The commune of Coquimbo is known worldwide for one of its main icons: the Third Millennium Cross, raised during the administration of the late mayor Pedro Velásquez.
But for the current mayor of Coquimbo, Ali Manouchehri, currently work must be done with the objective of turning the center of the commune into the most important in the country, and for this the communal authority presented a powerful portfolio of projects that seeks to transform this space, with initiatives that are already materializing and others that will be finalized with a view to the year 2030.
Among the battery of initiatives, one stands out that seeks to promote tourism and become another icon of the port; the construction of a “ferris wheel” of about 50 meters (although its final height would still be defined), which will have an approximate cost of 5 billion pesos and will be complemented by the cable car that will be raised from La Cruz of the Third Millennium. The structure will be located at the front of the O’Higgins Park almost in front of the municipal building and will allow for a spectacular view of the commune and its port sector.
SYMBOL OF PROGRESS
From the municipality they indicate that this work is not only a tourist attraction, but a symbol of progress, innovation and development of the city projected for the year 2030.
In this regard, the councilor, Ali Manouchehri, acknowledged that it is “difficult” to refer to long-term projects before people, but at the same time, he criticized that this has implied stopping looking to the future.
“This administration with its municipal officials has sought to generate projects where we can have significant transformations, among them the cable car project, the Wheel of Fortune, the transformation of our coastline, and that will allow us to position ourselves as a of the most important tourist cities,” he stated.
For the president of the neighborhood council of the central area of Coquimbo, initiatives such as the “wheel of fortune” are something very new and striking, above all, for tourism and the recovery of public spaces.
“Several of the projects presented today by Mayor Manoucherhi are excellent initiatives to attract the local community back to the center of Coquimbo, so that it can once again be what it should never have lost: its urban, heritage and tourist attraction,” said the neighborhood leader.
TRANSFORMATION OF THE CENTER
In his words, the highest communal authority justified the importance of the transformation of the center of the commune with a portfolio of 30 projects, many of them financed with municipal resources and others with money from institutions such as the regional government, for an amount total that exceeds $60 billion.
“The Center Plan is ambitious. We know that the people of Coquimba need the recovery of public spaces to be a reality and that this also comes associated with more beautiful spaces, spaces also with an entire inclusive system, where we can all enjoy, but also safely (…). The challenge is on the table. In the coming months, the downtown axis will be transformed, and we will transform it into one of the most beautiful and safe spaces in this country,” said the mayor.
In turn, Alexis Ramírez, president of the Coquimbo Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, thanked that the works are not just a speech. “We have been seeing how step by step each of the commitments have been realized,” he highlighted.
For his part, the presidential delegate, Galo Luna, valued the collaboration they are carrying out, through SUBDERE, financing street lights through the Streets Without Violence Plan, which will complement this investment. “This portfolio that the mayor has presented is not only to make the center of Coquimbo more beautiful and clean, but also to make it safer, and that is a priority that we are going to continue promoting,” he indicated.
INITIATIVES
- Paseo Empalme Improvement, $346 million.
- Furniture and equipment of the Empalme, $34 million.
- Aldunate Pedestrian Promenade Furniture, $70 million.
- Paseo Aldunate Terraces, $45 million.
- Improvement of Varela Street plaza with Juan Antonio Ríos, $63 million.
- Opening of Melgarejo Street, $42 million.
- Replacement of Aldunate street tiles, $32 million.
- New bathrooms and dressing rooms in the Plaza de Armas, $137 million.
- Hydraulic design of Las Gaviotas and Plaza de Armas pools, $590 million.
- Enabling the First Local Police Court, $55 million.
- Carabineros checkpoint, $170 million.
- Consulting on works for the Club Social heritage property, $21 million.
- Urban improvement of Vicuña Mackenna Square and the English Quarter, $436 million.
- Electrical improvement of the Plaza de Armas, $155 million, from the Undersecretary of Regional Development (SUBDERE).
- Conservation of the Lastra Street Zigzag, $170 million, from the MINVU.
- Improvement of public spaces on Avenida Varela, $98 million, from SUBDERE.
- Oriente Community Center, $842 million, from the FNDR.
• Construction of CECREA in Casa Novella, $3 billion, from the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Heritage
