Miquel Oliver: "Our mayoral candidate will be chosen from one of the current council members."

PalmMiquel Oliver joined Manacor City Council 16 years ago, first as an opposition councilor within the PSM (Socialist Workers' Party) and later as mayor for Més-Esquerra (Mes-Esquerra). Now, having announced his retirement from local politics, but with almost two years of his term still ahead of him, we discuss the current situation at the council.

Let's start with Portocristo. Will the first line finally be used for pedestrians, or will the current model of allowing pedestrians to pass through but with restrictions continue?

— We've always believed that Portocristo should have the first pedestrian line, free from smoke and for the enjoyment of the public. But the port isn't circular and has a layout that makes mobility more complicated. We'll see how we do it. For now, traffic will continue to be limited to one direction, up the Costa de Blau.

And the terraces want more space.

— If we were able to close, this would allow the existing terraces to occupy more space on the street. They are currently narrower due to the limitations and passage required by the Cost Demarcation, which does not allow them to be so close to the sea.

But wasn't Costas asked for an exception while everything was resolved?

— Costas did not accept it.

Will it be closed completely at the end of the season?

— In winter, in principle, it will continue as it is now.

How do we ensure that, especially in the summer, the Western Ring Road isn't so congested?

— For two years, we've been asking the Council for increased safety on the Western Ring Road, including a pilot system and a double lane to prevent left turns from encroaching on the wrong side of the road. We've also been asking the Council to build a roundabout from the town to the Islote intersection. We want this section to also function as an urban zone.

When will these protections on the Riuet Bridge, which were put in place after the last heavy downpour, be removed?

— The Riuet Bridge is another complaint. According to the experts from the Consell de Mallorca, traffic is safe, but they still haven't removed the barriers that cause problems due to the…

Moving on to Manacor, will we be able to rehabilitate Avenida del Torrent even if we pay?

— If necessary, we'll have to pay €1.8 million to renovate a thoroughfare that previously should have cost us nothing. Basically because they say there are significant hidden projects. In total, we must pay for 60% of the project. We met with the island's Highway Department some time ago to begin assessing the execution of the project. For now, we're still demanding it, without any response, even though it was something everyone had verbalized their need for. Now, in addition, they tell us it can't be municipal because it's a necessary road for the continuity of the primary road network and, therefore, they don't plan to transfer it to the City Council either. I believe that with the new road that will be built between the hospital roundabout and the Plaza de Madrid roundabout, this continuity will be different. Let them execute it and resolve the problems.

Will the ZPR grow?

— There will indeed be an expansion of the ZPR, but now in Portocristo. It will focus on the streets surrounding the Ports area. We're waiting to talk with them this summer to begin in winter. In the vicinity of the church, for example, it wouldn't make sense because there's no specific commercial area.

Will it work like Manacor?

— Likewise, so that only residents can circulate.

At what stage is the activation of the new urban planning management?

— The plaza's creation is currently on display; the plan is for it to be operational between September and October of this year.

Could this be the solution to redefine the department's malfunction?

— The goal is to organize the urban planning department according to objective priorities. Publicly-subsidized housing (VPO) and limited-price housing (VPO) will be processed more quickly, and simpler applications will also be prioritized.

Where will your political career continue after this term?

— The party's primaries to determine the top candidates were scheduled for September or November. During these months, I've been in talks with both Lluís (Apesteguia) and, previously, Jaume (Alzamora) about the future organizational structure in the Parliament and the Consell; but, as I've always said, I'm available to the party for whatever they consider. Nothing has been decided.

Burned out on local politics?

— I'm not burned out. These days it's been 16 years since I was a councilor on the Manacor City Council, first in the opposition and then in power. Municipal politics is very intense and often leaves little room for decision-making. But I still enjoy direct contact with people. Even so, the time has come.

Do you remember how you entered politics as a councilor?

— Within the PSM municipal group, replacing Andreu Pascual Gun.

By the way, do you already know who will be his replacement, who will run as the head of the Más-Izquierda list in the upcoming Manacor elections?

— It's part of a decision made by the party in Manacor, by all its members. There will be people who will continue. These eight years have developed a human capital that must be leveraged; people already accustomed to resolving situations with skill and who have proven they can manage. Our candidate for mayor of Manacor for the next municipal elections in 2027 will be someone who is already a councilor.

Will you have to pay compensation for not having the water treatment plant installed?

— The company that was supposed to carry it out will have to be compensated with 60,000 euros, yes. In any case, I think it was a project that was criminalized by Palma.

How is?

— The Government says the project cannot guarantee water sufficiency.

And is that so?

— Look, we've corrected the distribution network losses to 60% efficiency, and sectorization improves the extracted water. The General Plan already mentioned the water treatment plant in a document validated by technicians and Water Resources. But even so, it's not enough. Now Abaqua wants to wait for the arrival of high-water to the Levante River from Petra and the construction of a large regulating reservoir in the Graveres area. The Government's Hydrological Plan also states that the Levante desalination plant will have to be built at some point. But what do we do in the meantime? Are we sure that the arrival of high-water from Petra will happen in the coming years? They're prioritizing the arrival of high-water because, otherwise, it threatens their business. What percentage of the water will we have to buy from Water Resources when it arrives from Petra? In any case, the water treatment plant project is only on hold, not ruled out. The water that will come from Petra won't be perfect, but drinkable, and a water blending process will be necessary. The government says that extracting such a large amount of water is not environmentally viable unless losses are reduced by 2%.

When will we have a sports center commensurate with the volume and quality of emerging sports in Manacor?

— To build a new sports center, a planning modification must be made, affecting the sports area of the Enagistes Tower. If we ultimately achieve capital status, we would be entitled to the €5 million we're requesting annually, which we could use, along with the remaining funds, to build a large sports hall. The idea is for it to have more court than stands, meaning it would occupy three times the size of the current Miquel Àngel Nadal court, allowing up to nine volleyball courts to be used at the same time. Then, on match days, this would become a large-capacity hall if we add mobile stands.

How is the purchase and demolition of the Topaz apartments in Cales de Mallorca progressing? Is the government aid still active?

— There are up to 80 cadastral references, debts, and apartments in legal proceedings, with three investment funds involved. Ultimately, the owners must realize that this is a very toxic asset. We will do everything possible to be on time. We have the capacity to justify the acquisition until December, and then another process would begin to overthrow it.

Another investment made but now requiring work is the purchase of the chapel.

— It was an opportunity we had to seize because it's part of the collective imagination of the people of Manacor. It's a building listed in the heritage catalog, which will allow for the availability of up to 92,000 square meters. We must keep in mind that the building attached to the Convent church is also included in the agreement.

And what about the fallen part of the cover?

— It will require an investment of between 30,000 and 50,000 euros, which will make it possible to use it again.

We'll soon have a second outpatient clinic... but we'll be left without a dog park.

— There will be at least two new spaces enabled before the end of the year.