NewsWhore
08-14-2007, 04:50 PM
Tourism Minister Felix Jimenez proposed apartments to be built on the 50,000-meter site of a former chocolate factory known as La Chocolatera in the center of Puerto Plata city during a presentation at an American Chamber of Commerce luncheon.
The project also involves relocating two nearby slum areas. Jimenez is also a leading national real estate developer.
The Minister's proposal conflicts with findings and proposals resulting from studies that are being conducted by the Ministry of Culture, which has legal custody of the factory installations. The Ministry of Culture has worked on proposals for the site, with guidance from Sirchal, a French consulting organization. The Ministry of Culture is focusing on using the site to develop cultural and educational activities for the city of Puerto Plata. The Inter-American Development Bank, Ministries of Environment, Education, First Lady's Office, the state training institute Infotep, and cultural and business groups from Puerto Plata have taken part in the deliberations.
As reported in Diario Libre, Deputy Culture Minister Lourdes Camilo says there are definite plans to restore the site with cultural projects. "That plan is the result of the Sirchal work sessions and we cannot discard what the population wants and the aspiration to turn that place into an educational and cultural center. But in the Minister of Tourism's opinion, the cultural center is nonsense," she complained. At the AmCham meeting Jimenez said "It can be a good purpose, a good objective between quotation marks, but it would not make sense because what is a cultural center doing when there are slums in the area, even in gullies. It makes no sense," as reported in Diario Libre.
Jimenez proposed that private companies should develop the site because the government does not have the funds for this purpose. Rafael Silverio, president of the Playa Dorada Hotels Association and owner of the Kuki Silverio Industrial construction company in Puerto Plata presented architectural drawings of the proposed apartment complex during the AmCham presentation.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#7)
The project also involves relocating two nearby slum areas. Jimenez is also a leading national real estate developer.
The Minister's proposal conflicts with findings and proposals resulting from studies that are being conducted by the Ministry of Culture, which has legal custody of the factory installations. The Ministry of Culture has worked on proposals for the site, with guidance from Sirchal, a French consulting organization. The Ministry of Culture is focusing on using the site to develop cultural and educational activities for the city of Puerto Plata. The Inter-American Development Bank, Ministries of Environment, Education, First Lady's Office, the state training institute Infotep, and cultural and business groups from Puerto Plata have taken part in the deliberations.
As reported in Diario Libre, Deputy Culture Minister Lourdes Camilo says there are definite plans to restore the site with cultural projects. "That plan is the result of the Sirchal work sessions and we cannot discard what the population wants and the aspiration to turn that place into an educational and cultural center. But in the Minister of Tourism's opinion, the cultural center is nonsense," she complained. At the AmCham meeting Jimenez said "It can be a good purpose, a good objective between quotation marks, but it would not make sense because what is a cultural center doing when there are slums in the area, even in gullies. It makes no sense," as reported in Diario Libre.
Jimenez proposed that private companies should develop the site because the government does not have the funds for this purpose. Rafael Silverio, president of the Playa Dorada Hotels Association and owner of the Kuki Silverio Industrial construction company in Puerto Plata presented architectural drawings of the proposed apartment complex during the AmCham presentation.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#7)