Fuengirola Monthly 010 - June 2014

NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR FOREIGN RESIDENTS

fuengirola MonTHlY Information provided by

June 2014

issue nÂş 10

Ayuntamiento de

Fuengirola

952 58 93 00 // 952 58 94 40

FOREIGNRESIDENTS@FuENGIROLA.ORG

news Summer concerts at Sohail castle.

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news

www.fuengirola.org FuENGIROLARESIDENTSRESIDENTESFuENGIROLA

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Dog training in Guau Guau Park.

news

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New unified look for local beaches.

Pensioners to benefit from discounts on taxes PENSIONERS in Fuengirola can benefit from returns on their property tax and rubbish bills.

The councillor for Economy, Carmen Malo, announced that the period is open for local pensioners to request help to pay their property (IBI) and rubbish (Gemer) taxes.

Those who fulfil the requirements will get back 15 per cent of the IBI and 100 per cent of the Gemer taxes, as the council wants to make it easier for locals to pay their taxes.

Requests for the discount can be presented until December 15, and while they will have to pay the taxes, the town hall will make sure that the amounts are returned to them.

A long period of time has been given so they can request the discount, Malo explained, so that as many people as possible can benefit. Twentyfive people have already made their requests.

The councillor explained that to benefit, the pensioners must

CARMEN MALO: The councillor explained the conditions for the discounts. be registered on the Padron, be able to prove that they are pensioners and that they do not receive more than the minimum wage, have just one property and also that the IBI and rubbish bills are in their name.

The IBI discount is on top of the 30 per cent discount given to residents of the town who are registered on the Padron, meaning that pensioners can benefit from up to 45 per cent

discount. Last year, the council launched several ways to help people pay IBI, rubbish and road taxes.

This included payment in two stages, by which those who fulfilled certain requirements and paid the first 70 per cent of the bill did not have to pay the remaining amount. Thousands of people have benefited from this scheme on which the council has invested more than â‚Ź4.5 million.

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June 2014

Summer concerts at Sohail castle VICENTE AMIGO, Pablo Lopez and the opera Aida are the performances for this year’s City of Fuengirola Festival which will be held at the Sohail Castle in August.

The councillor for Culture, Rodrigo Romero, presented the 19th edition of the festival, which is one of the longest running cultural events of the summer on the Costa del Sol.

The first date will be August 3 at 10pm, when the castle will become the setting for Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Aida, performed by the Concerlirica International Company in collaboration with the collaboration of Donetsk Opera Theater.

Next is local singer Pablo Lopez, on August 8 at 10pm. The musician and composer came second in Operacion Triunfo

in 2008 and last year launched a very successful album which has won him several awards for his melodic pop music accompanied by the piano. Last but not least is guitarist Vicente Amigo who will present his seventh studio album, Tierra.

Tickets are on sale from €20 from www.malagaentradas.com, www.ticketmaster.es and El Corte Ingles.

Beaches accessible to everyone THIS summer, Fuengirola will once again have a beach area reserved for the disabled.

The management of the area was put out for public tender with a yearly fee of €1,164, which is a third of the amount paid in 2013.

The councillor for Beaches, Ana Mula, said adapted bathing areas were introduced in the town in 2000 and since 2011, all local beaches have a small area for the disabled, with ramps, parking areas, adapted showers, larger wooden walkways and two sun beds near the shore.

This area for sun beds is 20m2 and will have 40 sunshades and 80 sun beds. Special services such as amphibious chairs are available for the disabled, and there are lifeguards to help people get into the sea. There is also a reserved parking area on the seafront.

The councillor said the aim was for everyone to be able to enjoy the local beaches, which is why the town hall has been promoting such facilities.

DOLORES BUZON: The councillor explained that last year’s trial was a success.

Two markets for the summer evenings FuENGIROLA Town Hall will organise an ecological market and a craft market at the Roman Archaeological Site this summer.

