Once again, because of the inability of the Orihuela Council to plan ahead, the Orihuela Costa has been left without it’s popular beach bars. The Management Company, Chiringuitos del Sol, announced on social networks last Monday, that it regretted the closure due to “issues beyond our control”.
STATEMENT BY CHIRINGUITOS DEL SOL
Their statement read, “Happy New Year, friends! We hope you have had a wonderful holiday with us at our beach chiringuitos. It has been a pleasure to offer you the best service and quality food throughout the season.
Unfortunately, our establishments will be closed from today for reasons beyond our control. We want to thank you for your trust and for choosing us as your favourite leisure spot. We wish you all the best for this year and hope to see you soon with the same enthusiasm as always. Thank you for choosing us and for helping to make every day special.
Warm regards ❤️”.
It would seem that the extension of the contract, which was carried out in extremis on December 31, 2021, has ended, however, the then Councillor for Contracting, Sabina Goretti Galindo (PP), said that she would extend the service of beach bars by Chiringuitos del Sol until a new contract was awarded. The decision was signed by the mayor and the general secretary of the plenary, and it was promoted by the popular group, despite the opposition of coalition partner Ciudadanos, which had responsibility for the Beaches at that time.
Now, the present councillor of Beaches, Antonio Sánchez, has explained that the council’s legal services have said that it could not be extended again, so the two council departments, beaches and contracts, are now finalising the new specifications for the operation of the bars with the objective that the service resumes at Easter. In addition to the beach bars, the contract includes sunbeds, umbrellas and water sports.
It is thought that the tender document will be published in a few days, with the valuation carried out in February and the award proposal ready in March .
The new tender will be similar to the previous one, with an amount of about 900,000 euros, for four years and the possibility of extending it for two more years. The specifications will include the option to modify plans to expand or reduce the allotted space according to the needs, as well as the times that the bars remain open.
The Cabo Roig y Lomas Neighborhood Association point out that once again the closure of the beach bars will provide “a great deal of inconvenience”. They recall that a year ago the contract was extended at the last minute, and that the council promised that the new contract would be ready before last summer. For this reason, they denounce the previous and current government teams as being “incapable of managing the Orihuela Costa”. The Chiringuitos are a highly valued service for the food and especially for the provision of the toilets, which “are always clean”, but for which they now fear that the council will end up putting in portaloos that will be far inferior.
The toilets are currently closed although Sánchez has said that he hopes they will be operational again in the coming days.
