WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OUR MINDS IN SOLLER

We reserve the right to change our mind in Soller

The Mayor of Soller is an important person here who is highly visible and approachable.  He is often to be found chatting to the public or having coffee with the older generation who constantly hold him to account.  When he goes on holiday it is a big event and so it was this week.  A photo call was arranged so that all could recognise his Deputy who was left in charge.  The Mayor has left the valley for a few days, the Deputy is in charge and then it all kicked off.

The first of the nightmares that occupied the time of the deputy sheriff was the Hotel Rocamar.  A three dimensional story in one week and you couldn’t make it up it was all so bizarre.   The derelict hotel is on borrowed time and there has been a very long process before getting to the start of this important week in its demise.  The story started with the decision that the council and hoteliers were to have a meeting to decide whether to knock it down now or wait till the summer season was nearly over in September.  That decision didn’t occupy much time everyone was unanimous that it should be knocked down now.  The company who have been awarded the demolition contract raised one slight problem the 50 ton bulldozer they needed for the work couldn’t get across the bridge to the hotel – it is much too heavy.  At this point the Deputy Mayor must have been having his worst nightmare.  Social media and local people were laughing at the apparent stupidity of this.  The obvious questions were asked about how a company could tender for this work without realising they would have to negotiate a hundred year old bridge.  A statement was issued to say that a meeting would have to happen to discuss this but it may delay the whole project for up to six months while they found a solution.  This made the ridiculing even worse so meetings were hurriedly convened and a damage limitation  was the order of the day.  The latest solution says that this week, as you read this article, the builders and demolishers will be working on the Hotel Rocamar.  They will knock down what they can while resolving the bulldozer issue at the same time.  I’ll keep you updated on its progress …

Just as the Deputy Mayor was breathing a sigh of relief the Ministry of Health came to call.  You may remember that the Port of Soller’s health clinic was due to be relocated into an extended Tourist Information Office in the car park of the Port.  This all went wrong a few weeks ago when work started on this project before the tender for the work had been awarded.  Since the political storm about this has been severe all work stopped and the tendering process for the project was declared null and void and begun all over again.  Someone somewhere decided that this delay was simply unacceptable and began looking for a new solution.  The Minister for Health breezed into the Port and took a look at a building already in existence which would create a new health centre in a very short time.  This is the first floor building above the Lepanto Car Park. This is accessible by lift for the patients and has car parking built in and seems like a really sensible solution.  Meanwhile – what to do with the already signed and agreed work on the tourist information office and the great big hole that has been dug behind it!  Who knows what the conclusion of this will be – no firm decisions have been taken yet but let’s say that its looking very likely that this will be a cancellation of one project and the starting of another.  The hole in the ground and the story of how it got there will not be remembered as Soller’s finest hour.  The poor Deputy Mayor must have been wishing his week away as the Ministry of Health’s official entourage left the valley.