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A group of students study the Xàbia Histórica Open Commercial Centre
February 28th
A group of students of the University of Alicante visited Javea yesterday to study the experience of the “Xàbia Histórica” Open Commercial Centre and its relations with the Local Council. The students, who are enrolled in a master's degree program for Local Development Agents, listened to the Manager of the business network, Jaume Serra and the senior official for commerce, Carles Jover, who explained how the Association is working to increase the competitiveness of the small and medium-sized commerces, promoting associations, improving the shopping district and promoting the Old Town with the support of the Local Council. They spoke about the initiatives such as the decoration of the shop windows of empty premises, tapas fairs, craft or stock fairs and the contest of corners and balconies with charm. A few of the ideas that the Association has for future self-financing were also discussed. (Press Release)
Contract for maintenance of parks and garden areas out to tender
Feb 28th
The town hall is to approve a regular maintenance contract for the park and garden areas of camí Cabanes. The annual contract will be for € 18,655 a year with the possibility of extension. In particular the company will be responsible for maintenance of the landscaped areas in front of Puerta Fenicia, Bon Sol, Capsades 1.9, near the Amjasa offices, roundabvout to Benitatxell, punt verd of Camí Absubies, Cansalades connection with calle Albocer, zona verde Cansalades with Francisco Gimeno and Tosalet 5. The job will be awarded to a local company. From XAD:Concurso para el...
€11,000 saved by getting rid of water dispensers
Feb 20th
The Local Executive Board of Javea has agreed to buy a new vehicle for public road maintenance because the current vehicle is in prercarious condition. They also cancelled the contract for the water dispensers located in the various municpal offices. According to explanations by the Mayor, José Chulvi, an 11-month long monitoring of this service has shown it to cost the Town Hall 11,900 euros. Therefore, in lines with the savings policy in place in the Town Hall, the decision was reached to remove the dispensers at end of this month. Another agreement made at Monday morning's meeting was to sign up to the maintenance service of the "virtual environments", an ICT tool which facilitates the mobility of town hall officials, allowing them to keep the same telephone extension and computer regardless of where they are located within the building. From Press Release.
Unauthorised soil dumping denounced
Feb 24th
Residents of the Saladar spotted lorries dumping mounds of soil on an area of the Saladar which was in the process of re-establishing its characteristic vegetation. They denounced the activity, which turned out to be unauthorised dumping of soil from a plot in Portitxol. The Portitxol landowner also owns the Saladar plot. The dumping has been stopped . From XAD: Vecinos del Saladar....
Business Startup tax slashed
Feb 26th
Jávea Town Hall has decided to give entrepreneurs a full rebate of the tax applied to the opening of new businesses. This measure will apply for a year on a trial basis and will represent a saving of between one and three thousand Euros for business starting up in the municipality. Only The Bloc Centristes voted against the measure, saying the tax should still apply to large companies coming in from outside. The counter argument was that it was precisely these sorts of companies which would create jobs and that Jávea has to try to be competitive and attractive to new investments. From XAD: Xàbia aprueba....
No more garden rubbish bonfires
Burning only permitted for farmland and garden centres
Feb 26th
The days of the garden rubbish bonfire are over. The Town Council unanimously approved new bye laws which restrict the burning of prunings and trimmings of to agricultural production plots and certain areas of agricultural land. Garden centres are able to register for permission. For details see: Burning regulations 2012
Land bank to conserve farm land
Feb 26th
At the Fifteenth General meeting of the AVA (Valencian Farmers Association) Xàbia branch, local farmers highlighted the difficulty of continuing the cultivation of orange trees, which were no longer profitable. Competition from Morocco was a major problem. The Town Hall expressed a commitment to support local agriculture and tabled the "Terra Xàbia" project in which a bank of abandoned plots will be created to encourage agriculture, renting them to people who want to work the land. This not only encourages activity in this sector, but also keeps the land clean and free of vermin. The idea includes the promotion of organic farming through a training program. Other lines of action were the creation of a Xàbia brand for local agricultural products and the use of watsewater from the sewerage works to irrigate the Pla. For
more details see: AVA AGM 2012
Scrub fire in Nova Xàbia
Feb 22nd
A scrub fire has burned some 250 square metres of pine forest and scrub in Calle Lastres (Nova Xàbia). It had been started by someone's bonfire of tree prunings which had been badly extinguished. The Town Council asked that people show common sense. It is irresponsible to dump garden rubbish in the forest, let alone burn it there. The fire was put out by park firemen, civil protection and local police. (From Press Release)
Young people build a BMX circuit with help from the Town Hall
Feb 21st
Two young friends have teamed up with the Town hall and a group of enthusiasts to build a BMX circuit in the Pou del Moro area. The Town Hall has provided the land, the soil for building the track and bought a ramp. All the labour was provided by the BMX enthusiasts themselves. They have created four different graded circuits. The idea is to provide a resource for the youth of the town, encourage them not to practice sport in unsuitable places (like Portal del Clot) and in future organise competitions. This initiative came about through the Young peoples Citizen's Participation project promoted by Councillor Cesc Camprubí. From XAD: Unos jovenes......
