CalpeNoticias EN

Next Tuesday the Auditorium of the House of Culture will host a performance by the world-famous trio David Haroutunian (violin), Mikayel Hakhnazaryan (cello) and Sofya Melikyan (piano). The three musicians, who are Armenian and have known each other since childhood, are united by a strong desire to explore and expand the chamber music repertoire together, as well as mutual respect and friendship. All three have established themselves as soloists and chamber musicians on Europe's finest stages.

Strasbourg-based pianist Sofya Melikyan performs as a soloist with various European orchestras and has built up a loyal following for her virtuosity. The activities of the versatile violinist David Haroutunian cover a wide spectrum, from classical music to traditional Armenian or Latin American music and contemporary music. He lives and works in Paris. Mikayel Hakhnazaryan, cellist of the renowned Kuss Quartett, is a chamber musician based in Berlin.

All three players have performed in the best international concert halls such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris and the Berlin Philharmonie with colleagues such as Mischa Maisky, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Kim Kashkashian, Paul Meyer, David Geringas and Paul Badura-Skoda, among others.

The recording of Johannes Brahms' Trios no. 2 and 3 - released in 2021 - was the first in a series that will record his entire chamber works. The album received critical acclaim in France, Germany, Spain and other European countries. It was featured in France Musique as ‘Disque du jour’. The second disc of this project - with Brahms' Trio no. 1 and Transfiguration Night - will be released on the same day. 1 by Brahms and Schönberg's Transfigured Night - was recorded in June 2023 and has been released in November 2024, already receiving top marks from the specialised press, such as 5 marks from the prestigious music website Pizzicato.

The specialized critics have not spared praise for this trio that comes to the Auditorium of Calp next Tuesday at 19 pm in a free concert organized by the Department of Culture. With this kind of activities, the Department aims to combine cultural events of international importance with the performances of local entities.

Under the title ‘Ethics and integrity in public procurement’, Calpe Town Council is organising a training day on public procurement on 7 February in the Auditorium of the Casa de Cultura, which will feature various presentations. The programme will start with the presentation ‘The modification of contracts and unforeseeable risk’ by Patricia Boix Maño, senior lawyer of the Consell Juridic Consultiu de la Comunidad Valenciana.

This will be followed by a round table discussion entitled ‘Innovating contracting with leadership’ with Victor Almonacid, Secretary of Alzira Town Council, Pilar Ortega Jiménez, Deputy Auditor of the Provincial Council of León and President of the Council of the Association of Secretaries, Auditors and Treasurers, and Fermín Cerezo Peco, Head of the Innovation Service of Valencia City Council. The debate will be moderated by Juan José Orquín Serrano, Deputy Secretary General of the Madrid City Council.

In the afternoon, two further presentations are planned: ‘The role of corruption prevention in public procurement’ by consultant Javier Vázquez Matilla and ‘The contribution of technical specifications to ethics and integrity’ by Alejandra Boto Álvarez, lawyer at the Constitutional Court.

The conference is aimed at civil servants involved and interested in contracting, regardless of their qualification group or the post they hold, as well as municipal politicians. Registration is free of charge, subject only to the limited capacity of the Auditorium of the Casa de Cultura. Registrations can be made through the Calpe Town Hall website.

As a culmination of the day, a gala dinner has been organised for Friday evening. Those wishing to attend the dinner must register for it and they will be sent the details to pay for it, as well as all the necessary information.

The Asociación de Educación Ambiental y del Consumidor (ADEAC) has once again awarded the Voramar Calalga trail the Blue Trail award, which recognises the recovery and enhancement of trails and itineraries throughout Spain, transformed into valuable resources for environmental interpretation and the enjoyment of nature.

In 2025, 30 new Senderos Azules have been awarded, bringing the network to more than 1000 kilometres. This is the largest increase in the number of awarded Blue Paths since the start of the programme in 2011. The Blue Routes are present in 127 municipalities in 21 provinces and 11 Autonomous Communities.

The Asociación de Educación Ambiental y del Consumidor, which develops programmes in Spain such as Blue Flag or Ecoescuelas, is the creator of this initiative to promote sustainable tourism and contribute to expanding the tourist offer of the municipalities by publicising their natural, cultural and historical heritage. ADEAC's Blue Paths allow the conservation of already humanised environments and the interpretation of the natural and cultural heritage to be valued at the same time.

In order to obtain this distinction, criteria such as the layout and typology of the trails, the infrastructures and signposting, aspects linked to the environmental characterisation of the trails and their enhancement through environmental education activities are evaluated. In addition, aspects related to public use and enjoyment, accessibility, user information on natural and cultural heritage and citizen participation are also taken into account.

The Jury of the Blue Trail - 2025 programme met on 13 December 2024, composed of experts from Andalusia, Asturias, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Catalonia, Valencia, Extremadura, Galicia, Madrid, Region of Murcia and the Basque Country, representing various universities, public administrations related to Natural Heritage and Tourism, associations and entities working for accessibility in public spaces, and companies related to health.