The markets will be held at weekends from June 14 to September 28 from 7pm to midnight.

The councillor for Green Areas, Dolores Buzon, explained that the market held last year as a trial at the site was a success, and that this year, the council will be in charge of its management.

Requests to take part and all the information on conditions are available on the municipal website and on the town hall notice board. Requests will be received at the town hall ‘Registro General’ until June

4, and along with the request and documents, those interested must provide a report on the activity they plan to carry out and the products they want to sell.

The markets will have between 15 and 35 2m2 stalls with a fee of €150 for the whole period, which is €8 per week. It will be a place where local craftsmen, designers, producers and entrepreneurs can sell their goods. Items which can be sold are jewellery, paintings, engravings, leather, tin, glass, wood and other items, including hand-made food products, and at the eco-market, fruit, vegetables, eggs, dairy goods, drinks, olives, oils, vinegars, wines, jams, patés, spices and other products certified as ecological.

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Agreement to boost local employment THE town hall has reached an agreement with Club La Costa to boost employment amongst local residents.

The councillors for Tourism and Employment, Ignacio Souviron and Ricardo von Wichmann, respectively, announced that Club La Costa has promised to select candidates for future job offers from the Municipal Employment Department.

The company will also collaborate with the council on different tourism events held throughout the year.

Club La Costa has expansion plans which could mean there are up to 40 positions available at the complex, and will send offers to the Municipal Employment

AGREEMENT: Between the town hall and Club La Costa.

Department so that the profiles of local residents who fit the requirements can reach them immediately.

One of the town hall’s main aims is to boost employment amongst locals which is why

similar agreements have been signed with other companies.

In the past few years, Club La Costa has already sent 35 job offers to the council to announce, and has 240 locals on its staff.

The General Manager, Richard

Fletcher, announced that gardeners, maintenance staff and other service personnel will soon be required by the company, which has been on the Costa del Sol for 30 years.

Club La Costa has also promised to provide free bed and breakfast for five days for 200 guests invited by the town hall to the International Feria de los Pueblos, reducing costs for the visiting artists.

They will also offer prizes for participants in local gastronomic routes and have a float at the Three Kings parade distributing more than 500 kilos of sweets.

In exchange, the town hall will allow them a stand at the market on Tuesdays, the car boot sale on Saturdays and on the seafront.

Dog training in Fuengirola park fuengirola Town Hall invites people to get to know the dog training classes which are carried out at the local guau guau Park. anyone interested can register their pet at the sports Council located in the elola sports Complex, and they can try the first class for free. groups of 10 people will be formed for the free class.

The aim of the classes, the local councillor for sports, Pedro Cuevas, said, is to improve relations between people who have dogs and those who don’t.

The classes, which are held from 7.30pm to 8.30pm from Monday to friday have proved very popular with local residents. The price for registered residents of fuengirola is €45 and for non-residents, €60. They include information on how dogs should behave around other dogs and with people, legal matters for dog owners, basic obedience training, character test and other tips

TRAINING CLASSES: Where the animals can learn new skills. which will help owners to walk their dogs in public without problems. The classes are led by Miguel angel Camacho, who

trains not only the dogs, but also their owners in an area which has jumps and obstacles where the animals can learn new skills.

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Unique new look for Fuengirola’s beaches FuENGIROLA Town Hall is working towards creating a unique image for all of the local beaches.

Amongst the work which has been done, the Mayor, Esperanza Oña, remarked on the renovation of the lifeguards’ huts, the new Local Police areas, the relocation of sun beds to gain extra open space, and the gardens which have been created in shower areas to provide intimacy, as well as benches for comfort.

Fuengirola’s coast will also have leisure areas, including platforms for entertainment at sea, specific areas for sand sculptures and pedalos for hire.

All of this has been possible thanks to an €1.8 million investment which was approved by the Coastal Department and the Junta de Andalucia.