AMJASA to repair pipelines on five major roads
Feb 21st
AMJASA will spend €200,000 to repair and replace five water mains which have reputations for frequent leaks. The jobs will be undertaken in 2012 by local contractors. The contracts are for: Avenida Lepanto (71.074€), Avenida Augusta (40.992€), Avenida Mediterráneo (33.494€), Travesía Cansalades (8.966€) and Avenida Libertad (40.010€). Work will begin after Easter and is scheduled to be finished before 15th June. The work has been made possible by the improved economic performance of the water company which has moved from a deficit of €821,068 in 2010 to an expected surplus of €319,000 in 2012. It should be noted that 40% of the water supply is lost through leaks. From Press Release and XAD:Amjasa repara...
Municipally promoted service connects 200 homes by Wireless Internet in Moraira/Teulada
Feb 21st
A pioneering service provided by the company DM Systems has connected 200 homes to the Internet by long distance wireless. The the Teulada/Moraira Town Hall launched the project in July. The system is capable of connecting up to 10,000 homes with high speed broadband and can also be used to manage security cameras. Tariffs are €11.20 for one mega; with 3 and 6 megabyte costing €15.25 and €17.70 per month plus IVA. No telephone line required. From: Teulada Town Hall website
Major issues aired at first meetings of Town Planning Committee
Subsequent meetings open to the public
Feb 17th
Following its formal establishment, the Committee on Planning and Environment met for the first time this week. It is an advisory body composed of representatives of professional associations, business and Agenda 21 , as well as various municipal groups. In this first contact, each representative gave a list of demands and issues which the respective groups thought important for the advisory body to address. The majority agreed on a number of issues to tackle such as bye laws on the occupation of public roads, planning regulations and road re-organisation. For full report on the meeting see: Sectoral Committee on Town Planning and the Environment - First Meeting
Training course for AMJASA plumbers
Feb 16th
The municipal water company AMJASA , has obtained a grant from la Asociación Española de Empresas Gestoras de los Servicios de Agua a Poblaciones (AGA)( Spanish Association of public Water Services Managers) to improve the training of their workers. This will consist of a course on corrective maintenance in water distribution systems for plumbers, comprised of nine AMJASA professionals and three additional unemployed workers. Classes will be held on Friday mornings of the 2, 9 and 16th March and will be taught by AGA technical training staff. From XAD Los fontaneros.... For more details in English see: Amjasa AGA training
Participatory budgets - a tool for participation and municipal management
Feb 17th
In a talk held on Wednesday 15th in the Casa de Cultura, Sociologist Francisco Francés García defined a participatory budget as: "a tool for participation and management of the town, through which the citizen decides on a portion of public expenditure." Participatory Budgeting in Spain has been developed over the past 10 years. First to adopt it was an Andalucian town and now the practice has spread to nearly 70 municipalities of all sizes across the country, but mainly along the Mediterranean coast. In cities between 10 000 and 50 000 inhabitants, it is normal to allocate on average 1.90% of the municipal revenue to a participatory budget.
