The Mequinenza City Council approves a modification to the project for the "Magda Godia" Senior Citizens' Residence and Day Center, valued at 190.000 euros.
This is the second modification to the initial construction project of the building, which includes improvements in the kitchen, laundry and fire protection, among others, and with which the works are considered complete.
The Mequinenza Town Council unanimously approved, in an extraordinary plenary session, Amendment No. 2 to the construction project for the "Magda Godia" Senior Citizens' Residence and Day Center. The first amendment did not entail any price increase, but this second amendment represents an investment of just over €190.000 and includes improvements to the kitchen, laundry facilities, and fire safety, raising the total budget for the completed project to €6,1 million.
In her address, Montse Gimeno, councilor for citizens and social services , stated that the approved and implemented modification improves services for residents and day center users. She explained that the new plan includes a fully equipped kitchen and laundry facilities, allowing, for example, the daily preparation of meals on-site, eliminating the initially planned outsourcing of these services. She added that the plan also includes offering home-delivered meals for those who need them. She also mentioned the undergrounding of the fire suppression system's water tank in the future garden, "which allows us to gain usable space around the Residence."
Gimeno emphasized the importance of opening the Residential Care Home and Day Center to meet the demand and criticized the fact that, after five months and three meetings, the Bajo Cinca Regional Council has not approved the request made by the Mequinenza Town Council for nearly €700.000 to equip the building. He asserted that, “this negligence in such a social, humane, and necessary project for the care of our elderly is incomprehensible,” and revealed that the regional body has refused to allocate funds to contract residential care places, as the Mequinenza council has done. “This is, now that we are in Holy Week, the first of Pedro's denials.”
Manel Molina, spokesperson for Tú Aragón, regarding the commitment requested from the Bajo Cinca region for the "Magda Godia" Residence and Day Center in Mequinenza, called for a broader perspective and urged that "the focus be on the towns and not just the capital, because all anyone talks about is the residence in Fraga, which is also necessary, but the region has to do something." From the People's Party, the party that leads the regional body, José María Algueró, municipal spokesperson and councilor, insisted that "my vote is only one, and we are studying it; we have our discussions, but we will try to make it happen."
Antonio Sanjuán, the mayor of Mequinenza, expressed his disappointment at the delay in the response to the request submitted to the Bajo Cinca Regional Council for funding to equip the Residential Care Home and Day Center. Despite having a budget allocation of €2 million designated for Regional Residences since April 2023, he stated, "We've done our homework, and they, after three meetings in five months, still don't seem to understand." He emphasized that "many people are waiting; it's a very sensitive issue." He also expressed deep concern upon learning of the draft budget for the regional council for 2024, which includes no allocation for the Mequinenza Residential Care Home. "This demonstrates a lack of will," he said, warning of the "seriousness" and potential consequences of failing to utilize a budgeted and requested allocation.