In 2025, the largest number of nominations for the Blue Trail award was received (157), of which 76% (124) were renewals and 24% (33) were new candidate trails. Likewise, in 2025, the highest number of Blue Paths (154) were awarded, of which 80.5% (124) were renewals and 19.5% (30) were new paths. This year, the presentation of the Blue Trail Flags in Spain will take place in Murcia, in the Assembly Hall of the Institute of Tourism of the Region of Murcia, on 26 March.

The Tourism Department of Calpe Town Council will participate from next Wednesday at the Madrid Tourism Fair, FITUR 2025, and will focus its promotion on two aspects of Calpe's tourism offer: the Roman site of Baños de la Reina and its recent transformation into a museim) and the increasingly well-known Easter Week in Calpe.

The Baños de la Reina site has reopened its doors to the public after the adaptation works that have been carried out over the last few months and which have led to its transformation into a museum. These works allow this enclave, one of the most important archaeological sites in its category in Roman Hispania, to be opened to the public on a regular basis.

The works carried out correspond to the initial actions foreseen in phase A of the Master Plan for this archaeological site, drawn up by the Diputación de Alicante, which has financed the works with 439,388.69 euros.

Visitors can walk along the wooden walkways that set two itineraries that allow them to see the main archaeological sites: on the one hand, the Domus rotunda with its baths and circular mosaic (4th century) and on the other, the hydraulic complex with the waterwheel and a series of villas (2nd century A.D.).

Councillor Mireia Ripoll will be in charge of presenting the project on Wednesday at 17:30 in the Patronato Costa Blanca space, together with a video showing the possibilities of the site.

Easter Week will also be shown as an attraction to visit the municipality. Last year the Town Council began the process of requesting that Easter Week in Calpe be declared a Fiesta of Regional Tourist Interest.

In recent years, Easter Week in Calpe has regained extraordinary dynamism. Five brotherhoods, together with the Festivities Commission and the parishes of Nuestra Sra. de las Nieves and Nuestra Sra. de la Merced, have joined forces to organise a complete and extensive programme coordinated by the Junta Mayor de Cofradias y Hermandades de Semana Santa (Major Board of Brotherhoods and Sisterhoods of Holy Week).

Throughout the week the different brotherhoods process through the streets of the old town, one every day from Palm Sunday onwards. The devotion and aestheticism reach their peak on Good Friday, with the procession of the Holy Burial, which ends in the Plaza de la Villa with the gathering of all the images and brotherhoods.

Holy Week thus becomes a religious, cultural and touristic event, the devotion and fervour that emanates from each act is combined with a great aesthetic and cultural value.

For this reason, this week representatives of each of the brotherhoods and sisterhoods that make up the Junta Mayor will travel to Madrid to take part in a presentation which will take place on Wednesday 22nd in Plaza Callao and later at IFEMA, the Councillor for Fiestas, Mariola Mulet, will be responsible for presenting a video about Easter Week in Calpe made for the occasion at 4pm in the Patronato Costa Blanca area. The mayoress, Ana Sala, will travel to FITUR to be present at both presentations.

With these attractions, Calpe stands out at FITUR as a destination that combines history, heritage, culture, tradition and tourism, consolidating itself as a destination to visit at any time of year.

FITUR PROGRAMME WEDNESDAY 22ND:

11:00h. Presentation of Calpe Easter Week in Plaza Callao.

16:00h. Calpe Easter Week Presentation (IFEMA - FITUR). On the Costa Blanca Provincial Tourist Board stage.

17:30h. Presentation of the Banys de la Reina open-air museum (IFEMA - FITUR). On the Costa Blanca Provincial Tourist Board stage.

The Calpe delegation present at the Helsinki Fair, the main tourist fair in Northern Europe, has surprised by making its presentation in Suomi (Finnish) with Artificial Intelligence technology. This innovative initiative, which allowed the councillor to address the attendees in their mother tongue, was enthusiastically received by the Finnish public present at the event.

The combination of cutting-edge technology and cultural proximity has made the difference in the promotional strategy of the Alicante municipality, which has also launched an original gastronomic proposal: the first Finnish tourist who visits the tourist office of Calpe during 2025 and accredits his nationality and has attended the MATKA fair, will be invited to taste an authentic local paella.

During the presentation, supported by Turespaña and the Costa Blanca Tourist Board, Calpe has been positioned as an ideal destination to escape the harsh Nordic winter, highlighting the direct connections with Alicante and its more than 300 days of sunshine a year as well as an average temperature that allows outdoor activities to be enjoyed practically all year round.

‘The decision to use AI to communicate in Finnish demonstrates our commitment to reach out to visitors in the most personal way possible. We want Finns to feel at home from the very first moment,’ explained Marco Bittner.

