Renovations in Santa Úrsula have dragged on: business owners complain about losses and the authorities' indifference

In the town of Santa Úrsula, the pedestrian zone has been under construction for six months. Although they promised to finish in four months, the work is still not completed. This is very annoying for local entrepreneurs, because their stores are losing customers and money due to the closure of España Street.

Fernando Rodríguez, the owner of La Talla cafe, says that he opened recently, investing a lot of money in the renovation of the premises. But when he was оформлював documents, no one warned him about the upcoming repairs. "Three days before the start of the work, we were invited to a meeting, told how beautiful everything would be, but no one thought about our losses," he complains.

Now Fernando's cafe has been effectively closed for two months due to dust, noise and constant repairs under the door. "As soon as I started to get customers, the renovation started. I had to start all over again," he says. And a metal bridge with railings was installed in front of the entrance, which finally scared away visitors.

Fernando even appealed to the mayor with a question about compensation for damages, but was refused. "He said that in such cases, assistance is not provided," says the entrepreneur.

Other local traders are also dissatisfied with the work of the city authorities. They are outraged by the terms of the repair and the lack of information. They show a document stating that the work was to begin on March 13 and end in four months. But, as we can see, the promises have not been fulfilled.

The mayor's office assures that they are "working as quickly as possible, but do not forget about safety." They say that during the repair, they discovered an old crane structure of one of the buildings, which had to be dismantled. "This was necessary to ensure that everything around was safe," officials explain.

The mayor's office hopes that the renovation will be completed in September, "only a few weeks later than planned." "When everything is ready, entrepreneurs and residents will be able to enjoy the renovated area, which will contribute to the development of trade," they promise.

The mayor's office also notes that Mayor Juan Acosta and Construction Advisor José Manuel Amador "repeatedly visited the repair site, talked to residents and entrepreneurs, explained the reasons for the delays and apologized."

But Fernando Rodríguez believes that the delay is due to a lack of equipment. "I saw from the cafe window how their equipment is constantly breaking down, oil is leaking from it, and it can't cut anything. Although it seems that ten people are working, but in fact only two are doing something," he says.

Entrepreneurs complain not only about losses and delays, but also about the lack of support from the authorities. "No one from the mayor's office came to ask how the renovation is affecting our business," says Rodríguez. He can't even hire employees because he doesn't know when it will all end.