Last November, the citizens of Xàbia were able to vote on a preset list of projects making up €400,000, representing some 0.8% of the money in the municipal coffers in 2012. Mayor José Chulvi , and the Councillor for Citizen Participation, Cesc Camprubí, explained that this is not exactly how the government team wanted to develop participatory budgets , but it was all they could do in the short time they had had after being elected. So this year they had decided to start the project earlier, with the idea of presenting the budget in October. This talk was the first step to defining a better procedure. Fran Francés went on to describe how participatory budgets were organised in other towns in Spain, and the strengths and weaknesses of the different models. For a full account of the talk see: Participatory budgets
Carnaval without sardine burial will save €3,800
Feb 16th
This year no dead sardine will be buried at Xàbia's Carnaval which will be celebrated in the Old Town on Saturday 18th February. The cancellation of this little ritual, particularly the accompanying band and mobile disco will directly save €3800, not to speak of police overtime. From Las Provincias: Xàbia ahorra.... The Childrens' parade will begin at 5.00pm and the celebrations for adults at 11.00pm.
Calling all Skiers (and would be skiers)
Feb 16th
The Xàbia Department of Sports has organized a weekend trip to Sierra Nevada for 9, 10 and 11 March. The ski trip includes two nights accommodation, half board for the Saturday and breakfast on the Sunday at a hotel in the centre of Granada, the round-trip coach and transfer to the slopes. Its base price is 110 euros with the option to to hire services such as ski passes, equipment hire and lessons. Places are limited so those interested are advised to register early at the reception of Palau d'Esports, (Jávea Port) between 9 to 21 hours. (From Press Release )
Beach surveillance contract up for tender
Feb 15th
The contract for providing surveillance of Jávea's beaches has been put up for tender at a price of €350,000 (50,000 less than last time) for one year which covers one Easter and one summer. Interested companies have 15 days to present their offers, which will be judged on a points basis. The Town Hall has also opened a tender for a two year contract for the supply of fuel for municipal vehicles at €82,400 per year. From Las Provincias:Xàbia licita....
Calling all long distance runners (and walkers)
A race (or amble) through Granadella
The Llebeig Xàbia Running Club presented the third edition of its mountain crossing in Javea, which will be held on Sunday, 26 February. The race will go through the Granadella forestry park, and may be done by running or walking. The running race will be 16 kilometres starting at 10am from Pinosol Park. Trophies will be given to the top three in winners in the Youth, Senior, Veterans A and Veterans B categories, with one each for men and women. There will also be a prize for the local podium and the largest team, as well as a commemorative t-shirt for all participants. People who wish to walk will start about 10 minutes later than the runners and cover 13 kilometres non-competitively. Registration, for people 16 or over, will be open until the 24th Feb and can be done at www.conxip.es or in the La Rulla Sports store. The price is 12 Euros and includes civil liability insurance, provisions, a runner's bag with a t-shirt and lunch at the end of the race. From Press Release. For more deatils of this and other events to be organised by Club Llebeig see:Club Llebeig 2012
Guided tour of Old Town - in Chinese, Dutch, English and Spanish
Feb 14th. To celebrate the International Day of Tourist Guides on Tuesday, 21st February, the official Tourist Guide Yenling Chan has volunteered her services to offer a tour of Javea's Old Town in standard and less commonly used languages. The guided tour, in Spanish, English, Chinese and Dutch, will take the visitor through the streets of the Old Town and to its most emblematic buildings. This free activity will depart from the Tourist Information Centre located in the Plaza de la Iglesia at 11.00 am on February 21st. The Javea Tourism Department has offered its collaboration to this unique initiative by the professional guide.(From Press Release)
Yenlig made the regional TV : Here's the clip: http://www.rtvv.es/va/comunidad-valenciana/Yenling-lunica-turistica-oficial-Comunitat_0_650335035.html
Benefit concert in Javea by Sanctis Diebus of Salisbury Singers
The donations collected will go to Cáritas
Feb 13th