The presentation placed special emphasis on the outdoor sports on offer, the rich Mediterranean gastronomy and the local hospitality, aspects that are particularly valued by the Nordic market. This participation in MATKA, enhanced by the innovative use of technology, is part of Calpe's strategy to strengthen its presence in the Nordic market, traditionally interested in destinations that combine good weather, outdoor activities and authentic cultural experiences.

This technological initiative marks a before and after in the promotion of international tourism of Calpe, demonstrating how technology can break down language barriers and create closer connections with potential visitors.

The mayoress, Ana Sala, and the councillor for Social Services, Itziar Doval, met this morning with representatives of the Cepaim Foundation (Consortium of Entities for Integral Action with Migrants), specifically with Marta Alcántara, from the Regional Directorate of the Valencian Community, Abdelkader Alef El Messari, state coordinator of the area of reception, emergency and international protection and Ana Sirvent, coordinator of the Alicante Centre.

CEPAIM opened a few days ago a reception centre in the Aparthotel Carriosol, which currently houses 97 irregular sub-Saharan and North African immigrants, although it is expected to reach 140 immigrants next Monday.

The centre is managed by CEPAIM and financed by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Immigration and has been set up due to the national emergency situation in the Canary Islands and the need to look for residential centres on the mainland. This centre is part of the Humanitarian Emergency Programme.

The CEPAIM representatives have conveyed a reassuring message to the municipal representatives, pointing out that ‘the centre has external security 24 hours a day, we have technicians, trainers, psychologists and translators. All users have signed a set of rules of coexistence with their rights and obligations and a commitment to participate in the programme. The immigrants in the Calpe centre have already passed a first filter in Fuerteventura and many of them are eligible for international protection (fleeing from war, sexual orientation or religious denomination). If someone does not comply with their obligations, mechanisms are initiated to get them out of the municipality and there is an interdisciplinary structure for the inspection of the centre’.

In principle, the centre will remain operational until 30 April and during this period CEPAIM technicians will study the vulnerabilities of each case for integration into the international protection system, if appropriate, or if there is a social network (family) in Europe, the transfer to the destination will be facilitated. An intervention itinerary is drawn up for each person, with the aim of avoiding exploitation and international trafficking.

The mayor stressed the lack of information from the Consistory, to which CEPAIM pointed out that the guidelines should have come from the Sub delegation of the Government, but that as it is a national emergency, the procedures have been rushed. Ana Sala also wanted to emphasise that ‘although the Town Hall is not involved in this situation because municipal authorisation is not required, we will be in constant and permanent contact with those responsible for the Calpe centre’.

The councillor for Social Services, Itziar Doval, also pointed out that ‘we want to send out a message of calm, this is an organised and controlled situation’.

As a curious fact, those responsible for CEPAIM have pointed out that this is not the first time that this foundation has created an emergency centre in Calpe, as it already did in 2022 in the Imperial Park Residence with the reception of Ukrainian immigrants due to the war.

The General Director of Social and Health Management, José Vicente Anaya, visited Calpe this morning to officially announce that the town has been chosen, along with Benigánim and Alcora, as pilot municipalities for the implementation of the Single Social History computer system.

This project, with a cost of more than 4 million euros and which should be implemented in all the municipalities of the Valencian Community by the end of 2026, aims to bring together health and social services records, creating a common space to avoid bureaucracy and improve citizen care.

It is an instrument that will enable the relationship between the primary care and social care levels, with the aim of achieving continuity and complementarity of interventions and providing a better service to citizens. Social History will make it easier for health and social services professionals to plan the diagnosis, design personalized social intervention plans and individual care and diagnosis plans.

It is a computer system that will share information and optimise the management of human and material resources, maximise the efficiency of the work of social and health professionals by avoiding unnecessary repetitive tasks, obtaining information that already exists in the system, sharing information, etc. The aim of this system is to facilitate the coordination of all the actions of the professionals involved in the processes of social intervention and the improvement of social care and other protection systems.

Three municipalities have been chosen to start the project, one in each province and of different population ranges. In the coming weeks, implementation will begin with a training plan for the staff of the Social Services departments.

The mayoress, Ana Sala, thanked Calpe for being chosen and added that ‘it will be an effort for the Department of Social Services, but it is a challenge to be pioneers in a project like this that will improve citizen care and unify diagnoses. Calpe is going to be a reference in social care’.

The General Director of Social and Health Management, José Vicente Anaya, announced that ‘it is the start of something very big, it will be a before and after in the Social Services of the Valencian Community because it will allow throughout the territory to standardise diagnoses and achieve the most appropriate and personalised intervention. It will make it possible to detect vulnerability factors, carry out medication or benefit follow-ups, cross-reference data, etc. The system will provide data to plan social policies and show the reality of the Valencian Community’.

The Councillor for Social Services, Itziar Doval, stressed that ‘this designation is a recognition of the work done by the Department of Social Services of Calpe Town Council, a work that often goes unnoticed due to confidentiality requirements’.

