Bellinzona: vote on funding for the new barracks

Context

TL;DR

• On Monday, the first credit of 14 million will be put to a vote.
• The ex LATI project is estimated at 34 million.
• The minority is calling for the ex LATI option to be rejected.
• A referendum has already been announced.

Key facts

• Decision → initial credit for the land and the project for the new fire station
• Initial amount → 14 million
• Overall operation → estimated at 34 million
• Proposed site → former LATI site in Sant'Antonino
• Alternative → former Birreria in Carasso, approximately 44 million
• Reports → majority in favor, minority opposed
• Entities brought together → firefighters, Civil Protection and the City's operational services
• Referendum → announced by anonymous firefighters and the MPS of Bellinzona

On Monday, the Bellinzona City Council will vote on an initial credit of 14 million. The financing is intended to acquire the former LATI site in Sant'Antonino and design the new fire station. The overall operation is estimated at 34 million.

The solution is supported by the majority report of the Management Commission. President Pietro Ghisletta considers the former LATI site an interesting area, located in an industrial zone with considerable development potential remaining. The project would also make it possible to bring the firefighters, Civil Protection and the entire operational services sector of the City of Bellinzona under one roof. According to Ghisletta, travel times have also been analyzed and are considered suitable.

The NoCasa committee's letter

The vote comes after intense months and just days after a new letter sent to the municipal councillors by a group of firefighters gathered in the NoCasa committee. The signatories remain anonymous for fear of repercussions and declare themselves opposed to moving the station to the former LATI site.

«We hope that none of you will be influenced by party interests or directives imposed from above».

The opposing side is also represented by a minority report, which calls for rejecting the option. Among the signatories is Brenno Martignoni Polti, according to whom a station tasked with covering a territory must guarantee rapid response and cannot accept situations that are still unclear. The Noce representative points to the significant traffic linked to the nearby shopping center and argues that there is currently no certainty that the existing rescue capabilities can be maintained.

Some opponents would have preferred the former Birreria in Carasso, an option already mooted decades ago. However, the Municipal Council considers it more expensive, with an estimate of approximately 44 million. Ghisletta explained that the Management Commission met with the firefighters' representatives, including Tuto Rossi and Rodolfo Quatraccioni, and also heard from Civil Protection several times. The new project was presented to the entire City Council and taken into consideration in the report.

Operational details

A practical reading of the dossier

The choice between ex LATI and ex Birreria di Carasso hinges on three elements reported in the source: location, emergency response capacity and the cost of the project. For a cross-border reader, the impact described is therefore local. The fire station would be located in an industrial area or in the area of ex Birreria, while opponents point to the traffic generated by the shopping center near ex LATI.

Three figures to consider together

The first amount therefore does not match the overall estimate for the project. Monday's vote concerns the 14 million needed to purchase the land at ex LATI and design the new fire station; the total indicated for the project, however, is 34 million. The municipal government puts the Carasso alternative at a higher figure.

From a safety standpoint, the two positions remain far apart. Ghisletta argues that ex LATI is centrally located and that travel times are adequate. The minority report, by contrast, questions the possibility of ensuring emergency response capacity equal to today's, precisely because of traffic near the shopping center.

There is also the timing factor. Ghisletta calls the solution a compromise and believes it can be implemented within two or three years. No more precise date is given. The same choice could also remain at the center of the political debate after the vote, because the anonymous firefighters and the MPS of Bellinzona have already announced a referendum.

For a cross-border commuter following the decisions of the City of Bellinzona, the point to monitor is therefore the combination of the chosen location, the organization of emergency services, the cost indicated by the municipal government and the possible continuation of the referendum debate.

Key points

Following the vote without confusing the steps

Anyone wishing to follow the matter can distinguish the vote on the initial credit from the broader discussion about the permanent location. The source allows for a simple sequence based on the documents and positions already presented.

The sequence to keep in mind

1. Start with Monday’s vote and identify the precise subject: the 14 million credit. 2. Distinguish the initial amount from the overall estimate of 34 million for the former LATI project. 3. Compare the majority report of the Management Committee with the minority report. 4. Verify the reasons behind the two positions: on the one hand, the industrial zone, building development, central location and travel times; on the other, traffic near the shopping center and doubts about emergency response capacity. 5. Keep the vote separate from the referendum issue, already announced by the anonymous firefighters and the MPS of Bellinzona.

This approach avoids conflating three different levels. The first is financial and concerns the initial credit. The second is project-related and concerns the use of the former LATI site to accommodate firefighters, Civil Protection and the City’s operational services. The third is political and concerns the possible referendum.

The protagonists’ statements must also be read by distinguishing their roles. The NoCasa committee expresses the opposition of a group of firefighters who have remained anonymous. Tuto Rossi and Rodolfo Quatraccioni are identified as spokespersons. Brenno Martignoni Polti signs the minority report, while Pietro Ghisletta defends the majority report and the former LATI project.

For the cross-border worker, the concrete point to follow is not any change to permits or working conditions, which the source does not address, but the development of a local decision on the firefighters’ location. Ghisletta said that, if the referendum were launched, the Municipal Council would be ready to explain to citizens who are in favor or against the pros and cons of the solution. The matter therefore remains tied to the vote, the comparison between the two reports and the possible referendum process.

Source: ticinonews.ch