The studies for the restoration of Corfu Municipal Theatre and the iconic San Giacomo building were approved and have been included by the Ministry of Development for funding in the Ionian Islands Region NSRF since July 2020. However, up to now, the image of these two buildings - landmarks for the island remains the same and unchanged. Specifically, the study for the "Overall upgrading of the Municipal Theatre of Corfu and the formation of outdoor spaces" has a budget of €600,000, and the study of the "San Giacomo building restoration project" has a budget of €200,000.
For these two projects of cultural significance for the region, the Regional Authority acts as the funding body, and the Municipality of Central Corfu as the implementing and tendering body of the studies. Indeed, in order not to lose the approved credits, they have been transferred to the National Development Program (NDP), which also foresees the updating of schedules for the completion of the studies. Specifically, according to the updated schedules, the studies should be completed by 31-12-2025, while the selection of contractors to carry them out has a deadline for 31-05-2024.
Only San Giacomo
Last December, just before the change of administration in the Central Corfu Municipality, only the tender for the preparation of a study for the restoration of the San Giacomo Old Town Hall was published on the relevant online platform, with the deadline for interested consultants expiring in March.
Architectural Competition
Regarding the restoration of the Municipal Theatre, the issue is complex, as Mr. Kalogeros suggests that a new architectural competition may be required before the study. As he noted, with the change in the law regarding public works, there is a divergence of opinions and interpretations between the Municipality's Services and the legal advisor of the company that won the architectural competition on whether it can undertake the study.
For this reason, the company's legal advisor requested intervention from the Single Authority for Public Contracts, where the Municipality was asked for expert opinions, the history, the old dossier of the competition, etc., with this bureaucratic process taking months.