Starting tomorrow, Thursday, Calpe will be present for the second time at Matka Nordic Travel Fair, the most important tourism fair in Helsinki and the most important in the Scandinavian market. Calpe is taking part in the fair at the Tourespaña stand.

A delegation led by the mayor of International Promotion, Marco Bittner and the tourism technician Sandra Pastor has travelled to Helsinki. The Matka Nordic Travel Fair is the most influential fair in Northern Europe and the Baltic countries (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia (Russia does not participate due to the conflict with Ukraine). According to statistics, Finland is the most travelled country in Europe per capita.

The aim this year is to sell the destination outside the summer season, taking advantage of Calpe's climatic conditions throughout most of the year in the face of a market with very harsh winters, making this market an ideal target for Calpe's seasonally adjusted offer.

The Matka Travel Fair annually attracts more than 50,000 visitors and 13,000 professionals. The first two days of the fair are open to professionals and media and the last two to the public. The event has become a meeting place in Northern Europe for travel industry professionals, general visitors and companies in the sector.

The Tourism Department plans to make a presentation of the destination on one of the central stages of Tour España and to show the possibilities of Calpe in terms of sports, culture and heritage. This presentation, together with Alcoy Town Hall, is promoted by the Costa Blanca Tourist Board and is entitled ‘The Essence of Costa Blanca: from Calpee a Coastal Gem to Alcoy an Inland Oasis’.

The Councilor for International Promotion, Marco Bittner, points out that: ‘we are facing a market that not only flees from the inclement weather, but is committed to experiential, family and active travel. The possibility of offering heritage, gastronomy and outdoor sports outside the summer season makes Calpe a top-level player at this fair’.

Calpe Town Council, through the Department of Environment, and the Institute of Water and Environmental Sciences of the University of Alicante have signed a collaboration agreement by which Calpe Town Council will participate in the Aquasoc R&D project (‘Tools for the prevention and management of the social impacts of floods in coastal areas’) within the framework of the State Plan for Scientific Research (Ministry of Science and Innovation).

The main objective of the AQUASOC project is to identify the social impacts derived from flooding episodes, as well as to establish the necessary social capacities to face this type of natural disasters.

Based on the results obtained in the research process, an open access software tool is designed to allow key actors, such as the technical and political staff of Calpe Town Council, to identify priority areas of action for the prevention and mitigation of the social impacts of flooding.

Soon, the validation and knowledge transfer phase will start, organising a round of meetings where the results will be presented and guidance on the use of the AQUASOC tool will be provided.

The project is led by the team of University of Alicante professors Guadalupe Ortiz and Antonio Aledo. With a duration of three years and funding from the Ministry of Science and Innovation of €101,640.00, this project will address the analysis of adaptive capacities and social impacts of flood disasters in three Spanish case studies (Tenerife, Huelva and Alicante) and two international ones (Louisiana and Recife).

The Bono Comercio and Bono Consumo campaigns, held in Calpe between September and December through the Calpe Business Association (AEMCO), have managed to inject a total of 1,544,728.96 euros into the commercial, hospitality and service establishments of the municipality.

‘We could not be happier with the way these campaigns have been developed, especially the Bono Comercio campaigns; on the one hand, the participating establishments have benefited with an increase in sales and customer base during the period in which each campaign takes place and, on the other hand, the citizens registered in Calpe have been able to shop in local establishments saving the amount subsidized,’ said the Councillor for Economic Promotion, Paqui Solivelles.

In the two Bono Comercio campaigns, aimed at local businesses, 14,217 vouchers have been redeemed by 5,023 citizens, who could purchase vouchers worth 20 €, 50 €, 100 € and 150 €, subsidised by 50 percent by the Town Hall. In these two calls for applications, €1,163,183.57 was injected into the 91 shops in Calpe where vouchers were redeemed. Of this total amount, €952,910 corresponds to the 14,217 vouchers exchanged and €210,273.57 that citizens have bought more when using the vouchers, as the purchase had to be of an amount equal to or greater than the amount of the voucher.

In the Bono Consumo campaign, financed entirely by the Diputación de Alicante and aimed at shops, hotels and service companies, 381,545.39€ have been injected into these establishments, of which 295,900€ correspond to the 5,175 vouchers redeemed and 85,645.39€ to what citizens have bought more when using the vouchers. 116 establishments and 3,256 citizens have benefited from this campaign.

The president of the Association of Entrepreneurs of Calpe (AEMCO), Santi Ferrer, said that: ‘this type of voucher campaigns are very beneficial to promote trade and local development, because with a limited investment in subsidies by the City Council is injected into the local economy more than double (an average of 150% more than subsidized), ie that for every euro subsidized 2.5 € are injected into the establishments of the municipality, also distributing the aid among many citizens, more than 5. 000, and local entrepreneurs, more than 100, strengthening the circular economy within the municipality’.

Aguas de Calpe is to begin renovation work on the impulsion and distribution pipes between the Mascarat I and Mascarat II drinking water tanks.

