The Provincial Council of Almería and the Junta de Andalucía, through the Plan de Fomento de Empleo Agrario (PFEA), are carrying out key actions in the municipality of Tíjola, generating more than 2,700 day jobs for the local residents. With an investment of more than €300,000, the actions being carried out include the complete refurbishment of the Plaza de los Reyes Católicos, the covering of rural housing in the Higueral neighbourhood and the beautification of public spaces in various squares, parks, schools, homes and some twenty streets in the municipality.
The provincial deputy of the PFEA, Matilde Díaz, has visited the works together with the mayor of the municipality of Tíjola, José Juan Martínez and the delegate of Regeneration, Justice and Local Administration Junta in Almería, José Luis Delgado. During this visit, they have been able to check ‘in situ’ the projects that are being executed and that will contribute, thanks to the improvement of several spaces and public services, to improve the quality of life of the residents of the municipality.
In Tíjola, three projects are being carried out. The first involves the reorganisation of the Plaza de los Reyes Católicos, eliminating the legendary kiosk, telephone booth and pavements, converting the entire square into a single platform. In addition, the sewerage, rainwater, water supply, street lighting and telephone installations will be replaced. The surface area of the area where work is to be carried out is 1,269.23 square metres.
On the other hand, several public spaces are being beautified through the conditioning of the land with the cleaning and clearing of the existing undergrowth and several gardening works are being carried out with the periodic planting of the species that are being lost in different areas of the village such as the school, the swimming pool, the cemetery, the football pitch, the church, the Cela pond and several streets of the municipality.
The third action involves the resurfacing of rural housing in Higueral, one of the largest neighbourhoods in Tíjola. The aim of the intervention is to repair interior and exterior walls by means of painting, tiling and cladding with cement and natural Almerian stone.
The provincial deputy, Matilde Díaz, highlighted the important role played by the Plan de Empleo de Fomento Agrario in inland municipalities: «With the PFEA, not only do we carry out works that are of vital importance for the development of our towns, but we also generate employment and wealth among the local residents. A key tool in the fight against depopulation that we carry out from the Diputación de Almería and that we will continue to promote from all areas. The smallest municipalities are the ones that need the most help from the institutions, so we are fully committed».
On the other hand, the delegate of Regeneration, Justice and Local Administration of the Junta in Almería, José Luis Delgado, has stated that «collaboration between administrations is key to help municipalities to implement projects that improve the facilities and services of the neighbours». In the case of Tíjola, the Regional Ministry of Tourism, Regeneration, Justice and Local Administration, which is directed by Juan Marín, is providing 69,187 euros this year to co-finance, together with the Provincial Council, the materials for the PFEA works being carried out by the Town Council on infrastructures and public spaces. These works are also helping to generate almost a hundred jobs in the town».
For his part, the mayor of Tíjola, José Juan Martínez, has highlighted the value of the works being carried out in the municipality: «our neighbours are very grateful for the improvement of services that they use every day, such as our squares and parks. Between all the projects, around a hundred actions are going to be carried out which will be fundamental in improving the quality of life of all the people of Tijoleños».
The PFEA is a valuable example of institutional collaboration between the Government of Spain, the Junta de Andalucía, Diputación and Town Councils, and this year has increased its investment effort to more than 14.8 million euros which will be allocated to 238 works in 87 municipalities and Fuente Victoria under the management of the Provincial Council.