Tuesday
16th November
The town hall recently ended a campaign which involved a series
of trips for people with disabilities, underprivileged families
and women who are victims of violence.
More than 1,500 people benefited from the campaign during the
last 6 months which was organised in conjunction with 26 different
councils and cost over 1 million euros.
Some of the trips included sending over 1,000 over 60’s
to Cantabria for a week, 150 students aged between 12 and 14,
from underprivileged families, travelled to Asturias during the
summer, 12 women who were victims of domestic violence took their
children on a holiday to Lanzarote and 46 young people with disabilities,
accompanied by their carers, visited Gran Canaria.
The
Cabildo of La Gomera has begun a new phase of its information
campaign on the giant Gomeran lizard using the media.
Advertisements will be placed on television, radio and newspapers
to help further distribute information on the reptile.
The campaign will run from November 8 to December 7 and will be
brought to a close with a series of conferences on the giant lizard
in various schools on the island.
Cabildo President Casimiro Curbelo emphasised the commitment of
the Gomerans in the protection of the flora and fauna of the island
as a means of guaranteeing the richness and variety of species
in the future.
He added that the Cabildo had signed an agreement with the Canarian
Government among other organisations for the execution of the
‘LIFE Naturaleza’ project which counts on the financial
support of the European Union
The giant lizard of La Gomera (Gallotia bravoana) is one of the
most endangered vertebrates on the planet given that only a few
specimens exist near el Risco de la Merida in La Gomera.
Apart from it’s size the lizard has various rare characteristics
as it is herbivorous which means it has special teeth and unique
digestive system and is also capable of emitting sounds.
The
components for the Guia de Isora turbine generators have begun
to arrive in Tenerife.
UNELCO ENDESA will eventually install a turbine generator which
will help cope with the increase in the demand for electricity.
The average annual increase has been 10% over the last 8 years.
The investment needed for the construction and initiation of this
first turbine generator will be around 21 million euros. The same
amount will then be needed for a second turbine generator planned
for the borough of Adeje.
Monday
15th November
Traditionally
considered as the most representative dishes of Spanish cuisine,
Paella and Tortilla are the number one choice for the 2.6 million
foreigners living in Spain and the Canary Islands are no exception.
A study carried out by The Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA) among
immigrants from Central and South America, Africa and Europe,
showed that at least 64% really liked or quite liked Spanish food.
Although British foods are in plentiful supply in the Canary Island
supermarkets, many of the ‘New Spanish’ coming from
further a field have had to stop eating traditional foods from
their own countries due to the absence of these products in the
supermarkets.
The Spanish Secretary for Agriculture, Fernando Moraleda, commented
that the outcome of the study was positive for producers and distributors
as it gives them an insight into the potential for supplying more
ethnic foods and since he estimates that by 2008 Spain will be
the home to 4 million immigrants, the demand for these foods will
increase markedly.
Among the most sought after ‘home’ goods are tropical
fruits, specific varieties of cheese and other dairy produce.
Furthermore, since the time people now spend for food is decreasing,
he foresees a market for ready prepared chilled ‘foreign’
foods throughout Spain and the Islands.
Catching
a bus in Arona can mean a long walk to a stop and residents think
a comprehensive service covering the whole of the South Tenerife
municipality would be just the ticket. For starters, AROFAV (Arona
Federation of Residents Associations) have requested that the
local Town Council set in motion an urban route as required for
authorities with more than 50,000 inhabitants.
Federation President Santiago Pérez said the service could
be introduced in phases with inland and higher areas covered first
then gradually extended. Places such as Palm-Mar and Túnez
have no buses so the associations are meeting shortly to draw
up a plan of areas that need serving.
In
other news, Arona Mayor José Alberto González and
Transport Councillor Pedro Cabeza met recently with bus company
Titsa and residents associations with the objective of solving
the problems of zones without public transport and extend the
hours of existing lines.
Residents stressed the need for more stops and the improvement
of daytime and night services.
Friday
12th November
Jaime Gonzalez Cejas, Mayor for Granadilla de Abona, has signed
over a piece of land in the Los Martinez area of El Medano to
the Canarian Government Education Advisory Board for the construction
of a College of Secondary Education.
Gonzalez explained however that the college, which will consist
of 16 classrooms, is only a small step towards meeting the real
needs of the local community.