In total, 3,613 metres of new pipes will be installed to guarantee the supply of drinking water to sectors J, K and L of the Maryvilla district, leaving 2,268 metres of obsolete pipes in disuse, thus improving the efficiency of the municipal drinking water distribution network and minimising the risk of breakdowns.

On the one hand, a new 1,665-metre-long pressure pipe will be installed between the Mascarat I and Mascarat II reservoirs. The new pipeline will run along a public road and will replace the current fibre cement pipe that runs through private plots. This will take out of service an obsolete infrastructure, made of asbestos cement, which due to the high pressures it withstands and its installation in mountainous terrain with steep slopes has been experiencing breaks that prevent it from guaranteeing the supply to the Mascarat II reservoir and, therefore, the supply to sectors J, K and L of the Maryvilla district.

On the other hand, a new distribution pipe will be installed with a length of 1,948 metres, which will feed from the Mascarat II reservoir, located at an elevation of 243 metres, the distribution networks of sectors J, K and L of the Maryvilla district, located between the Mascarat II and Mascarat I reservoirs. The new distribution mains will be fitted with pressure regulating valves to guarantee the supply with adequate pressure and flow conditions. In this way, it will also take out of service an obsolete fibrous asbestos cement infrastructure, the current diameter of which does not allow adequate supply to the fire hydrants required at this location, to be taken out of service. This new distribution pipe will make it possible to install eight fire hydrants in an area with a significant forest mass, thus improving the response capacity of the municipal drinking water network.

The distribution pipes in the area around the Mascarat I reservoir will also be rearranged and will be fed from the Mascarat II reservoir, improving the conditions of supply to the plots in terms of pressure and flow.

The estimated duration of the work, which has a cost of 772,355.02 €, is nine months.

The continuous process of renovation of pipelines that Aguas de Calpe has been carrying out allows guaranteeing the sustainability of the supply system to Calpe, since it is one of the main factors, together with the remote control system, the sectorisation of the network and the installation of smart home meters, which affect the improvement of hydraulic efficiency and which has enabled Calpe to exceed 92 percent efficiency, which places it as a national benchmark.

The plenary session has initially approved the municipal budgets for 2025, accounts amounting to 54,911,909 euros, 16.93% more than the previous year.

The mayoress of Calpe, Ana Sala, pointed out that these budgets are intended to ‘improve the quality of life and welfare of our neighbours and undertake necessary investments to improve the municipality’ and explained that these accounts are conditioned by the increase in the rubbish tax ‘as in each and every one of the other municipalities in Spain’ in compliance with a state law that transposes a directive of the European Union.

In her speech, she listed the investments planned for this year, such as the start of the construction of the Fester Museum in the Casa Beltrán (in Plaza España), which will be the headquarters of all the festive associations and will have advanced technology, a project which forms part of the Tourism Sustainability Plan in Destinations within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) financed by the European Union - Next Generation. Also planned is the adaptation of the Civil Protection premises (117,491 euros), the extension of the crossing work in the Barranc del Pou Roig ravine (222,678.38 euros), an accessibility and pavement maintenance project (250. 000 euros), the elimination of reeds by installing opaque coverings and restoration of riverside vegetation in the Quisi ravine (100,000 euros), installation of new solar streetlights (154,275), drainage and rainwater infrastructures (1,074,589.36) and the installation of solar panels in the swimming pool (57,438.87 euros). Also the creation of the Centre for Recovery and Socio-occupational Integration for people with mental health problems (100,000 euros) which will be located in the old Victoria cinemas.

At the same time, the T road to Puerto Blanco and the E Ràfol-Empedrola road will be promoted, a dog park will be set up in La Manzanera and the urban allotments will be extended, among other projects.

On the other hand, the 2025 accounts also contemplate an increase of almost 210,000 euros in the rescue and lifeguard service, which will amount to 835,739.26 euros, and 175,516.51 euros in beach cleaning, which will have a total budget of 633,085.30 euros.

All of this without increasing taxes except for the rubbish tax, and tax relief measures will continue to be applied such as the suspension of the tax on the opening of establishments, the 5.04% reduction in urban property tax, the 95% reduction in capital gains tax on inheritances, the reduction in property tax for the installation of solar panels, the suspension of the tax on the occupation of public roads for hotels and restaurants from November to April, and the exemption from the tax on the holding of events.

In addition, nine lines of aid will be maintained: for permanent housing (40,000 euros), youth rental vouchers (50,000 euros), sports aid (80,000 euros, although an extension to 250,000 euros is planned), cultural promotion (140,000 euros), rehabilitation of facades in the old town (70,000 euros), Bonobaby (20,000 euros), bonuses on the tax on vehicles for hybrid and electric vehicles, as well as bonuses on IBI for energy efficiency.

In the Personnel chapter, 12 new posts have been created, while 9 previous posts are to be cancelled. The new positions are local police inspector, school maintenance worker, beach maintenance worker, youth technician, occupational therapist, an architect, two environmental guards, an administrative assistant assigned to municipal brigades, a works supervisor, an intervention technician and a deputy treasurer. In addition, the mayoress announced the intention to approve a plan for the management of the council's human resources.