This Saturday February 18th the church Our Lady of Loreto, in the Port of Javea, will host a benefit concert by the Sanctis Diebus of Salisbury Singers, the proceeds of which will go to the charity organization Cáritas. The recital will begin at 9 pm. and a repertoire of sacred music of the Renaissance will be offered. Under the direction of Nicholas Hale, the singers will perform works such as the motet 'EcceSacerdos Magnus' by Tomás Luis de Victoria, the 'EcceSacerdos' Mass by Pedro Guerrero, and a selection of motets and hymns composed by Thomas Tallis and William Byrd. Although admission is free, the organisers encourage the public to make voluntary donations after the concert to help the needy persons of the municipality. (From Press Release)
First phase of Strategic Plan complete
Town Hall continues to welcome public participation
Feb 21st
The first phase of drafting Jávea's Strategic Plan has been completed. The conclusions of the five consultative committees held last November and December are now available for public viewing (in Castilian and Valenciano). They can be consulted online at the municipal website by clicking on: http://www.ajxabia.com/es/ciudadanos/plan-estrategico/documentacion. The plan is dynamic and people can submit their ideas via the Municipal website. (Click here: http://www.ajxabia.com/es/plan-estrategico/participa-en-los-foros. Choose the sub-heading you wish to contribute to and download the PDF "Ficha" which can be completed on-line and sent back by clicking on "Enviar" at the top.) The second round of meetings, aimed at defining a Revitalization Plan, will take place in March. The plan will be ready by June and will include only economically and socially viable ideas. For full press release see: Strategic plan 2011
UNED for Seniors opens registration for courses in Literature, History and Computer Science
10 Feb
UNED for Seniors has opened registration for enrolment in three courses to be offered in Javea during the second semester. The course in advanced computer science, (a follow-up to the first semester) on Monday afternoons, is nearly full. The literature course entitled "Great Characters of Spanish Literature" by Professor Victoria Monera will take place on Tuesdays from 5.30 to 7.30pm in the library. The third course is "History of Modern Art (Renaissance)", taught by Alfred Serrano on Mondays and Thursdays from 6.30 to 8.00pm. Registration will be open until the beginning of March and the price is 40 Euros for students who have already completed studies at the UNED for Seniors and 45 for new students. Registration is on Monday, Tuesday or Friday afternoons at the Institute Antoni Llidó or Thursday morning at the second floor of the library. The UNED for Seniors programme is aimed at persons over the age of 55 and does not require any prior degrees. The only requirement is an interest in expanding one's knowledge. This new concept of adult education has been offered in Javea for four years. From Press Release
Mouth of Gorgos landscaped and improved
Feb 10th
The Town Hall Services Department has used small machinery, excavators and hand tools to remove vegetation blocking the Gorgos river bed close to its mouth. This includes canes, brambles and other invasive shrubs as well as the bases of eucalyptus trees. Meanwhile specimens of tamarisk (which help to consolidate the soil) have been pruned and 40 additional plants planted in a contact area where salt and fresh water meet. Eroded areas have been leveled and compacted and garbage removed. These activities not only serve to help the flow of the river in times of flood, but add to the secnic value of the river mouth. From XAD:Xàbia recupera....
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Mercadona - Valencia's "John Lewis"
Turning centimos into millions
Feb 12th
A feature article in the Sunday Las Provincias describes the success of Mercadona, the Valencian Supermarket chain which plans to open 20 new stores, including one in the "Golden Mile" Calle Serrano of Madrid. This family-owned business will also be opening up stores in France and Italy (countries which are both culturally similar, and nearby). All the 63,000 Mercadona staff are on proper contracts and they start off at 1100 Euros a month (gross) with a pay increase after the first year and annual productivity bonuses (€210 million distributed last year). Most work near their homes and there is free childcare for staff. The suppliers of Mercadona's own branded goods (e.g. Deliplus, Hacendado) have supply contracts in perpetuity, provided they keep their quality high, and respond to requirements for new product lines. Mercadona has been able to save costs by shaving centimos from details of packaging (€80,000 saved by using plain drinking straws on packets of fruit juice rather than stripey ones) and keeping a narrow range of products within a product type. They are aware that shoppers are not sensitive to small price variations of goods, but are more aware of the total cost of their weekly shop. (reduced by 4% last year). The rate of absenteeism in 2010 was 0.85% versus 5% of the Spanish average. For full text of this article (in Spanish) see: Diariovasco - El tendero....