He added that at the same time as the Los Martinez site was tabled
two years ago, a further two sites were designated as locations
for schools.
El Medano now has a population of over 35,000 residents and the
construction of more infant and primary school facilities is also
urgently needed.
The
Health Advisory Board of the Canarian Government will allocate
1,200,000 euros for the construction of a new Health Centre in
Valle San Lorenzo.
The centre will be built on a 1,062 square metre site which was
acquired by the Canarian Health Service from Arona Town Hall.
Once the paperwork has been completed and the title holder for
the land is officially the Canarian Health Service, tenders will
be invited for the construction process.
The centre will be a two storey building with medical emergencies
being received on the first floor which is also where the administration
offices will be based.
On the second floor, there will be eight general consulting rooms,
two paediatric consulting rooms, various multifunctional areas
and a social workers office.
In other news, more than 2,000 square metres of land has been
set aside for a much needed new health centre.
The
slogan ‘Tenerife will light up your Winter’ is being
used for a campaign promoting Tenerife to natives of Finland.
The words appear in advertisements in various widely distributed
newspapers and together with the support of the two main tour
operators in Finland, it is hoped that the campaign will help
Tenerife regain popularity with Scandinavian tourists.
The project has been financed by the Tenerife Cabildo who have
given 157,000 euros toward project costs which also includes the
setting up of a web page and the distribution of leaflets via
the Spanish Tourism Office in Helsinki.
Thursday
11th November
More
than 200 El Fraile residents were present at a meeting held in
the town’s Cultural Centre with a local government team
from Arona Town hall.
The purpose of the gathering was to discuss the problems of the
highly populated area and the most debated topics were the need
for improvements in the security and the general cleanliness of
the area.
Francisco Afonso, president of the Neighbourhood Association,
said that in order to achieve a greater harmony within the community,
a greater police presence would be imperative.
The government advised the meeting that the new policemen that
were taken on in the summer would help to reinforce the security
in general.
With regards to the cleanliness of the area, Afonso said that
the Town Hall officials had admitted that the existing services
were inadequate and he went on to explain that they would be locating
more workers in El Fraile at the beginning of next year when new
contracts had been signed.
More
national parks could be destined for the Canary Islands with the
blessing of the Ministry of the Environment.
The archipelago already has 6 of Spain’s 46 and Environment
Minister Cristina Narbona, visiting the Canaries, paved the way
for additions to the list of protected natural areas.
Among the candidates are Tenerife’s Teno-Rasca and Sebadales,
La Palma’s celebrated Cumbre Viejo and Frontera and Mar
de las Calmas (El Hierro) as well as Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura
and Lanzarote zones.
The final decision on extending the park network rests with the
Canarian Government.
The
Cabildo of Tenerife has begun a series of modifications to improve
various roads in southern municipalities.
600,000 euros have been allocated for the work which has already
been completed in some areas for example the road between Puertito
de Guimar and the TF1 motorway.
The roundabout and surrounding roads of Las Chafiras, San Miguel,
will also be modified to encourage the traffic to be more free
flowing. A south bound lane of 200 metres will be constructed
to enable traffic coming from San Miguel, Las Zocas and Aldea
Blanca easy access to the TF1 motorway.
Another project involves resurfacing the road to improve safety
in Los Menores at the end of the TF1 towards Guia de Isora.
The projects will not only absorb the growing flow of traffic
more easily but also ensure the safety of the road users.
Wednesday
10th November
San Miguel Town Hall is presently carrying out work on a provisional
health centre for the Las Chafiras area, which will be up and
running by the end of this year.
Mayor Arturo Gonzalez explained that the centre is being constructed
next to the Farmer’s Market building in Las Chafiras and
that the building will help alleviate the demand for health care
for the growing population until the new health centre is built
in the Llano del Camello area.
The staff at the centre will include one doctor, one nurse and
an administration worker.
The councillor for roads Lorenzo Dorta, has promised to speed
up the paperwork to allow a 16 metre long elevated pedestrian
crossing to be constructed over the T-82 road in Los Menores.
Stairs and a ramp will be constructed at each end of the crossing
to enable easy access for all users including mothers with pushchairs
and the disabled.
When the work is finished both sides of the town of Los Menores
will be joined and pedestrians will no longer have to cross the
busy road at a point which has been catalogued as an accident
blackspot.
