I don't remember the exact year when several weeks' worth of work were required to fix a collapsed sewer opposite what had yet to become the squat by the by-then abandoned tennis courts on Alcudia's Carretera Arta. The bar by the courts was a small place to stop and have a highly economical cup of coffee. It was handy for the lottery office next door as well. Not that anyone would have fancied sitting on the terrace. As well as the stench, there was all the dust. No tourist season curfew for this type of work; it was an emergency and remained one for what seemed like an eternity.
Ever since that collapse, others have followed with seemingly perverse regularity - always in roughly the same area, except one that was further along the road towards Playa de Muro when a bus managed to fall into the sinkhole. (Not the whole bus, I stress; just the front.)
As Oscar Wilde would never have dreamt of saying or indeed thought of saying, to have one sinkhole may be regarded as a misfortune, to have two looks like carelessness. Yes, but what about the third, fourth or fifth? Does anyone ever step forward to explain why this happens with such regularity? The road itself is Council of Mallorca domain. What's beneath it, the sewer, is municipal. But do either ever seek to clarify?
When there was that first major collapse, it followed what had been a fair amount of work elsewhere to the sewers. Was there a connection? Is there still one? Or is it just bad luck and what may be less than solid subsoil? I can't give an explanation as I'm not an engineer. There are engineers, but we never seem to hear from them.
Last Sunday the latest hole appeared. Police and town hall crews descended on the offending spot, cars parked along the road had to be towed away, the hole gradually grew larger, threatening to consume a car that hadn't been moved. I went to admire the hole on Monday, not tarrying as there was something of a pong. But it occurred to me that the location of the hole (and its predecessors) is doubly unfortunate as it accentuates what is next to it - the deplorable state that are the old tennis courts, the one-time all-weather facility and the squat.
Weeds are in abundance and the pavement is collapsing
It must be getting on for around two years since there was a petition demanding action against the squat and the utter abandonment. What's happened? Nothing. Since then, there has been a change at the town hall. The PP are in charge, the very same PP who used to post images of what they denounced as lack of street maintenance on their Facebook page. Sorting out the courts and the squat is one thing, but the weeds and the dilapidated pavement are another. Who's denouncing now?
As I understood it, and the situation hasn't presumably moved forward, there was some sort of negotiation with the owners regarding the transfer of the courts to the town hall. The land is designated for leisure activity. This was how things were when Barbara Rebassa was mayor, which is now at least two years ago. The degradation was something I raised with Toni Mir when he was mayor; he ceased to be mayor in 2019.
The squatters are one issue, but could there not be a forced expropriation? God knows, it's not as if the town hall is short of the readies. If it can look to acquire the old Posada de Verano in order to demolish it and create a "green space" (a questionable purpose, given that the building could perhaps be converted for productive use), it can surely act with the courts.
As to the sewers, who knows. This part of Alcudia has become Hole Corner, and where the courts are concerned, feel free to attach a prefix to hole as you may think appropriate.
2 comments
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
I’m amazed that no one has yet been unfortunate enough to fall into one of these holes.
Tarrying. Must be a new one for the DB.