Garitsa Park to be ready for use in March

The final procedure for handing over Garitsa - Anemomylos Park to Central Corfu Municipality for public use is expected to take place in March, although people of all ages are already using it for walks.

The project has almost been completed in its entirety, with only some final touches remaining, involving painting the basketball court and trimming the lawn that was recently laid to address the last outstanding issues. These exterior works could not be carried out in the previous period due to the rainfall, which prevented their execution. However, they will be carried out as the weather conditions improve. With the lawn trimming, it is expected that the plastic meshes that have been placed for protection around large areas of grass will also be removed.

The main objective from now on is its maintenance, protection from malicious actions, and effective upkeep, so it does not deteriorate, as has happened with many other projects.

Regulations for Use

Deputy Mayor of Technical Works - Technical Services, Andreas Kardonas, told Enimerosi that the park will have Regulations for Use in order to protect it, while in a second phase, the operation of catering businesses there will be examined. He said that all licences issued for these businesses will be observed at this stage. The establishment of the Regulations for Use was proposed by the previous municipal authority. Indeed, the former Mayor Meropi Ydraiou mentioned this issue during the informal handover of the project last December, indicating that the Regulations for Use are ready, and that the required consultation must take place before its adoption by the Municipal Council.

The Project

The project for the redevelopment of the Garitsa - Anemomylos Park was contracted on 12-01-2022 for the amount of €1,142,834.29 (after deducting the bidder's discount of 45.12%). It involved low-key work aimed at revitalising and modernising the park to make it functional and aesthetically attractive.

Its execution time was set for 15 months from the contract date, i.e., by 12-04-2023. However, three extensions were granted in total upon the contractor's request, with the latest one being for February 28, 2024. Essentially, this extension was required, withoutdue to no fault of the contractor's, because the process of drafting and approving the 2nd Summary Table of Works (APE) by the Municipality's Services was pending. However, the issue has already been resolved, as the draft of the 2nd APE was recently approved by the Municipal Committee, so the contractor's payment will be made after the certification of the completed works.