An Italian-style ugly mess that finally seems to have been resolved. We are talking about the Marina of Balestrate (Palermo), finally handed over for management to the company of the same name headed by manager Renato Marconi as CEO, and became part of Marinedi, the port network that has seven other connected facilities around the Boot. The marina has been the protagonist of a situation that it would be euphemistic to call paradoxical: finished in 2001 after years of work (and a cost of about 30 million euros) … it has never been used.
THEATER OF THE ABSURD IMPASSE
This is because whenever a company presented a winning plan for the management of the area (an attractive business opportunity, as the Marina is centrally located to the cities of Palermo and Trapani, in the middle of the sea routes connecting the Aeolian and Egadi islands, and just a few kilometers from Punta Raisi airport.) the companies that had lost the contract filed the more or less imaginative appeals. They heard all kinds of things: that the port had no access road (when in reality it has three), that the cliff above it could collapse (too bad the entire town of Balestrate is built on that cliff), that it was made of depleted concrete, and so on.
OVER 600 BERTHS IN THE FUTURE
Now, after 15 years, the marina will finally come into full operation, albeit gradually. It starts on April 15 with 150 berths and the first resources will be invested in getting the harbor in shape (the area under management is 26,825 sq. m. between the water surface and land areas). Looking ahead, the Marina of Balestrate will be able to accommodate up to 645 vessels, 67 of which are dedicated to fishing (this should reach 80,711 operational sq. m. by next year), with a significant increase in the number of staff hired, which, assures the company headed by Renato Marconi as CEO, will be local. www.marinadibalestrate.com