The budgets were approved with the only votes in favour of the government team (Somos Calpe, PSOE and Compromís), as Defend Calpe and the PP municipal group voted against.

Defendamos Calpe spokesman Paco Quiles pointed out that: ‘the budgets remain the same as in previous years, there are no transcendental changes, it is because you are not 100% dedicated to this town hall’. He added that the rubbish tax ‘is completely unfair’ and criticised the increase in personnel costs and that a plan to organise human resources is urgently needed.

PP municipal group spokesman Miguel Crespo described these budgets as those of the ‘rubbish tax’, budgets which without this increase ‘would have been unviable’. He also described them as ‘simple and calm’. ‘The planned investments are repairs and patches such as the repair and adaptation of sports facilities or pavements and this does nothing to improve the lives of our neighbours, we do not grow as a city’. Furthermore, he pointed out that both the tax incentives and the planned investments were initiated in the previous legislature under the PP government.

The socialist spokesman Marco Bittner, referring to this intervention, said: ‘Thank you, Mr Crespo, for saying that these are calm budgets, there is no greater aspiration for a politician, for a municipality, than to have calm budgets, a calmness that will be transferred to the people, or do you want these budgets to generate chaos and confusion? No, calm budgets, a calm government, that is good for the economy and for the citizen’.

The spokesman for Compromís, Ximo Perles, mentioned different projects included in the budgets that were not initiated in the legislature governed by the PP, such as the IBI rebates for the installation of photovoltaic panels, aid for cultural training, as well as for access to housing, among others.

For his part, the spokesman for Somos Calpe, Juan Manuel del Pino, has reproached the two opposition spokesmen for using ‘the same phrases as last year’ and added: ‘when we are investing money in social aid, when it comes to improving infrastructure, when it comes to meeting the needs of this town ... aren't we improving people's lives?’

The Diputación de Alicante has granted the Mancomunitat de Calpe, Murla i La Vall de Laguar-Pozo Lucifer a subsidy of 400,000 euros to build a new well next to the Lucifer well - in the Vall de Laguar Valley - which will ensure the water supply to all these municipalities in the event of a breakdown of the latter.

The Boletín Oficial de la Provincia (Official Gazette) has today published the granting of this aid as part of the extraordinary call for subsidies for the construction and improvement of water supply, catchment and regulation infrastructures. The work will be carried out by the Diputación de Alicante and the 400,000 euros will cover the total cost of the works.

It is, therefore, a second well that will work in case there is any kind of incident in the Lucifer well, so this new infrastructure will not involve the extraction of more water. ‘This is excellent news because, in this way, we increase resources and we can guarantee the supply of such a basic service as drinking water to the citizens of Calpe if there is any kind of breakdown in the Lucifer well’, said the mayoress of Calpe, Ana Sala.

Calpe Town Council, through the Department of the Environment, has implemented several measures to tackle the overpopulation of wild boars in the municipality.

In this regard, the council currently has a contract with a company specialising in wildlife management and with experience in this area, Gesfauna, a tender that began to be processed on 9 July. In the last few weeks this company has been working on the preparation of the control actions, i.e., it has carried out censuses to determine the wild boar population, has identified the most problematic areas, as well as obtaining the necessary permits from the Regional Ministry of Agriculture.

Soon, work will begin to capture the wild boars, which will be moved to a hunting plot.

In addition to all this, the Town Council is carrying out prevention and awareness actions. Information campaigns have been reinforced through the City Council's social networks in order to remind citizens of the importance of not feeding these animals, as established by the municipal ordinance on citizen coexistence in public spaces, which prohibits feeding any animal on public roads. To this end, it is stressed that artificial feeding alters their natural behaviour and accustoms them to human presence, which can lead to problems of coexistence. The ordinance also provides for penalties for all those who violate this prohibition.

‘Controlling the wild boar population is a necessary measure to guarantee the ecological balance, protect our crops and ensure the safety of all. It is not a decision taken lightly, but the result of an exhaustive analysis of the situation and the search for sustainable solutions,’ said councillor for the environment Pere Moll. It should be borne in mind that the excessive presence of wild boars, as well as altering ecosystems and causing damage to crops and properties, can lead to the transmission of diseases and their behaviour can become unpredictable, putting the safety of the public at risk.

The Town Council wishes to insist on the importance of not feeding wild boars, as artificial feeding is one of the main causes of the proliferation of these animals in urban areas. They also stress the need to respect the rules, such as following the instructions of the authorities and collaborating with the control measures that are being carried out and invite the public to report any sightings. ‘If you see any wild boar in an unusual area, you should report it to the Town Hall,’ says the councillor, who thanks everyone for their understanding and cooperation, adding that: “Together we can achieve a harmonious coexistence between humans and animals”.

