News

In survey, Formentera's musicians in training give two cents on adding new course

Tuesday, 10 April 2018 02:10

violoncel The Formentera Council reports that the conservatory of music of Eivissa-Formentera is undertaking a survey to gauge demand in view of adding a new specialty field of study at the conservatory's IES Marc Ferrer extension site.

Citing the possibility feedback is used to secure either an extension of the conservatory's professional curriculum or the addition of a new course altogether, conservatory staff are encouraging all students to participate.

The survey can be found at this link

The IES Marc Ferrer site of the conservatory has 40 students and offers instruction in piano, guitar, flute and violin.

The deadline for participation is May 1. A request for the new specialty will be made once all the data has been collected.

Formentera convenes neighbourhood meeting to talk sustainable mobility strategy

Saturday, 07 April 2018 09:06

Carretera-redux The Formentera Council's Office of Mobility invites islanders in the neighbourhood, land and environment sections of the Consell d'Entitats to attend the first participatory meeting ahead of the drafting of Formentera's sustainable mobility strategy, an initiative known as the Pla de Mobilitat Sostenible. The gathering will also be open to the public at large.

Secretary of Mobility Rafael González said the strategy was about “defining measures and actions that will reshape mobility on the island, making us more sustainable and more eco-friendly”.

Background
Mobility reports commissioned by the Council in 2017 served as the basis for an analytical study into mobility on Formentera. Research for the reports, the fruit of interviews with islanders, tourists and excursionists, also included tallies of pedestrians, bicycles, cars (even rented vehicles) and public transport.

This Wednesday at 8.00pm in the conference hall of Formentera's dependent care centre, a group including Councillor González, CiF citizen participation secretary Sònia Cardona, spokespeople from the firm charged with preparing the mobility plan, IDOM, will meet to share results of the analysis in hopes of setting strategic lines for sustainable mobility.

Moving ahead, a concrete action plan will be drafted and a budget proposal prepared. The plan is set to last eight years.

Formentera unlocks quarter million to refurbish and restore cultural heritage sites

Thursday, 05 April 2018 17:00

Mur pedra seca The Formentera Council's Offices of Patrimony and Rural Affairs report that applications will now be accepted for assistance to rehabilitate dry-stone walls, bury overhead utility cables and execute work on Formentera's cultural heritage sites.

In all, €250,000 will be opened up between 2018 and 2019—seventy-five thousand in 2018 and another €175,000 in 2019.

Targeted assistance
The money is intended to drive maintenance, consolidation and betterment of those sites treasured either for their significance to local heritage or from an aesthetic point of view.

For culture and heritage secretary Susana Labrador, the aid is about “showcasing our heritage and drawing on traditional strategies to care for valuable assets like dry-stone walls”.

Officials hope the money will help promote a broader awareness about the value of reclaiming original features of heritage sites that give Formentera its unique character.

Applications
Interested islanders will have until Tuesday, May 15 to submit applications to the Citizen Information Office (OAC) or the Virtual Citizen Information Office (OVAC) at www.consellinsulardeformentera.cat.

For complete details, click here.

Upgrades across heritage sites
In a bid to preserve and beautify an asset to Formentera's local landscape, the Formentera Council will oversee reforms of dry-stone walls at the entrance of el Pilar de la Mola church plaza.

Neus Mateu, Madrid's representative in Balearics, visits Formentera

Friday, 06 April 2018 18:42

Foto Neus Mateu 1 Jaume Ferrer and Susana Labrador, chairman and deputy chairwoman of the Formentera Council, sat down today with the newly appointed representative to the Balearic Islands of the Spanish central government, Neus Mateu, to welcome her on her first visit to the island. A subsequent working meeting found the officials discussing crucial matters of safety on the island in summertime.

President Ferrer seized the opportunity to speak to Mateu about the importance of summertime reinforcements for the traffic and sea divisions of Guardia Civil law enforcement. Ferrer noted that last year such operations, based in La Savina, played a crucial role in tracking ever greater numbers of visiting watercraft on Formentera's coasts. The Council chair described the need for summer reinforcements thus: “As many Guardia Civil officers as possible for as long as possible”. He held up collaboration between the Guardia Civil and local police, “particularly when our agencies are short-staffed”, as vital to offering islanders and tourists a quality service.

For her part, Mateu highlighted the success of investigations following multiple robberies last summer, noting that “several arrests were made and very few cases reoccurred”. “We hope to see the return of reinforcements and continued improvements”, she continued. She was optimistic that a resolution would come after confiscations following fires in Cala Saona. She also confirmed plans to reestablish a base on the island for the marine Guardia Civil, urged a continuation of summertime reinforcements and called for an extension of coordination between the Guardia Civil and local police.

The subjects will be discussed more thoroughly at next month's meeting of the Formentera safety junta.

Officials drop in at sa Senieta, future home of Formentera museum

Wednesday, 04 April 2018 16:16

Foto sa senieta 2 Formentera Council president Jaume Ferrer, joined by regional tourism secretary and vice-president of the Govern balear, Bel Busquets; regional culture secretary Fanny Tur; local culture and patrimony secretary Susana Labrador and the island's secretary of tourism and land, Alejandra Ferrer, took a visit this morning to the “casa de sa Senieta”, the future seat of the Formentera museum.

Sa Senieta
The Council bought the property on December 19, 2017 for €2.5 million, of which one million came from the so-called “Sustainable Tourism Tax”and another million and a half from the Balearic ministry of culture. The remaining one million was put up by the Formentera Council.

Vice-President Busquets highlighted the significance of the sustainable tourism levy in the purchase. Sa Senieta —which Busquets calls“part of Formentera's cultural heritage”— will house the island's museum, giving, in Busquet's prediction, visibility to the benefits of the tax, “not just for the Balearics, but for Formentera in particular”.

President Ferrer held up cooperation between administrations as crucial to the sa Senieta purchase going through. According to Ferrer, the acquisition —a long-standing request of locals, he said— was“fruit of the partnership between the Council and the Balearic government's ministries of tourism and culture”.

The Balearic minister of culture, Fanny Tur, pointed to additional funding to the tune of €0.5 million to adapt the building for use as a museum.

Proof of sa Senieta's importance locally, the home is the only site on the island which is catalogued and designated pursuant to a piece of legislation known as “Llei 12/1998” concerning historical heritage sites in the islands.

In addition to sa Senieta, which will house a permanent collection and general services for the public, Formentera's future museum network will consist of two other spaces: la casa de Can Ramon will host exhibitions culled from the Formentera museum's ethnographic collection and the lot adjacent to another local landmark, el Fossar Vell, will feature archives, a specialist library, a conference hall and exhibition gallery, a drop-off and reservation spot and a research area.

The local circuit, a quality service for residents and tourists alike, will meet all the requirements of the museum legislation of the Balearic Islands.