By Artan Rama
The Agency for Parks and Recreation, an autonomous unit under the auspices of the Municipality of Tirana, has announced the development of a tender with a value of 10,533,264 (ten million five hundred thirty-three thousand two hundred sixty-four) ALL, excluding VAT, for building some sports fields within the Artificial Lake Great Park!
Rather, in the area on the west side, bordered by the cemeteries of the British soldiers and the obelisk of Debater, on its eastern side!
Still unfinished by building the Toy Corner, another intervention in the Park, this time even in its heart!
This intervention provides, in a short time, building a football field, a regbie field, a basketball and a volleyball!
The project also includes the establishment of a banana reception system for spectators as well as the establishment of Info Point to communicate with citizens.
Building a supporting infrastructure to provide a lighting and maintenance system is foreseen in the function of the new sports complex.
Another additional consultancy fund of 271,930 (two hundred and seventy-nine thousand and thirty) ALL excluding VAT is projected as an expense during the implementation of the project.
Though the launch of this third-party access control puts Superbashkine in a ridiculous position because of the inability to control its own initiative, in order to save taxpayers’ money, the situation is really serious!
It is the second time, within a year, that the notorious Agency of Parks and Recreation in the Municipality of Tirana has a green space within a territory to which the public has a high sensitivity.
Earlier this year, for the first time in the history of the Lake Park, washes and concrete mixers were introduced! Citizens and civil society activists clashing with the authorities in attempting to stop this intervention counted hundreds of tonnes of concrete cast on behalf of a playground for children that the Municipality of Tirana decided to build in complete violation of the legal acts and procedures .
But trying to destroy the Great Park of Lake Tirana, the goal of transforming it into a common urban area is continuing at a fast pace!
Still unfinished, this new project, which they call “Recreational Sports Qualification” … has only one result: further concreteization of this green space!
The title, “Re-qualification of sports fields” and not their construction, when it is known that there is no such area, there is a suspicion that it is deliberately avoided to avoid permitting procedures for the project’s impact on the environment.
If you read the draft report, come to laugh at his goals. The targets are wrong, while the data of feasibility is filled with lies!
Just mentioning what is written in a paragraph: “Let’s bring innovation (field regbie) to the exploitation of the Park!”. And further goes on: “Regbie’s sport in Albania is developing fast and has interest in young people!”
So it’s no surprise that next year the first American football field, the white-rock theater, near the church of St. Prokop will be established!
Further on in the draft report we read about the solid material layers that will be brought to Park …
Beton !!! Again concrete. The basketball field and volleyball field will be paved with concrete, while the football and regbie, with granite and sand. In the basketball field we have a layer of 30 cm ballast and 15 cm concrete, while the volleyball field has an additional 2.5 cm tartane layer that in total results in a layer of approximately half a meter of solid material introduced into and, most of the which will be concrete.
The field of football and rugby will have two different granite layers, and a grass carpet with a thickness of 3.5 cm. While the Info Point and the base will be concrete and gravel together.
Intervention is also envisaged for the construction of an Infrastructure Infrastructure Network, LED floodlights, ditches, and a number of metal poles with a height of 7.5 m.
So, a mini town town in the heart of the Park!
No public hearing has been conducted and all claims that the project is the fruit of a continuous communication with citizens is fictitious and worthless.
In the end, anyone can ask, not without regret. What is this modification? Why this new nonsense. Why is this persistent insistence on the urbanization of the only green space left in Tirana Why all this focus only on the historic part of the Boulevard and the Great Artificial Lake Park of Tirana?
Would not it be appropriate for the development to extend beyond the newly opened Bulevard axis? Let’s develop Kashari, Paskuqani! Why all in just one area?
But perhaps because they are not so capable of developing a new urban infrastructure and perhaps because political action is motivated by the financial interests of an ever-smaller group of favorite businessmen who intend to secure revenue growth at the expense of infrastructure existing and public good.
Because this intervention that can bring some enthusiastic teenagers to Regby to play in the Grand Park will forever remove the many citizens who provide rest in the little free space that has remained without being abducted. publicus