The contract for the regulated on-street parking service in Calpe ends today, Monday 30th December, so that from tomorrow onwards parking will be free in the municipality. Calpe Town Council plans to launch a new tender for the concession shortly, once the modification of the municipal ordinance that regulates this service, the Municipal Traffic Ordinance with time-limited parking regulation, has been definitively approved. This point will be taken to the plenary session to be held on 7 January, as allegations have been presented in this regard.

The modification of the ordinance has a double objective: on the one hand, to adapt it to the current road safety regulations and, on the other, to introduce changes in the distribution and timing of the areas set aside for regulated parking in order to increase the rotation of vehicles in the summer season and to better meet the needs of residents.

The Town Hall reminds residents that there are various car parks available to them, such as the Pla Senieta car park with 215 spaces, located on Avenida del País Valencià next to the Domingo Crespo pavilion, as well as the one next to the Azorín and Gabriel Miró schools.

Calpe Town Hall held an emotional ceremony yesterday in which a time capsule was placed in memory of Josep Pineda Valles, the young Calpe architect who was murdered last April. This is an initiative in which Josep participated along with Rubén Córcoles, Cristina Martínez and the Culture Councillor Guillermo Sendra himself during the period in which this young man worked in the Culture Council.

The event brought together family, friends and acquaintances of Josep who wanted to pay tribute to this 32-year-old whose tragic death, in the words of his mother Josefa Valles, ‘erased your future, your hopes and projects and your loved ones have been deprived of your love and presence; in your place has left us with a huge void and an insurmountable pain’. Likewise, in the letter that he read in his speech, and which was then placed in the capsule, he wanted to explain to future generations who his son was, a young man ‘full of life, with great values and a whirlwind of ideas and projects, with a strong character but tolerant and open to dialogue.

"In 20 years‘time, if everything goes according to plan, this time capsule will be opened and we hope that these will be good times for our beloved Calpe and that tragedies like yours will not be repeated,"he added. The tombstone that closes the capsule, donated by Salvador Cardona Fornalí, was then unveiled.

The mayoress Ana Sala highlighted the initiative of the time capsule, "a simple, sentimental and emotional idea that began to take shape at the beginning of the legislature with the help of Josep to commemorate what has happened in 2024, and what better than for this capsule to bear the name of Josep Pineda Valles in honour of his person".

The capsule, buried next to the Casa de Cultura, contains significant documents of this 2024 as the act of reconsideration of the works of the CEE Gargasindi and the new secondary school, the program of festivities of Easter, the festivities of August and the Moors and Christians, of the Centenary of the Fishermen's Guild as well as posters of other events such as the 25th anniversary of the Colla de Xirimiters el Carellot, the 50th anniversary of the Unió Musical Calpe Ifach or the opening of Banys de la Reina after the refurbishment works, as well as two daily newspapers, among other documents. In addition, Josep's mother and partner placed photographs and other mementos of the young Calpe architect in the capsule.

The Town Hall of Calp plans to place a time capsule next Sunday 29th December in memory of the young architect Josep Pineda Valles, who tragically passed away last April. Pineda, who worked in 2023 in the Town Hall of Calp, and specifically in the Culture Council, actively participated in this project, so now they want to pay tribute to him by dedicating this time capsule that will be installed next to the Casa de Cultura.

The capsule will contain several newspapers of the day and publications related to events that took place in Calp in 2024 (Easter Week programme, Centenary of the Fishermen's Guild, the book of festivities of the August patron saint festivities, the Moors and Christians, among others). It will be accompanied by a commemorative plaque commemorating the figure of this young architect.

This capsule, which will be buried this Sunday 29 December at 12 noon in an event open to all citizens, is expected to be opened in 20 years' time.

The plenary session of Calpe Town Council has finally approved the modification of the ordinance regulating the rate of household rubbish collection with the votes against of the municipal groups of the Partido Popular and Defend Calpe.

The updating of the rubbish tax is carried out in accordance with the new state law on waste - in application of a European directive - which requires that waste management in each municipality is not in deficit, that is, that the municipalities have to collect with the rubbish tax 100% of the cost of the service.

For the modification of the ordinance, an economic-financial study was carried out to analyse the costs of the service and set the fee considering criteria of economic capacity and waste generation. The distribution of the fee has been carried out by creating nine Areas (based on the cadastral valuation).

The tax rate in each of the Areas is as follows:

Area 1-Pou Roig: 162,03€.

Area 2-Diseminados: 223,98€.

Area 3-Casco/Ensanche: 223,06€.

Area 4-Mascarat: 171,84€.

Area 5-Urbanisations: 235,15€.

Area 6-Manzanera 257,14€.

Area 7-Coastal Port: 176,85€.

Area 8-Coastal: 177,17€.

Area 9-Salinas 185,33€.

All commercial or industrial premises are exempt from the increase in the rate and a 95% discount is established for the family unit whose members, the declarant and spouse, are pensioners or retired persons, the discount must be requested with the corresponding accreditation.

