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Date Published: 27/02/2024
Orihuela Costa green areas finally get a clean up
Parks and gardens along the southern Costa Blanca have been left to run wild
Easter is just around the corner and the high summer season will be hot on its heels, but the roadsides, public parks and gardens of the once pristine Orihuela Costa continue to run riot. For months now, arguments, debates and even legal battles have delayed the awarding of a maintenance contract, but at last, the situation appears to have been resolved.
According to Orihuela City Council, from Thursday March 7, it will take exclusive control of the coast’s green areas, and it has entrusted experienced company Ildo with the task of taking care of all the pruning, tidying and ongoing maintenance.
The outcome of this decision will have significant implications, marking a turning point in the provision of maintenance services for green areas on the coast. For years, the service has been provided without a contract, covering only 40% of the coastal gardens, and the rest has been managed through outsourcing.
The re-tendering process was initiated by the Ciudadanos party during their previous term of office, but the bid submission period closed amidst accusations of coercion and conflicting interests between municipal technicians.
And this festering issue could still cause complications. Three companies, STV-Evocivil, Actúa and Doalco-AVV, participated in the municipal tender and submitted their offers. After a year of waiting for the Contracting Board to make a decision, they may now receive only a small portion of the substantial sum they hoped for. The contract at stake is worth 10 million euros. STV-Evocivil has expressed opposition to the awarding of the contract to Ildo and announced their intention to appeal to the Central Administrative Court.
Meanwhile, in nearby Torrevieja, the tender for the new maintenance contract for its public green spaces still hasn’t taken off, despite promises made last summer by newly appointed mayor Eduardo Dolón that he would resolve the issue within his first one hundred days in office.
On the other hand, and much to the delight of residents and tourists, bars and other facilities on the Orihuela Costa’s 11 beaches look set to be open in time for Easter after a 13-month hiatus.
Also of interest: Torrevieja launches motocaca service to tackle dog waste
Image: Ayuntamiento de Orihuela
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