Mercadona to market fish from Valencia and Castellon guilds
Feb 1st
Mercadona has signed two agreements with the provincial federations of fishermen's associations of Valencia and Castellon to buy 200 tonnes of fresh fish per month. The parties also agreed to set the price of fish according to the day’s auction at the fish market. They hope both to support the local fisheries industry and promote the sale of fresh local fish in the interior using the supermarket's supply chain. For full story see: FIS World News
Labour reform makes it cheaper to fire workers
Feb 11th
The National Cabinet on Friday approved what Labour Minister Fátima Báñez termed an “historic” reform of the labour market that makes it cheaper and easier for companies to sack workers. “The objective of the government is to fight against unemployment, and stop the hemorrhaging of jobs,” Báñez said. “We will make the causes for dismissal much more specific. This will introduce more legal security for everyone.” The new legislation also includes measures on temporary contracts, hiring incentives, collective bargaining, job placement, training and setting up small businesses. For highlights of the measures see: El Pais (in English) - Labor reform....
Teulada Town Hall goes for Google
9th Feb
Teulada/Moraira Town Hall has decided to go for "Cloud Computing" and Google Apps as its technological platform for e-mail and group work, both internally as well as when interacting with the public. It is hoped they will be able to save 50% on IT maintenance since there will less need to update hardware and software. The platform enables employees and users to access data from computers and mobile devices at any time, since the information is stored in the "cloud" on Google servers. The announcement was made via a videoconference press release between the mayor of Teulada, Antoni Joan Bertomeu, the Director of Google Enterprise España y Portugal, Niels-Chrisitan Krüger and Javier Lorente, Enterprise Account Manager. From XAD: El Ayuntamiento....
Mediterranean seagrass could be hundreds of thousands of years old
Seagrass plants alive today may have begun life in the late Pleistocene at the dawn of humanity
A sprawling meadow of seagrass in the shallows of the Mediterranean may be the oldest living organisms on Earth. Scientists calculated the age of the plants from DNA tests on clumps gathered from the seafloor between Spain and Cyprus. They revealed the typical age of the seagrass, Posidonia oceanica, to be thousands or tens of thousands of years old, though some appeared to more ancient still. A 15km-wide stretch of seagrass lying in waters off the Spanish island of Formentera could be 200,000 years old, the scientists found, dating it to the late Pleistocene and the dawn of humanity. From: The Guardian
Public participation in Town Hall budgets - how best can this be done?
Feb 8th
Jávea's Department of Citizen Participation is organising a public meeting to initiate a system whereby the citizens of Jávea can have a say in determining aspects of the Town Hall's annual budget. Last year, because of lack of time, members of the public chose from a list of projects via a simple vote at an Agenda21 meeting. Councillor Camprubí wants to develop a more open and representative system. As a first step towards this he will be hosting an informative meeting to outline the methods and experiences of participatory budgets in other Spanish Towns. The speaker will be sociologist and specialist in this field , Francisco Francés García. The meeting will be on Wednesday 15th February at 8.00pm in the Casa de Cultura. All welcome. (From Press Release and Agenda21 notification.) For details see: Participatory budgets
Proposal to restore the salt marsh of the Saladar
Feb 6
The Cirne Foundation recently organized a talk on the Saladar and its cultural heritage in which the plant biologist Jaume Soler proposed the protection of this natural area, referring to its risk as a flood prone area, its biological, historical and cultural values and new legislation regarding conservation of the coast . For details see: Soler's proposal for the Saladar
Jávea up to date with contributions to regional services
Feb 6th
Jávea Town Hall has authorized the payment of its contribution to the Provincial Consortium for the Fire Prevention, Extinction and Rescue Service of Alicante corresponding to the first semester of 2012 for a total of 103,000 Euros. As with the Provincial Fire Service, the municipality is up to date on its payments to all consortia or commonwealths (mancomunidades) that offer services to the Marina Alta district (comarca) such as the Consorci Esportiu de la Marina Alta (CEMA), Mancomunitat Cultural de la Marina Alta (MACMA), the Consortium for the Economic Recovery and Activity of the Marina Alta (CREAMA) and the Area Waste Plan of Area 15 corresponding to the Marina Alta. The Local Council has paid all its contributions for 2011 and has budgeted those for the current year in the 2012 accounts, ratified since December. From Press Release.
