Lonato Cooperative Members Seek Support to Secure Homes After Bankruptcy
“We met for a few days ago with Mayor Morando Perini and Vice Mayor Davide Baccinelli, who both expressed their willingness to help us. Now we will turn to all the political forces of Lonato, regardless, and to the citizens simply to gain their support so we do not passively suffer the failure of the cooperative,”
says Davide Orioli, one of the 22 members of Cooperativa Gardenia, relying on the cooperative to finally obtain a property apartment.
Unfortunately for him and the other members, while the houses (16 apartments and 6 terraced villas) were being built near the Sanctuary of San Martino, a year ago, in June 2000, they received shocking news. With a decree from the then Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Senator Ornella Piloni, the cooperative was placed in compulsory administrative liquidation, with the appointment of a liquidator commissioner.
The state of insolvency was declared by judgment of the Tribunal of Como. The members, mostly from Lonato, now fear not only losing their homes but also the funds already paid. Each of the 22 families had already advanced more or less substantial sums, saving a lifetime’s worth: some 50 million lira, some 70 million, and even 200 million. In total, approximately 1.7 billion lire, according to the memory of the lawyer appointed by the families.
Members’ Requests and Current Situation
“We are asking to be able to use the homes that have been completed for some months now. The liquidator commissioner – continues Davide Orioli, spokesperson along with Donatella Gallerini, Maurizio Vezzoli, and Stefano Sganzerla for the group of members – promised us that once the work was finished, he would allow us to move into the houses, either through a loan or rental agreement. All this while waiting for the final transfer of ownership.”
Unfortunately, we cannot speak with the liquidator commissioner. In short, our situation is desperate. With the cooperative’s bankruptcy, we risk losing everything: our home and our money. Some of us still have to pay rent elsewhere or live in quite precarious conditions.”
Origins of the Project and Development of the Construction Sites
The story began when the Gardenia construction cooperative, based in Como, signed an agreement like other companies with the Municipality of Lonato to build houses on an area located between the San Martino Sanctuary and the Pozze area. A substantial construction project with several hundred units.
The Lonato site of Gardenia specifically included 22 apartments at a cost of 4 billion 342 million lire. Other cooperative sites were active in Fino Mornasco (Como), Canzo (Como), Comerio (Varese), and Urago d’Oglio. Gardenia was also part of the larger Fidal scrl consortium, together with seven other cooperatives.
Four of these cooperatives, along with the consortium itself, according to the legal memory of the members’ lawyer, have been put into compulsory administrative liquidation. Furthermore, Gardenia was excluded from the regional contribution for public residential construction due to not obtaining a sufficient score.
At the time of the cooperative’s liquidation, the work at the Lonato site was approximately 60% complete. On July 18 of last year, the supervisory authority authorized the provisional operation for the completion of works in Comerio and Lonato. These works, after signing the appropriate contracts with the original contractors, concluded towards the end of last April.
Now, the members are desperate and plan to publicize their situation even in Lonato squares through flyers.