On average 15,965 vehicles use the road and given the fact that
the local population has grown considerably in recent times, the
installation of the crossing is a top priority for safety reasons.
Further
pressure has been put on the Canarian Government to regulate all-inclusive
holidays which have been blamed for hitting the cash tills of
bars, restaurants and shops at destination resorts.
The latest proposal was made by Tenerife Cabildo Vice-President
José Manuel Bermúdez, who is also Tourism Councillor,
at the second Tourism and Commerce Congress in Taoro Casino convention
centre, Puerto de la Cruz.
He said controls should be imposed on all-inclusive breaks using
quality as criteria.
Madrid has already declared the suitability of all-inclusive holidays
to be a matter of open debate.
In other news, Santa Cruz de Tenerife provincial business people’s
confederation described the Canarian Government’s 2005 tourism
budget of 86 million euros as insufficient and offered to support
the Autonomous Executive in reactivating the sector.
Tuesday 9th
November
Tenerife Cabildo will take over the ownership and running of bus
company Titsa from the first half of next year.
The step will give the island authority control of all terrestrial
transport (buses, taxis and future tramway) and lead to the streamlining
of the network.
Titsa is currently in the hands of the Canarian Government.
With the Socialist group in opposition, the Cabildo agreed to
work with the Regional Executive to formulate the terms, conditions
and timeframe of the handover.
Víctor Pérez, island Councillor for the Presidency
and the Treasury, said the move would give the Cabildo a chance
to reorganise the public transport system to tackle the problems
caused by the high density of traffic in circulation.
It would be an opportunity to meet mobility demands, improve the
environmental conditions of traffic rotation and reduce journey
times.
Costa
del Silencio residents, who have been waiting expectantly to see
how Arona Town Hall would spend 2.4 million euros promised for
giving the residential and tourist resort a facelift, have begun
to realise the local authority has had to draw the line somewhere.
Freshly painted yellow lines have appeared along the main Avenida
José Antonio Tavio to follow the earlier renewal of road
markings and the installation of speed bumps.
Sleeping policemen have been joined by wide awake community officers
on motorbikes who patrol the area, including Las Galletas and
El Fraile, but Silencio residents are wondering if any of the
measures will have an effect on drivers who, they say, show little
respect for the highway code.
The
Electric Company UNELCO ENDESA declared last week that they have
the power generators necessary to cope with the electricity needs
for the south of Tenerife during November and December.
The company emphasize, however, that the installation of the power
generators in the borough of Guia de Isora is an environmentally
friendly but temporary solution which will alleviate the situation
until two further gas turbines, due to arrive in January or February
next year, can be activated.
The emergency power generators consist of 20 megawatts of power
and UNELCO claim that this will be sufficient to take on part
of the present saturation at peak times which means that power
cuts will be avoided.
UNELCO claim that the installation of the power generators will
help to cope with the increased demand for power resulting from
the “change in the hour” at the end of October.
Friday 5th
November
Expanding San Isidro’s development is one
of the main priorities in Granadilla de Abona Town Hall’s
2005 budget of around 42 million euros. Council spokesman Nicolás
Jorge said a lot of the money would be spent on completing the
town’s infrastructures, adding the finishing touches to
the sanitation system and services of La Jurada and Los Cardones
estates. He stressed that improving the cleaning service and benefits
for the elderly and young people were also in the pipeline.
The
Canarian Government’s planned budget for 2005 will be 5,187
million euros, 7.2% more than this year. Almost 80% of the spending
will go on the social sector, including health, education, justice,
employment and social affairs. The economic growth forecast for
the archipelago has been revised as no more than 2.2% for the
year. Expenditure on social needs was said to have increased by
50% over the past five years, while health spending had doubled
in a decade.
The
Santiago del Teide town hall is looking into reconditioning part
of the square in Puerto de Santiago as a large cultural centre
which would fulfil the needs of those living in the coastal region
of the borough.
The project will form part of what is known as the Lago Santiago
Project and will temporarily substitute the previous cultural
centre plans originally presented more than a year ago but which
are paralysed waiting for the help of the Tenerife Cabildo.
An alternative idea for the lower sections of the Puerto de Santiago
Square would be a leisure zone including a discotheque, a dance
hall and various pubs in a space of 2,800 square metres.