The mayor said that the change in the appearance of the beaches was “spectacular” and made the coastline look a lot tidier. Work has been carried out over the past two years, although it was six years ago when the idea was first put out for public tender.

TIDIED UP: New blue, white and yellow information panels.

The colours used are blue, white and yellow which are present in the new information panels at the entrance to the beaches, showers and waste paper bins.

There are eight surveillance towers along

the coast, painted yellow so they can’t be missed, and there are new flags alerting of sea conditions. The walkways onto the beaches are now wider to improve accessibility and lead to the showers.

Oña shows support for taxi sector THE Mayor, Esperanza Oña, received signatures from representatives of the taxi sector in more than 675 towns to request that they continue to be allowed to pick up passengers at the airport with prior arrangement.

Accompanied by the councillor for Citizen Safety, Rodrigo Romero, the mayor met with the President of the Federation of Taxi Drivers from tourist destinations on the Costa del Sol, Olivia Rodriguez. She is also the President of Radio Taxi Fuengirola.

The aim was to hear what the drivers want, which is to demand

SUPPORT: The mayor receives the taxi driver signatures. the Junta de Andalucia maintain Decree 11/85 which allows taxis from outside Malaga City to pick

up passengers from Malaga airport and port, as long as their services have been hired

beforehand. Such services only account for around 10 per cent.

Fuengirola Council has already shown its support for this request, which arose when in February, Malaga City taxis demanded that the decree be overruled.

Oña is also the Vice-President of the Andalucian Parliament and recently met with local drivers to hear their concerns. The aim is to request a meeting with the Junta de Andalucia.

Rodriguez said she had read in the press the Junta may propose reciprocity, allowing for drivers to pick up passengers to go to the airport if hired in advance.

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Summer camps for local schoolchildren A MuNICIPAL Summer Camp will be held in Fuengirola in July and August at four local schools.

In 2013, some 250 people took part in the summer camps.

This year, they will be at El Tejar, Santa Amalia, Picasso and Valdelecrin Schools, from 9am to 2pm.

To take part, children must be registered residents of the town, have been in school during the 2013/2014 academic year, and aged between three and 12.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Carmen Diaz and Francisco Jose Martin gave details of the camps.

The price is €121.70 per child per month.

The councillors for Education and Social

Las Palmeras facelift plan THE town hall has assigned the job of drawing up plans for the project to refurbish the ground floor of Las Palmeras complex.

The councillor for urban Development, Ana Mula, said that the project will be carried out by the town hall to speed up the process, but the costs will later be met by owners.

The fact that the area is made up of several communities which have not joined forces and is private has somewhat complicated the process.

She said that the town hall had been worried about the state of the ground floor of the complex, which includes homes, commercial premises, restaurants, bars and a hotel, and which she said had fallen into disrepair over the years.

Meetings have been held with owners to request improvements as the town hall can’t take

ANA MULA: The councillor explained the project. measures without their approval.

As the area falls under the General Plan for urban Development (PGOu), owners have been notified of the amount they have to pay so the project can go ahead.

The town hall will go ahead with the project once plans are

received from a local architect who will be paid €38,000, also from the owners. The final plans and costs should be available within a few months.

The main aspects will involve the appearance and lighting of the area, as it is close to busy seafront locations.

Services, Carmen Diaz and Francisco Jose Martin, respectively, announced that the provisional lists of admitted children will be on the notice boards at the Casa de la Cultura and the Social Services building in Calle Blanca Paloma from June 6.

Appeals can be lodged from June 9 to 13, which is also the period to pay the registration fees.

The final lists of those who have been granted help to pay for the camp will be posted in the same places on June 19.

The final list of admitted students will be published on June 25.

Martin said that the aim of the summer camps is to help locals combine work and family life, as well as offering fun, healthy activities for children.

They were first launched in 1995.

Diaz said it also created employment as monitors are hired locally for the camps.