The purchase of the Cuartel de El Colmenar, a property dating back to 1530 with undeniable historical and patrimonial value, declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (BIC) in 2003, has been a constant aspiration for successive municipal governments in Valsequillo. In 2023, the Ministry of Culture granted a subsidy of 1,000,000 euros for its acquisition and rehabilitation, with an execution period extended until December 31, 2025.
Following the no-confidence motion on November 18, the new government team, led by Hernández Atta, faced the urgent situation that the purchase was stalled, risking the return of the subsidy. Through intensive efforts, they managed to finalize the acquisition of the barracks on December 22 for 621,479 euros, ensuring the property returned to public ownership.
The noise he has tried to generate since the day after the barracks purchase was materialized is nothing more than a smokescreen to try to hide an obvious fact: Valsequillo is moving forward.
The mayor refutes the accusations made by the former mayor and leader of ASBA-Primero Canarias, Francisco Atta, who suggested an attempt to inflate the price. Hernández Atta explains that the market price was set at 621,479.54 euros. The property presented a report valuing the cultural heritage at over 248,000 euros, while municipal technicians estimated it at 68,362 euros. However, a subsequent legal report determined that the Ministry's subsidy limited eligible expenses to the market value, thus ruling out the addition of patrimonial value.
Hernández Atta criticizes the opposition's lack of understanding of the Principle of Efficiency, pointing out that the absence of a rehabilitation project prior to the purchase, as argued by Atta, indicates poor management. The mayor concludes that the accusations aim to tarnish his government's achievements in heritage recovery and improved municipal management.