The Tourist Board of the Canarian Government have agreed to finance
a large part of the development.
Security
will be stepped up in the fast-growing southern municipality of
Arona with a base for emergency services strategically placed
between Chayofa and El Mojón. Mayor José Alberto
González said citizen safety was a priority and the project
would be developed at an intermediate point in the locality for
a fast response to incidents. He hoped that the base would become
a reality in a couple of years.
The
Canary Islands had the second highest hotel occupation in Spain
during the month of September with a 6.5% increase on September
of 2003. According to the Hotel Occupation Surveys, Tenerife achieved
a 55% occupancy compared to Las Palmas who maintained a 45% occupancy
level.
Thursday 4th November
In the Canary Islands, eco-tourism
is fast becoming a popular alternative to the traditional “beach
and sun” holidays and is generating more and more income
for the Islands each year.
Among the most attractive natural resources in the Canary Islands,
apart from the scenery, is the large variety of whales and dolphins
which can be found in Canarian waters.
Currently registered are 27 species of the marine mammals which
are visited on a daily basis by boatloads of tourists who aim
to observe the animals in their natural habitat.
Almost 40 boats carry out the excursions mainly in the waters
around Tenerife, Gran Canaria, La Gomera and Lanzarote taking
more than 500,000 passengers a year.
The organisation Tenerife Conservacion will soon be launching
an awareness campaign to inform locals about the diversity of
cetaceans present in Canarian waters, to explain the dangers they
face and the importance of preserving the largest of the cetaceans
as they are a fundamental part of the Canarian underwater eco-system.
The
Town Hall of Santiago del Teide have given a positive evaluation
of the Pancracio Socas Sports Complex which is now three months
old .
The council representative for Sport, Oscar Tomas Perez Rodriguez,
explained that the complex as a whole more than meets the expectations
of sports enthusiasts and already has almost a thousand members
of all ages coming mainly from the borough itself and the surrounding
areas.
Luis Manuel Hernandez, manager of Santiago del Teide Gestion SL,
added that apart from the sports activities presently offered
by the centre, the company is planning to widen the activities
available to include gymnastics, keep fit for older people, yoga
and relaxation, tennis and swimming for babies, pregnant ladies
and the handicapped.
South
Tenerife residents have requested a daily police presence at Guaza
roundabout in Arona in an effort to reduce traffic queues that
can stretch back more than two kilometres.
Blaming the relevant administrations for delays in seeking and
acting upon an answer to the chaos usually resulting at rush hour,
Francisco Afonso, President of residents association Balcón
del Atlántico de El Fraile, said daily incidents on the
section leading to the TF-1 motorway underlined the need for an
urgent solution.
Wednesday 3rd November
Turbines and generators aimed at guaranteeing South Tenerife’s
winter power supplies should be in operation from January, but
that may not be soon enough to prevent blackouts.
José María Plans, energy giant UNELCO-ENDESA’s
Director-General, repeated a warning that cuts could not be ruled
out because of increased seasonal pressure on the grid.
He told a Canarian newspaper that his company had all measures
in place to meet extra demands, but the situation could become
critical if the unexpected happened.
Luis Soria, the Canarian Government’s Industry Councillor,
said he expected the turbines and generators to remain in place
until 2008 at the latest when the region’s high-tension
power line was functioning.
He confirmed that the end of British Summer Time on October 31
was expected to bring a surge in electricity demand.
This
year the Canary Islands will have two candidates for the Mister
Spain competition which is taking place on November 5th and 6th
in Oropesa del Mar, Alicante.
Nacor Garcia Suarez from Santiago del Teide and Miguel Angel Garcia
Navarro from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria are the Canarian entrants
who will try to win the votes of the jury and take over from the
current Mister Spain Juan Antonio Ruiz, from Almeria.
Both have just arrived on the Spanish mainland to begin the competition
to decide who is the best looking man in Spain.
However both men have stated that they don’t mind which
of the two comes out on top - the important thing, they claim,
is to make sure the Canary Islands are well represented in the
competition.
Both Nacor and Miguel Angel explained that they hoped the competition
would give them the opportunity to make new contacts which would
help them out in the world of modelling.
The
Tenerife Cabildo announced a project for the training of 280 jobless
women from 28 of the island municipalities.
