Public Service Conference Set for May 5 on Padiglione Grandi Ufficiali Safety
The prefect has scheduled a public service conference for Friday, May 5th, regarding the Padiglione Grandi Ufficiali. The invitation has been extended not only to representatives of the interested entities but also to the tenants of the Austrian building, which in recent days has been fenced off along its entire perimeter, excluding only the entrances to the residences and the associations housed there: Avis, Pensioners’ Circle, and Sport Fishing. The meeting is expected to mark a turning point in the situation, which began a couple of months ago with the notification to the Pavilion’s tenants to vacate within 60 days. The building was deemed unsafe, and the risk of collapses and subsequent damage to persons or property prompted the Ministry of Finance, owner of the property, to take action.
The situation and controversies
However, the decision sparked protests from the potential evictees; in a meeting with the mayor, they confirmed their intention not to leave their homes and the association premises, arguing that the interior of the Pavilion is more than secure and that the issue concerns only the exterior: roof, façades, and cornices, which over the years have lacked proper maintenance under the responsibility of the owner, i.e., the State. In early April, the mayor received communication from the Operational Unit of the Magistrate for Water regarding the commencement of “emergency works”; this was followed by the deployment of a fence to cordon off the at-risk area. The fencing was altered after Mayor Umberto Chincarini criticized the initial orange-colored mesh and the materials originally selected for it.
The mayor’s response
In this regard, the mayor sent a letter to the involved entities and to the Superintendence of Verona stating, “On behalf of the entire citizenry, the Municipal Administration, and the thousands of tourists who have visited Peschiera del Garda, I must compliment the extraordinary color choice of the netting and the carefully selected scaffolding materials, which harmonize well with the surrounding environment, offering passersby a picture of poignant beauty, a guarantee, and a symbol of how the State has, does, and will continue to protect the memory and artistic heritage that others, in a different century, bestowed upon history.” A few days after sending the letter, the fencing was replaced; the former Padiglione Grandi Ufficiali, a remaining testament to the Austrian presence in what was many centuries earlier a Venetian fortress, will remain enclosed until the decisions are made during the public service conference.
Giuditta Bolognesi
