The Fraga cultural association has scheduled an information meeting today, June 2nd, at 19:30 p.m. in the Assembly Hall of the Bajo/Baix Cinca region
The Fraga City Council has offered the Peña Fragatina social club the return of its grounds to the Sotet esplanade during the upcoming Pilar Festival, following authorization from the Ebro River Basin Authority (CHE). This was announced on Monday by the city's mayor, Ignacio Gramún, at a press conference also attended by the councilors for Urban Planning and Festivals, Esther Rubio and Mapi Aquilué, and the presidents of Peña Fragatina, Jacquelin Orús and Pau Enrech.
The possibility of the peñas (local social clubs) returning to Sotet would also allow the fairgrounds to be relocated to the Jaime I esplanade . This would free up the area along Avenida de Aragón where the fairs have been held in recent years, improving safety in the area and traffic flow on one of the main access roads to the city.
The authorization, which has been given the green light after the CHE analyzed the 'Self-Protection Plan of the Fraga municipal pavilion and the festival grounds of the Pilar Festival in the Sotet de Fraga', is valid for the 2024 Pilar Festival, so for future editions the corresponding authorization must be requested again.
Gramún stated that this announcement “is of utmost importance to all the residents of Fraga and to the entire city of Fraga .” “We gave our word to make this a reality, and we have done so. I want to make it very clear that this success is the result of the collaborative work of many people involved,” the mayor affirmed, emphasizing that “perhaps it’s an old-fashioned value, but one’s word and commitment remain, for me and for this governing team, true symbols of character .”
The mayor thanked Esther Rubio for the work done in the Urban Planning department , a recognition he also extended to Mapi Aquilué and the Festivals department "for their good understanding and relationship with Peña Fragatina , both in the Pilar Festival and in other events that we have been carrying out together throughout the year."
Furthermore, he thanked Peña Fragatina “for the patience you have shown and for the work you have done to make it possible for the fan clubs to return to Sotet,” and also had words for the CHE, for its “willingness to establish conversations and find a joint solution to the problem that we have been dealing with for more than seven years.”
Regarding more technical issues, Gramún explained that this change was made possible by the update of the Flood Risk Management Plan and the new data provided by the City Council, which resulted in a reduction of the preferential flow zone in the Sotet esplanade, leaving all the booths and tents outside of this area.
For her part, Rubio expressed her gratitude “for the willingness and, from the very first meeting with the Ebro River Basin Authority (CHE), for the positive attitude shown by all parties , and also to Peña Fragatina for their excellent cooperation.” “I also want to thank Daniel Jones, the municipal architect, for preparing a report justifying the relocation of all the peñas (local social clubs) to the Sotet esplanade, which has been both possible and accepted,” explained the Head of Urban Planning, who added, “We are grateful and pleased with this positive solution for Fraga.”
From the Festivals Department, Aquilué stated, “We are very happy with this news. The Urban Planning Department has worked very hard with the Confederation, and we have achieved what both the Peña and the Festivals Department so desired .” “We hope that these Pilar Festivals, which we are already preparing with the Peña, will be incredible,” he added.
Finally, the directors of Peña Fragatina thanked the City Council for "this good news." "We've worked with the council in office every year, requesting that they again ask for the booths to return to the Sotet. This year was no different; we spoke with the City Council and, together, we tried to arrange meetings with the River Basin Authority," commented Orús, adding that "we are very happy with the effort made by the City Council, with the effort made by Peña, and to have the booths return to the Sotet. "
Finally, Enrech, who echoed his colleague's words, announced that the first informational meeting about the Pilar Festival will take place this Tuesday at 19:30 p.m. in the assembly hall of the Bajo/Baix Cinca region. "It's important to emphasize that this will obviously be one of the key topics, and we'll explain in more detail what returning to the festival entails, the different things that are changing, and what will remain the same," said the co-president of the festival association, who encouraged everyone to "at least one member from each association's booth to attend, because this year it's even more important to be there."
