Current State of El Ingenio Pavilion Construction in San Pedro Alcántara
The Mayor of Marbella, Ángeles Muñoz, has made another visit to the construction site of El Ingenio Pavilion in San Pedro Alcántara. The project has been significantly delayed and has incurred nearly 30% in cost overruns. The Mayor now claims that the facility will be operational by September. This is a promise she first made back in 2009.
Delays and Contract Modifications
The construction of El Ingenio Pavilion was tendered at the end of 2021 and has since experienced numerous delays and contract modifications. It was initially announced that the facility would be ready by spring 2023, then by the end of that year, and then by early 2024. This morning, the Mayor stated that the construction will be completed this coming summer and the facility will open its doors in September. Muñoz has made another promotional visit to provide timelines that are never met and to boast about a facility she is unable to complete.
Construction Progress and Location
In August 2023, it was reported that the construction was 70% complete. This morning, eight months later, the Mayor claimed that it is now 90% complete. The pavilion is located in the southern expansion area of San Pedro Alcántara, where the City Council recently introduced a public housing promotion.
The New Sports Facility
According to Muñoz, the new sports facility is “an emblematic project that embodies our commitment to provide the municipality with top-level facilities and that will meet the demands of the residents and clubs”. However, this commitment to the pavilion has been long-standing and the Mayor has little to boast about.
History of the Project
On February 13, 2009, Ángeles Muñoz announced the project to provide the El Ingenio area with more than 14,000 square meters of sports facilities. The first step was a covered pavilion of more than 2,000 square meters, which was to begin construction that same year as there was a budget allocation of 1.4 million euros. She took advantage of Marbella being the European City of Sport at that time to announce this project, for which she sought co-financing from the Junta de Andalucía. With the regional administration, governed by the PSOE, she signed an agreement for this in September of that same year.
Return of the Grant and Additional Costs
Four years passed and, as the pavilion had not been built, on January 30, 2013, the return of the grant to the Junta was ordered, in addition to the payment of just over 10,000 euros in interest. Eleven more years have passed since then, fifteen since the first promise, and the pavilion is still not built. Furthermore, as advanced by Marbella24horas, the facility faces a cost overrun of 28% on the initially planned budget.
Contract and Budget
The contract was signed on March 22, 2022, with the company Guamar for 5,607,651.49 euros and a 15-month execution period. However, on July 18, 2023, a modification to the works was added for 1,570,145.13 euros. This is exactly 28% more. Therefore, the current budget for this sports center in San Pedro Alcántara amounts to 7,177,796.62 euros and the completion has been extended to 20 months.
