NewsWhore
02-14-2011, 01:30 PM
Santo Domingo City Council (AND) ended a three-year work stoppage on the remodeling of the Eugenio Maria de Hostos Park with the resumption of construction work this week. The move comes after the National Hotels & Tourism Association and the Santo Domingo Hotels Association announced a mock funeral for the Malecon, criticizing the city authorities' neglect of the emblematic seafront avenue.
Earlier in the week the ADN also restarted construction work on Guibia beach, another oft-announced remodeling project that had been put on hold.
The hoteliers criticized the way in which one of the city's main attractions did not seem to merit the attention of the city council, to the detriment of tourism in the city and public recreation in general.
The announcement follows the city council's decision to impose new taxes, but the hotel associations dispute its right to levy these taxes, arguing that only Congress can create or increase taxes. A funeral mass is scheduled for 18 February to mourn the neglect of the Malecon by city and government authorities.
As reported in Hoy, Mayor Roberto Salcedo said that a 300-car parking lot would be built for Hostos Park, partly underground.
Salcedo said that the sidewalks would be finished in two weeks and the interior would be remodeled following the original design. The park, which was originally built in 1937, has been closed for three years since the remodeling works were announced.
Diario Libre reported that a higher administrative court suspended Resolution No. 41-2010 issued by the Council of the National District Government that had authorized the BanReservas to lend RD$450 million to the AND. Diario Libre mentions that the decision, dated 4 February by judge Sara Henriquez Marin followed a request from city councilor Waldys Taveras who disputed the request for the loan on the grounds that the money was being requested to pay debts that dated back to 2010. Taveras argued that the law for municipal indebtedness established the rules for taking on debt, and these were not being met in the case of the requested BanReservas loan. BanReservas is the government-owned commercial bank.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#4)
Earlier in the week the ADN also restarted construction work on Guibia beach, another oft-announced remodeling project that had been put on hold.
The hoteliers criticized the way in which one of the city's main attractions did not seem to merit the attention of the city council, to the detriment of tourism in the city and public recreation in general.
The announcement follows the city council's decision to impose new taxes, but the hotel associations dispute its right to levy these taxes, arguing that only Congress can create or increase taxes. A funeral mass is scheduled for 18 February to mourn the neglect of the Malecon by city and government authorities.
As reported in Hoy, Mayor Roberto Salcedo said that a 300-car parking lot would be built for Hostos Park, partly underground.
Salcedo said that the sidewalks would be finished in two weeks and the interior would be remodeled following the original design. The park, which was originally built in 1937, has been closed for three years since the remodeling works were announced.
Diario Libre reported that a higher administrative court suspended Resolution No. 41-2010 issued by the Council of the National District Government that had authorized the BanReservas to lend RD$450 million to the AND. Diario Libre mentions that the decision, dated 4 February by judge Sara Henriquez Marin followed a request from city councilor Waldys Taveras who disputed the request for the loan on the grounds that the money was being requested to pay debts that dated back to 2010. Taveras argued that the law for municipal indebtedness established the rules for taking on debt, and these were not being met in the case of the requested BanReservas loan. BanReservas is the government-owned commercial bank.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#4)