News

Catalina Torres Ferrer celebrates hundredth year on Formentera

Tuesday, 19 February 2019 14:33

catalina-torres-ferrer1 Social welfare councillor Vanessa Parellada has paid a visit to Catalina Torres Ferrer, a full-fledged centenarian and Formentera native. Parellada brought her a bouquet of flowers and joined the birthday celebration at Torres' home in ses Bardetes.

“Formentera is lucky”, the councillor affirmed after the party, “to one side we've got centenary individuals full of drive to live, learn and teach, and to the other we've got their loved ones—full of drive to follow them as they go”. Parellada marvelled at “all the stories hidden in Torres' eyes” and expressed hope that “we'd be hearing about them for years and years to come”.

Yesterday evening family and close friends celebrated the hundred-year birthday of na Catalina, who was born on February 18, 1919 to miller Juan Torres and na Francisca Ferrer (she was the second of four children). Revellers indulged in glosa poetry, orelletes pastries and hot chocolate.

“Vida”, a puppet show for kids 10 and up (and families)

Tuesday, 19 February 2019 14:13

vida-foto-premsa1 The Formentera Council's culture bureau reports that Saturday February 23 from 6.00pm children ages ten and over at the Sala de Cultura (Cinema) can see Javier Aranda's production of Vida, a puppet show that combines heart-felt scenes with sophisticated wit.

Culture councillor Susana Labrador encouraged local parents to come see the spectacle with their children. “Our eyes were on this production from the start because it's for families”, she said. “Young and old—audiences are sure to love it”.

According to a representative of Javier Aranda, Vida is about “life—from birth to death, of the forward march of life and the years. How the ties that bind parents and children change over time. The show also focuses on two people—how they fall in love and have a son, and how he leaves home and leaves the pair to grow old together”.

To here those in the company tell it, there's something very special in the knowing gaze shared between creator and creation—the ever-present relationship between puppeteer and puppet.

Award-winning production
The show has earned accolades from Huesca's international theatre festival (Best show), Feten (Best small-format show), Lleida's puppet festival (Best show) and others.

Formentera signs partnership with ACAF for Ràdio Illa content production

Monday, 18 February 2019 14:59

foto-signatura-conveni-acaf-pr1 Susana Labrador, who is both the current acting chair and first deputy chair of the Formentera Council, sat down today with Álvaro Raúl Méndoza, spokesperson of the island's cultural and audiovisual association (ACAF), to lay the foundations of a partnership between the administration and ACAF to produce content for the local public radio station, Ràdio Illa.

The equipment and facilities required to underwrite the public service, present at Centre Social Es Molí, are in the Council's possession. The service —referred to as audiovisual because it covers both images and sound— is funded by a combination of help from the administration, outside sponsorships and advertising. In establishing the Council's financial contribution the parties involved took into account the fact that area of service provision is comparatively small, a determining factor as to the extent of advertising money available. To cover ACAF's costs, the Council will put forward fifty thousand euros in 2019.

For their part, ACAF pledge to oversee content production for Ràdio Illa as per the established action plan. According to the deal signed by the two representatives, that includes programmes like morning news magazine De Far a Far and weather reports.

Public service
As a public “audiovisual communication” service which regional legislation (5/2018, of October 1) defines as essential to general economic interests, the agreement regarding Ràdio Illa's content is signed once a year. The station's mission is to disseminate content in support of constitutional and regional principles and values, promote a breadth of public opinion, spotlight the diversity of cultures and languages present in the Balearic Islands and cultivate knowledge and the arts, particularly with regard to culture through images and sound.

Formentera's 2017 spending already made public

Monday, 18 February 2019 15:59

The Formentera Council tax office reports that the administration's general accounts for 2017 are far along in the review process and will soon be submitted to Sindicatura de Comptes (the “Court of Auditors”).

The public process, anything but opaque, has transpired to the full knowledge of local political groups and islanders. A special advisory committee issued a favourable report in November. The general accounts were made open to public review over three weeks, as the December 22, 2018 issue (number 160) of the official gazette of the Balearic Islands attests.

The next step in the process, definitive approval, is expected to come in plenary this February. Following that, and pursuant to the established procedure, the general accounts will be submitted to Sindicatura de Comptes.

Info session on changes for holiday rentals

Friday, 15 February 2019 15:42

jornada-regulacio---turi--stic1 The Formentera Council's office of tourism reports that on Wednesday February 20 at 11.00am the Sala de Cultura will be the scene of a gathering to inform islanders about the effort to regulate for-profit holiday rentals. Tourism and land councillor Alejandra Ferrer and David Francés, the administration's legal counsel on land-use for tourism, will lead an overview of recent changes to the local system of regulation.

The gathering will be an occasion for islanders to learn about the so-called “Plan for Quality in Vacation Rentals” which involves setting guidelines for single- and multi-family homes. Twenty-six of the preconditions are non-negotiable; other criteria, of which there are 20, would be applied distinctly, and only 14 would be required for a dwelling to be eligible for rental.

Discussion will also focus on changes to the tax bylaw underpinning a levy for administrative services in tourism as well as the bylaw regulating the per-bed cost of permits to rent out accommodation.

The effort to regulate holiday rentals, part of a recent Govern-backed tweak of tourism legislation, will also be addressed. Application deadlines will be communicated as well so that islanders can start preparing required documentation.

Other points of discussion: the zoning plan for tourism that followed final approval of Formentera's land-use strategy (PTI) and the new cap on holiday rentals. Islanders will also be given the opportunity to ask questions or voice concerns. The gathering is open to anyone interested in finding out more about the changes.