MURO
T HE mayor of Muro, Miquel Ramis, has asked for the presence of a notary at a water sample analysis to confirm whether or not the water is fit for drinking.

The decision was taken following Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) spokesman, Pere Amengual, producing some test results at a meeting of the Town Council which showed the water in Muro contained more nitrates than the legal limit.

Amengual said: “We went to a laboratory with the samples and the analyst reported that the water is only good for cleaning and that it shouldn't be drunk”.

K Historical motors

SA POBLA
THE Soberats family, owners of the nineteenth century Can Cinto ironworks, have donated three historic motors, which originally functioned in their workshop, to the Council of Majorca.

The donation was made in the presence of the family and Environment councillor, Miquel Angel Borras, amongst others. Borras said that the donation had been made within the framework of a cultural heritage conservation programme, which aims to preserve, catalogue and assess the value of technological material passed down through the ages.

In defense of the port

FELANITX
A local platform set up in defence of Portocolom on the East coast of the Island have given voice to their “fear” that the dredging works in the port to be carried out by the Balearic government “will destroy an important archaeological site located in the area of sa Bassa Nova.

Mabel Cabrer, minister for Public Works, Housing and Transport had announced that the works, which form part of a coastline cleaning programme, will be carried out at the end of this year or the beginning of the next.

The lobby group claims that “we have evidence that there are archaeological remains dating from different historical periods in sa Bassa Nova. According to different experts and undersea prospecting, the finds could be spectacular.

For this reason, the platform is asking the Balearic government that the dredging operation meets with a series of prerequisites such as respect for national historical heritage which might be encountered on the seabed; for the seabed itself; the clearing up of waste material around the fish farm in the centre of the lagoon; and the correctly-processed elimination of any mud which is removed.

Train supporters

MANACOR
CONTINUING their campaign to persuade the Balearic government to keep the train line open into the centre of Palma during underground construction work, the United Left/Green Party coalition held a demonstration at the end of the week in Manacor.

Train user groups affected by the proposed closure of the final section of the track from Son Fuster into Plaza Espanya, recently joined forces to request an official meeting with Balearic president, Jaume Matas.

Parking restrictions

SOLLER
SOLLER 2010 is the name of a public company which was approved at the end of last week by the Town Council, much to the surprise of Opposition parties.

The first duty of the new organisation will be to manage the parking control system in the town as of 1 January 2005, replacing the current operators, Dornier, whose contract will end on 31 December this year.

Soller 2010 will also be carrying out other work, not as yet specified, which will bring direct economic benefit to the Council.
When asked by the Opposition why the matter had to be dealt with in such haste, the mayor replied that the project and its proposed contractor had to go out for public review prior to ratification which must be secured prior to Dornier finishing their contract.

Old people's home

INCA
THE ruling government team on Inca Town Council (Partido Popular) has put forward an urgent motion, later to go to Rosa Puig, regional minister for the President's Office, that a home for the elderly, with 240 places, be built in Inca. A draft agreement stated that the Council would cede 9'000 square metres of land in the Crist Rei district to the regional government, in order for the residence to be built.