The leader of the main opposition party in the Municipality of Kythira Nikos Magoulas, in a recent statement, he responds to the Mayor of Kythira regarding the project in Kastelo, Avlemonas, focusing on the mayor’s effectiveness during the period when «his own ministers.» He wonders whether the mayor has done anything since 2019, while arguing against the logic of «horizontal redevelopment with urban characteristics reminiscent of Glyfada.» He returns to a series of issues concerning the redevelopment project in the picturesque village of Avlemonas and urges: «We must not fall into the trap of the petty and inflexible logic that «we’ve found money, so we have to spend it because we’ll lose it…».” Mr. Magoulas’s statement follows:
ISSUE : Statement by the Leader of the Municipal Political Group «People First» in the public statement issued on November 5, 2022, by the Mayor of Kythira and Antikythira, Mr. Efstratios Charhalakis, regarding the Avlemmon Castle.
Mr. Charchalakis, recognizing the public’s dissatisfaction with the mockery surrounding the «major» projects, the fictitious (pie-in-the-sky) budgets, and the mismanagement of the Municipality of Kythira and Antikythira, has been attempting in recent days, through daily Facebook posts, to justify the unjustifiable. He is trying to convince the public of the necessary and noble projects he is carrying out, and for those he is not carrying out, it is always someone else’s fault. So today, he decided that the failure to carry out the restoration project for the Avlemonas Castle is the fault of the previous Minister of Culture, Ms. Lydia Koniordou, and that he bears no responsibility whatsoever.
However, Ms. Koniordou has not held the position of Minister of Culture for the past three years. Mr. Charchalakis, who has connections within New Democracy and presents himself as a key figure in the party, what has he accomplished during his tenure as «his own» ministers, over the past three years? Has he sent even a single document urging that this specific project be launched? Could it be that his ties to New Democracy are, after all, overrated?;
I agree that the project has been approved—in fact, by the Central Archaeological Council—, the first phase which involves stabilization work and other projects, rather than a complete restoration. That's how it's done in projects involving monuments, You begin the first phase of the work, and depending on the findings, you move on to the second phase—the complete restoration. Mr. Charchalakis doesn’t have to know everything, but he can ask questions and learn. So the question is: why hasn’t the FIRST PHASE begun 10 years later? Or, at the very least, why doesn’t Mr. Charhalakis explain what steps he has taken during all this time?.
This issue was raised during the briefing portion of the most recent city council meeting, and as a reasonable question For my part, I support Mr. Charchalakis’s ambitious plans for the redevelopment of Avlemonas. All the more so because, as an architect, I am familiar with the approvals required by law from the relevant authorities, the labyrinthine permitting processes, and I am frankly baffled by the municipal authority’s announcements that the project will begin in the spring of 2023. All the more so if the rumors about legal disputes in the area are true, regarding the situation to date DO NOT Approval of the Common Areas of the Residential Complex, to date DO NOT approval from the relevant archaeological authority, etc.
Finally, in my capacity as a civil engineer, I would like to state the following. Finding funding these days to carry out any public project is the easiest thing in the world. The challenge lies in the aesthetic approach to each architectural solution. And unfortunately, in this regard, the Harhalakis administration has, to this day, fallen short of expectations in all the projects it has carried out.
We like Avlemmon because it has retained its authenticity. Over time, through small architectural touches, it has developed as a settlement without losing its essential and fundamental elements. The implementation of a blanket, one-size-fits-all redevelopment—with urban characteristics similar to those of Glyfada—without sensitivity to the distinctive local character will undoubtedly lead to the loss of the area’s unique characteristics. And when a place loses its unique identity, it will soon lose its memory, the simplicity it embodies, and all its distinctive characteristics. Then there will be other places that, on a larger scale, and this will have an impact on tourism development—or, if you will, on the caliber of tourists that Avlemmon will attract in the future.
We must all, therefore, think very carefully about how we envision the island over the next decade, rather than getting caught up in petty and inflexible thinking. «We found some money; we have to do something with it because we'll lose it…». There will always be money for the right proposals. But the correct way of thinking is, «I want to do this………….., because that’s how I envision my community—a proposal that emerged from a collective consultation—and I want this money…».
Sincerely,
The head of the municipal faction
Man first
Nicholas P. Magoulas
Architectural Engineer, National Technical University of Athens – Artwork Conservator
