The Mayor’s Office of Bucaramanga had to deliver this sports venue approximately a year ago. Although nearly $3,596 million were added to this project, the community denounced that there are multiple pending pending completion of the work.
Despite the fact that the Bucaramanga Mayor’s Office allocated more resources than planned, around 50% more than what was stipulated in principle, to date the community of the Los Naranjos urbanization continues to demand the completion of the works that were launched since more than a year ago for the renovation of a sports venue.
The official information of the contract indicates that these works should have been completed in July 2023. But currently the residents of this sector, located in Commune 7, cannot enjoy this scenario since there are several pending within the framework of the project.
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The courts are still closed. The outdoor gym remains unavailable to the public, the place is clogged with construction materials and waste, in addition to the lack of thorough cleaning of both the equipment and the floor.
Multiple sections of pedestrian paths also remain closed and others occupied with piles of slabs. In the area of influence of the work there is also a bulldozer that affects the mobility of the community.
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This type of inconvenience and disruption has been endured by the residents of Los Naranjos for about a year and a half, since the works on this project began in January 2023, with an initial period of six months.
“For several months now, the Mayor’s Office has told us that they are going to hand over the stage, but we don’t see workers. Some workers come every other day. The work as such has not been officially delivered. Most of the sports center has already been intervened, but many details are still pending,” said Lucio Villamizar, member of the Community Action Board, JAC, of the Los Naranjos urbanization.
“You don’t even see gardeners”
In 2023, in the administration of former mayor Juan Carlos Cárdenas, $7,121 million were invested to renew the public lighting system in the Los Naranjos and Centauros urbanizations.
This project also included the reconstruction of two multiple courts, their stands and roof, as well as the adaptation and installation of a children’s play area, new street furniture and an outdoor gym.
Official information indicates that this contract suffered three budget additions, for a total value of $3,596 million. That is, these works went from having an original cost of $7,121 million to currently being worth $10,718 million.
“We see workers very sporadically. For a few weeks they even sent gardeners to take care of the green areas, but they did not return. The hoses and materials were left lying around, they are rotting. Through the JAC we have already filed complaints,” Villamizar added.
When will these works be delivered?
Jorge Alejandro García, Secretary of Infrastructure of the Mayor’s Office of Bucaramanga, responded to Vanguardia that “there are two very important activities that the contractor has not finished: the electrical tasks, which must have two certificates (retie and retilap), related to the optimal functioning of circuits and electrical connections in public lighting systems.”
According to the official, to date the builder has not presented these certificates, which is why the authorities have not put the stage into service. The Los Naranjos sports center, as explained by the Municipality, will be enabled until it is safe for the community.
“Some corrections must also be made with Essa. If we open the scenario with these pending, very great difficulties could arise. It really is something that makes it impossible for us. When everything is corrected, we will be able to enable the sports center,” added the Secretary of Infrastructure.
In response to the budget additions, the official responded that the previous administration “did not project all the scope of this contract.”
Including interventions on trails, sardines and green areas, this project covered a total area of approximately 73,446 square meters.