Almost as many houses as people
Feb 5th
There are 210,000 new dwellings up for sale in the Comunidad Valenciana. In the Marina Alta there are more than 20,000 empty properties and an estimated 56,000 second homes. These vacant properties enhance the impression of ghost towns, notable among which are Gata Residencial with over 300 of its 700 houses empty and up for sale, and the Via Augusta between the Port and Arenal in Jávea. Records for Dénia and Xàbia show that there are almost the same number of houses as there are inhabitants on the Padrón. From Levante:Mas de.... (Eds note: According to the Gata Residents' association, these figures are wrong and misleading.)
Xàbia Port Expansion ditched ?
Valencia wants to re-organise existing harbour
Feb 5th
It seems that the proposal for enlarging the port of Javea has been torn up and now the Regional Ministry of Infrastructure, Planning and the Environment is working on a project to reorganize the current harbour. The demands of the Town Hall, and the Club Nautico (whose concession expires in 2017) have been taken into account and Valencia is now looking at optimising the space in the Port harbour and improving use of the Canal de la Fontana and adjacent municipal land for small boats. From XAD: Conselleria quiere.... For detailed background to this issue see:Port
Town Hall organises family workshops for parents of teenage childen
Professionals will advise on dealing with sexuality, substance abuse and communication breakdown.
Feb 1st.
How would you react if your son told you he was fed up and threatened to leave home? Or if your daughter confessed that she was two months pregnant and had no idea what to do? What would you do if you found marijuana in your son's pockets? How would you react if you received a phone call from the police saying that your daughter was in an alcoholic coma? Preparing yourself for these situations is the main goal of the workshop that the Javea Town Hall and the local Red Cross Assembly have organised for the parents of teenagers in the municipality. At these meetings parents will learn techniques for improving communication within the family, as well as tips on how to prevent, or how to react appropriately to problems having such as teenage sex, substance abuse, or eating disorders. The project involves the departments of Youth, Health, Social Services and Education, whose staff will help explain the problems that teenagers are facing and how they affect their relationship with their parents. From press release. For more details see: Workshops for parents of teenage children
Consultative Committee on Town Planning and the Environment convened
First task will be the General Plan
Feb 3rd
Jávea's Consultative Committee on Town Planning and the Environment has been set up. This is a forum to discuss the options for development and environmental issues affecting the municipality. One of the most important topics for discussion will be the future General Town Plan, which is under review, but the forum will also address more specific issues such as the planning of roundabouts and infrastucture affecting the use of public roads. The chairman will be Sapena Pere, Councillor for Town Planning , who will be accompanied by a representative of each political group on the Council. The other members are spokespersons for groups such as neighborhood associations, businesses, construction, services, technical departments etc. The Agenda 21 forum will be represented by Manuel Fernández and Guiomar Ramírez-Montesinos. It will meet every two weeks.From Press Release and XAD: Xàbia constitue... For details see: Town Planning - Consultative Committee
Moraira/Teulada, Benissa and Val de Pop club together to promite tourism
Feb 2nd
Moraira/Teulada, Benissa and Val de Pop have signed an agreement to organise joint tourist promotions including a "Tourist Guide Benissa, Teulada-Moraira, Vall de Pop" which brings together tourism products grouped under sea, nature, culture and gastronomy, with the common link being Muscatel. There is also a calendar of activities entitled "Let yourself Go" From XAD: Media area...
Ring Road Repairs start Monday February 6th
Works in three phases over 6 weeks
Feb 1st
Repair work on the ring roads around the Old Town will begin Monday February 1st. As explained previously, the company responsible for the original work is to replace cobbles which have lifted and waste-paper bins which have gone rusty. These repairs fall under the original warranty and therefore will not involve any expenditure to the municipal coffers. Town Hall will take the opportunity to smooth the sharp kerbs which have caused damage to cars and which constitute a danger to pedestrians. These works have been commissioned to a local company at a cost of 0.70 Euros per metre, with an estimated total cost of less than 2,000 Euros. For details about which roads will be affected when and detours which will be necessary, see: Ring Road repairs 2012