Law 7/2022 of 8 April on waste and contaminated soils for a circular economy, obliges all European Union member states to improve waste management and to legislate in such a way that those who pollute the most pay the most, so that the tax collected by local councils for the collection and treatment of solid urban waste is not in deficit.

The spokesman for Defendamos Calpe, Paco Quiles, has indicated that ‘Europe is not asking us to raise the price, it says that whoever generates more waste should pay more, you have not worked on this proposal. The fairest thing would have been to reduce the IBI to the residents. The chosen method is unfair because you focus on the economic capacity of the area where we live, but you forget about the generation of waste. This point required more effort on their part to make the rate fairer’.

Miguel Crespo, spokesman for the Popular Party, criticised the rubbish collection service ‘this tax is not well worked out, it punishes the citizens, the citizens are going to pay. 2.5 million more for the same service, they will pay more for the same thing. The European Commission points out that it is not forcing us to raise the rate, what it is asking of us is that the service be sustainable’.

The Compromís councillor and government spokesman, Ximo Perles, also stated that ‘I disagree with what the members of the opposition have said, it is about resolving an allegation that if it had not been presented, we would not even be here’.

Defendamos Calpe councillor Juan Manuel del Pino said ‘the opposition is taking advantage of the resolution of an allegation to repeat that this is a robbery, nobody likes to raise taxes and we have already justified it’.

The mayoress, Ana Sala, closed the speeches stating that ‘the popular group is trying to convey to the citizens that this is a tax heist, obviously citizens are going to pay more, this increase is not to the government's liking but I have already committed to modify the rate in 2025 so that the tax burden is less for those who recycle, I do not know how we are going to do it but we are already working to achieve it’.

The X Fira de Nadal reaches its halfway point, the Fair started in early December with a new location, since instead of the streets of the Old Town the Fair is concentrated on the Plaza Mayor, and will continue the next weekends of December.

The first two weekends of the fair saw the participation of 30 associations and businesses distributed in booths provided by the Departments of Economic Promotion, Creama-Calp, Citizen Participation, Revitalisation of the Old Town and Culture for the exhibition and sale of their own products and manufactured goods.

Along with the offer of associations and businesses, visitors to the fair were able to enjoy children's entertainment, musical performances, exhibitions and the visit of Father Christmas and the Paje Real. The Fair is rounded off with numerous leisure and entertainment activities, with musical performances, parades and concerts, dance performances, workshops, exhibitions, etc.

The first part of the fair mainly involved trade and service companies and non-profit associations. The second part of the fair, the weekend of 20 to 22 December and 27 to 29 December, will be attended by 24 companies from the hotel and catering and commercial sector.

The councillor for Economic Promotion and Creama, Paqui Solivelles, expressed her satisfaction with the development of the first part of the fair and said that ‘I want to thank the associations and businesses that have participated in the first weeks of this event, which this year presented a new format, and encourage everyone to visit the fair over the coming weekends because we continue with new activities, performances and surprises’.

This event is an opportunity to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere as well as to collaborate with numerous associations with charitable and festive purposes in the town, as well as to get to know the commercial and hospitality offer of the municipality.

Calpe Town Hall was the venue for the awards ceremony of the 2nd #goCalp Contest, an initiative promoted by Global Omnium's GO2 through the Observatory of Resilient and Sustainable Cities, in collaboration with the Calpe Town Council. The ceremony was presided over by Juan Luis Pozo, director of Global Omnium's Sustainability Area, who highlighted the importance of this competition as a platform to encourage creativity and the commitment of young people to sustainability.

The first prize of 5,000 euros was awarded to the Biodiversiteam project, led by Daniel Negre of the Asociación Valenciana de Apoyo a las Altas Capacidades (AVAST). This innovative work proposes the creation of urban micro-parks with native flora, green roofs and recycled marine plastic materials to improve biodiversity and create ecological corridors in the city.

The second prize of 3,000 euros went to the BiFields project by the Convenius school. This design presents two sustainable modular solutions: Bio-placa, for self-sufficient vertical gardens, and Bio-estor, a biological curtain that protects facades and mitigates the heat island effect.

The #goCalp Contest invites young climate urban planners over 14 years old, students of ESO, Bachillerato or FP to submit innovative proposals to address the critical climate risks facing our communities.

Juan Luis Pozo congratulated the young winners and stressed the importance of projects like these, especially in the wake of recent natural disasters such as the Valencia hurricane. ‘People like you are what we need so that you not only promote the fight against climate emergencies but also provide ideas; therefore, congratulations because with your ideas we can possibly save lives, and I encourage you to continue this work’.

For his part, Juan Manuel del Pino, first deputy mayor of Calpe, said: ‘it is a great pride and honour for Calpe to lead a project like this in which we reward and value the ideas of the new generations who see things differently, with less prejudices, and who contribute with these ideas to the creation of more resilient and prepared cities in the face of climate change’.