The urban park of Vibo Valentia is preparing to completely change its face, becoming a lively place of aggregation, leisure, play and relaxation suitable for all ages, without losing its charm as a green oasis. A vision of development that the executive led by mayor Maria Limardo has transformed into a project that combines the various needs of the park: that of maintenance, safety and above all the recreational aspect.
A WORK THAT LASTED MONTHS
A preparatory activity that lasted months, managed by the Environment Councilor Vincenzo Bruni with the fundamental support of the sector offices, which today allows the administration to put together all the pieces to deliver a new urban park to the city. A firm point to resolve what was somewhat of the weak link in management, namely maintenance, was put in place yesterday thanks to an intuition of councilor Bruni which led to the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Municipality of Vibo Valentia, in the person of Mayor Limardo, and the Serre Regional Natural Park, in the person of Commissioner Alfonso Grillo.
THE PROTOCOL WITH THE GREENHOUSE PARK
“With this protocol – is the comment of Commissioner Grillo – Parco delle Serre also extends to Vibo Valentia the promotional activity of the many initiatives that we have been carrying out for two years now. Initiatives that go in the direction not only of environmental protection and safeguard, but in laying the foundations for increasing sustainable tourism which, in its eco-tourism declination, moves over 60 million people a year around the world. A promotion that will take the form of a display that we will create inside the urban park and in signage that will illustrate the natural and landscape beauties of the Serre Park and the many activities. But the jewel in the crown is represented by the “Educando all’ambiente” project, which is enjoying great success because it implements environmental education aimed at school children with the peculiarity of making them participating and not passive actors in the protection of our ecosystem”.
“We are very happy to sign this agreement – declares the mayor Maria Limardo – because by doing so we obtain at no cost a great advantage for the Vibo community which has always been very fond of the Park. In exchange for the exhibition spaces, in fact, Parco delle Serre and its qualified workers will intervene for ordinary maintenance on fences, walls, the pond and other small interventions of this type which, however, it is worth specifying, are additional to those already planned by specifications and in the hands of the public greenery company. The Municipality of Vibo Valentia, once again, makes a virtue of necessity: where economic resources do not reach, our ability to create synergies and network with other institutions arrives”.
THE PLAY AREAS PROJECT
But the real revolution that will affect the urban park concerns its new configuration, which in any case takes nothing away from the current structure but aims to enrich it with places for the activities of adults, teenagers and children. The municipal council has in fact approved the technical-economic feasibility study which envisages the creation of sports and games areas, and which will soon be put out to tender: “I would like to point out immediately – states councilor Bruni – that all the interventions they have zero environmental impact: no concrete and no removal of trees. This project is financed with the 350 thousand euros resulting from the so-called “Mangialavori amendment”: a part of the over 5 million allocated to the Municipality of Vibo thanks to the work of the Honorable Mangialavori, in fact, will be used to finance these interventions; 300 thousand euros for the urban park and another 50 thousand for Vibo Marina to create a fitness area. As regards the Park, we decided to create a beach soccer pitch next to a beach volleyball pitch, with also a shared shower; and again, street basketball, a bowling green, a botanical labyrinth and a mini golf course. And then: the play area for the little ones will be completely redone and enlarged, near which we will create a picnic area. The fitness area will be expanded: next to the inclusive gym, a so-called “military” fitness area will be built. I want to underline how all these new services will be free for citizens and our children, with the exception, perhaps, of minigolf which is the only one that may require management, but in any case it will be a symbolic price. It doesn’t end here: it is the intention of the administration, the notices will be released shortly, to also grant concessions to the other free areas on which the assignees will be able to carry out other recreational and sporting activities with which to start a small economic activity, in exchange for which they will have to maintain their area of relevance. Furthermore, again with a view to greater security, in these days we will install video surveillance cameras in four sensitive points. Finally, I would like to point out that the current layout of the Park will not change, neither avenues nor benches or anything else will be affected. But as an administration – concludes councilor Bruni – we believe that it is a duty to invest in the creation of new places of aggregation especially for the younger ones, even more so if this is combined with the valorisation of the nature and beauty of a park that the whole province enjoys recognizes.”