Maroni and Fontana sign the Piazza Repubblica protocol

Maroni in Varese signs a Memorandum of Understanding on the arrangement of Piazza Repubblica. On the provisional draft, which has not been spread, it can be read that the new theatre will cost 28 million euros,  and that the Region will undertake to provide 15 million, the city council 2 million and the Province 1 million euros. The rest of the amount will have to be paid by private citizens. The document does not involve the distribution of money, but establishes the roles. "The task of the Region is to get the money,” states Maroni. In the next balance sheet, the president has asked that there should be 15 millions for Varese. Meanwhile, the Memorandum of Understanding is "a big step forward" following the programme agreement, according to the governor. The former Minister of  the Interior has expressed his idea on times and has made a forecast: by the 31 July the town council should draw up a master plan containing all the interventions for the square. By December the publication of the invitation to international tender is awaited. According to the city mayor, Fontana, "the construction site will be opened up by the end of 2015."

The protocol has been signed today by the President of the Regional council, Roberto Maroni, by the mayor, Attilio Fontana, and by the commissioner of the Province, Dario Galli. The square should end up being profoundly changed.  According to Maroni, the county police station will be moved where now the Apollonio theatre can be found. In the draft, the new library is expected to replace the police station, whereas the rooms which are now being occupied by the University of Insubria might become occupied by the local health authority. "This is the most important project that the city’s been awaiting over the last 40 years," points out the mayor, "the superintendence has clearly stated that the theatre can be built inside the police station, shortly we’ll even carry out an intervention to solve stability problems, whereas the entrance will be where now there is the unsafe wall on via Spinelli. The resources we’ll make available are not the total ones," added the mayor, "but without such allocations we couldn’t have done anything. On the other hand, as regards private citizens, we’ve seen displays of interest that lead us to believe that this intervention is sustainable."

As Maroni confirmed, "the superintendence declared that the police station is of simple interest, and not of particular interest; that’s why the way to conservative recovery has been paved. This can be done without keeping everything as it is. The protocol establishes tasks and amounts of money – the Region should just get the funds, whereas the Province will have to help us make the areas on Piazza Repubblica available." Maroni then pointed out that  if Prime Minister Renzi abolished the stability agreement, the council of Varese would have to invest several millions of euro.

On today’s signature, even the PD section of the town intervened. "The recent letter of the superintendence has rejected the project on the new theatre and has asked for another one respecting the historical identity of the building, in the field of the general redevelopment of the area.

As a consequence, the signing of the very-much-promoted programme agreement blew up. Indeed, today just an act was signed, that only restates an engagement that had already been taken two months ago."