The Department of Education, headed by Vicente Pina, has launched six service contracts totaling €100,702.25, including VAT, to address urgent repair, maintenance, and adaptation needs in the municipality's public Infant and Primary Education centers. These works cover masonry, waterproofing, ironwork, locksmithing, painting, carpentry, blind repair, electricity, plumbing, aluminum carpentry, and glazing.
According to Vicente Pina, the aim is to resolve real problems affecting the daily operation of the centers, which are necessary and often urgent, having been detected and accumulated during the past school year. These interventions could not be directly handled by municipal brigades due to their technical specialization or the required resources.
The maximum budget is distributed across various items: €17,448.20 for masonry and waterproofing; €17,968.50 for ironwork and locksmithing; €15,125 for painting; €17,000.50 for carpentry and blind repair; €15,433.55 for electricity; and €17,726.50 for plumbing, aluminum carpentry, and glazing.
For electrical installations, the work includes wiring repairs, luminaire replacements, switch repairs or replacements, and interventions on intercom systems. The plumbing, aluminum carpentry, and glazing contract covers bathroom repairs, aluminum window work, and replacement of broken glass, among other tasks.
Pina explained that municipal Infrastructure brigades continuously addressed maintenance requests during the past school year, while tasks requiring specialized personnel or specific resources were incorporated into this plan. The goal is to significantly boost the maintenance of educational centers by addressing pending needs that could not be met with in-house resources.
The interventions will extend to numerous schools in Orihuela city, the coast, and its districts, including Josefina Manresa, Fernando de Loazes, La Campaneta, Playas de Orihuela, La Matanza, La Murada, Ismael García, Los Dolses, Rincón de Bonanza, Antonio Sequeros, Andrés Manjón, Virgen de los Desamparados, La Aparecida, San Bartolomé, Miguel Hernández, and Molins, among others, depending on the type of work and identified needs.
The councilor recalled that many school buildings are several decades old, some nearing 50 years, necessitating constant intervention. "We cannot renovate all schools comprehensively at once, but we have the obligation to act, solve emerging problems, and maintain them in the best possible condition. That is what we are doing and will continue to do," he stated.
The plan is for companies to begin interventions in the centers in the coming days, prioritizing based on urgency. In parallel, municipal brigades are already carrying out preliminary conditioning work, such as cleaning outdoor areas and pruning, in preparation for the start of the school year on September 9th.
