The Provincial Council of Almeria continues to promote investment in the 103 municipalities to beautify them and provide them with services and infrastructures that improve the quality of life of all Almerians. With these objectives in mind, the institution has granted financial assistance of 140,000 euros to Zurgena Town Council for the restoration of its flour mill, one of the largest in Andalusia.
Similarly, thanks to the institutional collaboration that makes possible the works of the Plan for the Promotion of Agricultural Employment, PFEA, Zurgena has expanded the sports infrastructure of the Ginés Parra Park with the construction of four petanque courts that complement the sports facilities of the Ginés Parra Park, which already have a multi-sports court and a paddle tennis court.
The Vice-Presidents of the Provincial Council, Fernando Giménez and José Antonio García, accompanied by the Mayor of Zurgena, Domingo Trabalón, have visited both projects to check the progress of work that will substantially improve this area of the municipality with a fundamental work for the conservation of heritage and the memory of the people of Zurgena with the enhancement of their flour mill and, at the same time, with the extension of the sports and leisure facilities in the area with the new petanque courts.
The vice-president and deputy for the Presidency, Demographic Challenge, Historical Heritage and Tourism, Fernando Giménez, highlighted «the cross-cutting nature of the heritage recovery of the flour mill, which has a bearing on the major objectives that we have set ourselves at the Provincial Council, as with it we are adding value to our tangible and intangible heritage while at the same time taking on the demographic challenge with the creation of a new area of historical and cultural interest that will encourage visits to the municipality to discover the ins and outs of one of the largest flour mills in Andalusia».
In this regard, Giménez stressed that once the first phase of the works have been completed, an interpretation centre will be created which «will become a magnet for visitors to get to know the municipality and the region». The vice-president also pointed out that the new petanque courts built thanks to the PFEA highlight «the importance of this plan that encourages investment in our towns to provide them with more services enjoyed by the citizens. By improving and creating services we equalise opportunities between Almeria residents, wherever they live.
For his part, the Mayor of Zurgena thanked «the impetus and support that Diputación, as a council of councils, gives us to tackle major projects such as these. The recovery of the flour mill will allow us to pay an emotional tribute to our elders and to the most deeply-rooted Zurgena customs, to spread them among the youngest so that they do not fall into oblivion and to make us feel deeply proud of our roots».
The action in the first phase of the recovery of the flour mill consists of removing the roof of the facility by removing the tiles and placing a wooden structure to support the building, as well as removing all the rubble and leaving the building in the best conditions to carry out the next phase that would result in a new interpretation centre.
The flour mill, known as the ‘Molino del Lugar’, was built in 1863 at the height of the agricultural boom with cereal crops in the province requiring this type of infrastructure for their exploitation. It was used to refine wheat flour and was originally powered by the water of the river Almanzora to activate its machinery.
The PFEA works that have resulted in the creation of four new petanque courts in the sports area of the Ginés Parra Park have had a budget of more than 40,000 euros and, apart from being enjoyed by all residents who wish to practice this sport, it will become the epicentre of the activities of the Zurgena Petanque Club.