President Luis Abinader participated in the signing of the agreement between the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) and six public institutions with which the second stage of the renovation of the Colonial City will begin after the National Congress approved a loan for US$90 million with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for these purposes.
The project involves the intervention of more than five kilometers of streets, underground electrical wiring, storm drains, sidewalks, four museums, and the facades of 148 houses, as well as the recovery of the Mella Avenue market.
The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, announced that by order of President Abinader the Parque Colón and El Conde Street would also be restored with government resources.
Abinader assured that in 14 months the works should be completed. For his part, the IDB representative in the Dominican Republic, Miguel Coronado, announced that the European Union will donate three million dollars for the work.
The Mitur is the executing agency of the program, acting through the Program Coordinating Unit (PCU) and in coordination with ADN and the Ministry of Culture.
Collado reported that the neighborhood councils will be part of the intervention process as overseers.
Last April, the president eliminated the Patronage of the Colonial City, creating the Committee for the Preservation of the Colonial City of Santo Domingo.
The president inaugurated on August 6 the Atarazanas parking lot, on the street of the same name, the first one that will operate under the Parquéate-RD trust, as part of the efforts to develop this historic area.
Abinader stressed that, just over 30 years ago, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared the Colonial City, its streets and buildings, as a World Heritage Site.
The agreement was signed by the Minister of Tourism; the mayor of the National District, Carolina Mejía; the Minister of Culture, Carmen Heredia, and the Director of Monumental Heritage, Juan Fortunato Mubarak Pérez. Also, the administrator of the Electricity Distribution Company of the East (EDEEste), Andrés Astacio; the director of the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel), Nelson Arroyo; the representative of the IDB, Miguel Coronado; the representatives of the telecommunications companies Viva, Marcos Herrera; Altice, Danilo Ginebra, and Claro, Omar Acosta.
The objectives of the investment
The main objective of the program is to revitalize the Colonial City in its urban, economic and cultural tourism aspects. It will be carried out through the recovery of public spaces and historical monuments, the improvement of living conditions for residents, the development of local economies, and the strengthening of the management of the area. The program will benefit residents and merchants in the area, as well as tourists. The program establishes four components: consolidation of the offer of cultural tourism, improvement of the living conditions of the residents of the Colonial City, development of local economies and strengthening of tourist, cultural and urban management.
Source:
Diario Libre
