The Palma ombudsman's office has been presented with a complaint by a member of the public which relates to the Alaska bar kiosk in Plaça Mercat. The concession for the kiosk, the complainant says, expired in 2007 and at that time it was denounced for breaches of safety and accessibility regulations. The complaint was first made three years and has now been made again.
Aina Moilanen, the ombudsman, says that it has not been possible to give a definitive response. Four separate town hall departments have an interest in the kiosk - public service, infrastructure, health and urban planning. They are all cooperating on the matter but haven't all come up with reports to enable further processing of a complaint that is demanding a legal decision.
Moilanen adds that it is a complex issue. As well as the involvement of the different departments, there is the fact that the bar is in an "emblematic location" and forms part of the image of the city. To simply close it would arouse a great deal of controversy. She stresses, however, that any establishment must operate in accordance with regulations, especially those to do with safety.
A six-month extension to the concession was granted by the town hall back in 2007, but any resolution of the matter remains outstanding. In 2013 there was a project for the bar's renovation and expansion, but the necessary reports for this were never compiled.
