With the main goal of promoting infrastructure projects and improving the road network that has been affected by the construction of the sewerage system, the Mayor of Deryneia, Andros Karagiannis, presented on Monday night at a pandemic gathering, the program of the Municipal Council for the five years 2017-2021.
As Mr. Karagiannis stated in KYPE, "we have given special emphasis to the maturation and promotion of infrastructure projects, such as the Adult Center, whose work has been completed and is expected to be inaugurated in April. The creation of a Culture Hall is also promoted by finding European funds, while an effort is made to find funding through the Rural Development Fund 2014-2020 for the creation of a public market ".
It also promotes the creation of sports fields such as beach volleyball courts, for which the CMO has approved a sponsorship of 85%, projects which are expected to start immediately. However, the project of the Famagusta regional swimming pool is pending, which is estimated to cost 5 million euros, but at the moment the CMO does not have this amount ".
Mr. Karagiannis noted that "it is unacceptable that the free province of Famagusta is the only province that does not have its own regional swimming pool, given that the land has been leased to the Municipality of Deryneia since 2012. With the creation of the regional swimming pool but and sports fields, we seek the construction of projects for the benefit of all ages, young, middle-aged and elderly ".
Another project that is in the works, he continued "is the renovation of the Central Square with the aim of creating a reference point in Deryneia, which will include the central square, starting from the church of Agios Modestos, the museums and the church of Panagia . The renovation of the central square includes the traditional core of Deryneia with old buildings which we will try to restore through the Larnaca-Famagusta Development Company by receiving European funds ".
According to the Mayor, "we also want to promote the emergence of the burial ground of Agios Konstantinos, since projects that have to do with the environment, nature and water have very good chances for funding. An effort is also being made to keep the school buildings in very good condition and this is done through the Social Volunteering Council, the Parents' Associations and the School Tax Office ".
Another big issue that concerns the Municipality and is in our immediate priorities, he noted "is the improvement of the road network of Deryneia, taking into account that this has been affected by the construction of the sewerage system. We have included in the 2017 budget an amount of half a million euros, including the 250 thousand given to our Municipality by the President of the Republic, in order to start the repair of roads inside Deryneia, which have been affected by the sewerage ".
He also explained that "last week, the Parliamentary Committee on Transport and Works discussed the urban road project for the construction of the Deryneia-Sotira road. "Despite all the difficulties that exist, we hope that the project will start at the end of 2017, beginning of 2018, while for this road we are urgently requesting the change of the main pipeline since it is made of asbestos and we want another one to be installed from iron".
Regarding the rest of the road network, Mr. Karagiannis said that "some roads that are of the utmost importance for Deryneia at the moment can not be repaired. The reason is that these roads have become quite problematic due to the sewer system and have already been repaired 3-4 times. However, we hope that these roads will be repaired either by the contractor or the involved services in order not to burden the Municipality with further costs ".
Our effort, he continued, "is all the roads that connect Deryneia with the other Municipalities and Communities to be repaired immediately. The road of Deryneia - Frenaros has already been repaired - paving, while when the road that connects our Municipality with Sotira is built, the people will have easier access from other Municipalities and Communities with Deryneia ".
In addition to the road network, said Mr. Karagiannis, "the Municipal Council aims at the construction of sidewalks, especially on roads that lead to churches, schools, sports centers and the Adult Center. "Sidewalks must be built on these roads to offer safety to pedestrians, with special emphasis on children, while there will be access for people with disabilities."
In the context of the repair of the road network, the Mayor of Deryneia concluded "road safety campaigns are also planned to inform the citizens and especially the children, in cooperation of the Municipality with the Police and the schools".