Garachico Funeral Home to Close Five Months for Renovation
Garachico's 39-year-old funeral home will close for five months for a major €100,000 renovation project led by the Cabildo de Tenerife, requiring residents to use a facility three kilometers away.
Garachico's town council has announced that its local funeral home will close temporarily for five months. This closure is part of a major renovation project led by the Cabildo de Tenerife, aiming to completely update the facility on Esteban de Ponte street. During this time, people living in the town will need to use the funeral home in the Las Cruces neighborhood, which is about three kilometers away, for all funeral services.
The need for this work became more urgent after recent structural damage, including an incident on the kitchen roof caused by heavy rain. However, Yazmina Luis (PSOE), the Councilor for Public Works and Services, clarified that the project isn't solely a reaction to this damage. She stressed that the renovation plans were already in place and had been a long-standing request from the community. The facility is 39 years old and hasn't had any major updates until now.
Councilor Luis mentioned that technical studies are needed to figure out the exact cost of the renovation. The initial plan estimates an investment of 100,000 euros. Tests to check the affected areas and finalize the budget are scheduled for next Friday, February 13.
The renovation will be extensive. Plans include changing the layout, reducing the number of funeral parlors from two to one. This will be complemented by an adjacent room for preparing and accessing coffins, meeting current health and safety standards. The most expensive part of the project is updating the ventilation system, which is budgeted at over 18,000 euros.
The building's exterior, which is part of the historic Villa y Puerto complex – declared an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) in 1994 and included in an unapproved 2012 urban protection plan – will not be changed. This is a requirement from the Heritage department of the Cabildo de Tenerife, which insisted on its preservation. Inside, the work will involve completely replacing windows and furniture, installing a fully equipped kitchen, and updating one of the bathrooms to meet current accessibility standards.