday, Monday 6 October, we learned from the article published by the South Gazzetta It is signed by Lucio D’Amico that the future of the former Sanderson is traced and in line with one of the proposals that, in the last two years, our committee has built together with the residents of Messina Sud for the future of the area.
The idea of transforming, as stated in the newspaper, the eight hectares of the former citrus industry into a large eco-park-in an area of the city where the green spaces are almost completely absent-is certainly a right solution, even more so if it involves the definitive abandonment of the old project of the trade fair and congress, already rejected for many reasons by the residents. That Eco-Park is, therefore, but with certain characteristics “declare the activists of the former Sanderson Committee.
The proposal of which La Gazzetta del Sud writes is one of the ideas that emerged from the participatory research-action path promoted by the Coped Summer School 2023, at the end of which the former Sanderson Committee was born in November 2023. During the Coped, students, teachers, activists and residents of Messina Sud, they developed the project called Trees Park-Tremestieri Eco-Social Park-recalls the committee-. The project, publicly presented in the extraordinary city council of June 2023 and subsequently in several meetings with the current administration-the last of which in January 2025-proposes the transformation of the former citrus establishment into one of the largest and most innovative multifunctional eco-landscapes of Southern Italy, inspired by the most advanced principles of ecological design of the landscape, social inclusion and interspecious solidarity. The goal is twofold: on the one hand, fill the profound deficit of public spaces and sociability in the southern area of the city, creating a system of green, cultural and recreational spaces capable of improving the quality of life of residents; On the other hand, enhance the natural dynamics that have spontaneously regenerated the site in recent years after decades of abandonment, transforming it into an educational landscape where humans and nature coexist. Alongside these environmental and social objectives, the project aims to generate new stable and qualified employment through the creation of work supply chains related to the circular economy, culture and proximity services. In fact, a conversion of the area would in fact allow to activate micro -enterprises and cooperatives in the sectors of the reuse of materials, ecological maintenance, urban agriculture, sustainable energy management and environmental training. Inside the park, green crafts, incubators for social and environmental start-ups, applied research activities and training courses aimed at young people, thus creating a network of interconnected and lasting employment opportunities would find space. In this perspective, the former Sanderson would not be only a place of urban regeneration, but also a work laboratory and social innovation, capable of integrating the environment, business and community in a model of fair and sustainable development. At the same time, it is essential to allocate a part of the former industrial area to space of memory, where you can retrace, through testimonies, archives and objects, the history and identity of the Sanderson, returning voice to those who worked there and preserving the collective memory of a heritage that belongs to the city. “The news published by the South Gazzetta is also not the only update on the topic – adds the former Sanderson Committee – another very important element concerns the process of remediation works, an operation required by the committee from the beginning of its mobilization and indispensable to deal with the question of ecological risk. According to what was communicated by the ESA, the regional body currently owned by the area, the works will be delivered on October 8 and started immediately after the intervention and the intervention It could be concluded within the first months of 2026, allowing the subsequent transfer of the area to the Municipality of Messina, as required by the Regional Financial Law 2024 Cipess, but it is still a fundamental step forward. We have already requested, and we are waiting for a date, a meeting with the mayor of Messina for a comparison on these news “. All these topics will be discussed at the next meeting of the Committee, scheduled for Wednesday 8 October at 7.15 pm, in the premises of the Church of S. Domenica in Tremestieri.