The scheme is part of the equal opportunities plan approved by
the European Social Fund and has a budget of more than 3 million
euros, of which 30% will come from the island authority’s
Youth, Education & Women’s Council.
Courses will be run on working with the elderly and the disabled,
young people and immigrants with the aim of landing permanent
employment.
Tuesday 2nd November
The
town hall of San Miguel de Abona have introduced a new campaign
to make residents aware of the necessity to keep the borough clean
and tidy and to educate them about recycling.
The Project which has the slogan “A more attractive look
for San Miguel” was presented last week by the Mayor, Arturo
Gonzalez, Councillor for Cleaning Services, Julián Martin,
and the Manager of the company which will carry out the works,
Fernando Gomez.
During the next two months the Corporation will advise residents
about ‘good habits’ regarding refuse disposal and
to help achieve the objective, posters will be placed on rubbish
bins and leaflets will be distributed to every household explaining
the procedures and regulations regarding rubbish.
According to the Mayor, fines will be imposed on people who do
not comply with the regulations – the fines will range from
300 euros for small offences to 3,000 euros for more serious ones.
Arona
Social Services and the Red Cross (Cruz Roja) are studying the
possibility of extending the municipality’s home emergency
phone network.
Thirty residents are currently covered by the scheme, but the
Town Hall would like to add another 10.
In emergencies, users can press a button which puts them in contact
with a Red Cross operator who will provide a response to the situation.
The 24 hour service is aimed at improving the quality of life
for the disabled, people living alone, the elderly and the sick.
The
number of unemployed fell by 12,600 in the Canary Islands during
the third quarter of the year.
That left a total of 100,600 people out of work in the archipelago
– a rate of 11.34%.
By province, Santa Cruz de Tenerife had 52,200 looking for a job,
according to the National Statistics Institute.
Women were the most affected with an unemployment rate of nearly
15% against 8.8% for men.
The Canaries’ working population totalled 786,900, of whom
378,400 were in the western province.
Free
Internet access has been made available at offices of the Civic
Services in Los Cristianos, Guía de Isora, Güímar,
La Orotava, Icod de los Vinos and Tacoronte as part of Tenerife
Cabildo’s plan to extend information services to as many
residents as possible.
Monday 1st November
Protests were threatened as the price of diesel
hit a new record high in the Canary Islands.
A litre went up to 0.565 euros on Tenerife and 0.568 euros in
the rest of Santa Cruz de Tenerife province (La Gomera, La Palma
and El Hierro).
That prompted ASAGA (provincial Farmers and Stockbreeders Association)
to announce talks with the transport sector and other agricultural
organisations with a view to a joint demonstration.
The association also maintained contact with the Canarian Government’s
Economy and Treasury Councillor, José Carlos Mauricio,
to seek financial aid to cushion the blow of spiralling crude
oil prices and appealed to Madrid for compensation.
On Tenerife, super was selling at 0.702 euros per litre, superstar
at 0.689 euros and unleaded at 0.652 euros.
The
Tenerife Cabildo has approved a project costing 2.7 million euros
for the Barranco de Troya which divides the touristic zones of
Arona and Adeje. At its last meeting, the Government commission
agreed to give the first phase of the project the go ahead which
will need an investment 1.4 million euros.
At present, in times of heavy rain, the roads and installations
near the sides of the barranco become quickly flooded as the existing
drainage system does not absorb the flow of the water adequately.
The first phase of the work will involve the installation of equipment
to capture the rainfall, wells to distribute the water and the
construction of specific points where the water will flow back
into the barranco.
Councillor for Tourism and Planning, Jose Manuel Bermudez explained
that given the urgency of the work on the Troya Barranco, it will
be given priority over the repairs to the road surface of the
Avenida Rafael Puig which are currently being carried out.
Arona
taxis have a new set of tariffs with the minimum daytime fare
now 1.75 euros, while the night-time and fiesta rate is 2.15 euros.
The charge per kilometre is 40 cents and the same sum applies
to entering and leaving Los Cristianos port and the supplement
for a radio taxi call-out. A study by the Consumers Federation
revealed that taxi fares on Tenerife were the cheapest in Spain.
While the minimum night journey on the island could cost 2.10
euros, the same trip in Tarragona was 5.15 euros.
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