Questions and answers

Many of you will already have seen this on the website, but for those of you who didn't:

Here is a précis of some of the questions that cropped up at the two meetings with Mr Koukianakis (current leader of the opposition, “EMAAK”) last week. I have not included them all as the email would be very long - and some of the answers were far more detailed. I will gather some more together and send the answers on. If your particular question has not been answered please send it to me and I will ask for the answers.

What are your priorities?

Our first priorities are to address the everyday concerns of the residents. Rubbish collection, holes in the road, street lighting and so on. These are things that can be tackled easily and simply need organisation and the will to get on with it. If we are elected we will listen to proposals and ideas from the opposition and consider them and work together rather than dismissing them simply because they are from the Opposition, as has been happening till now. We want to know your problems, concerns and also your ideas as we realise that the European residents of Apokoronas have a great deal of experience and expertise which until now has not been acknowledged.

Will we continue to have water shortages in our village?

We live in an area of abundant water but it needs to be looked after and properly distributed. In a week when the water bottled near Stylos has won recognition as the second best water in the world, it is inconceivable that residents in the villages of Apokoronas do not have drinkable water coming out of their taps. There is no need for the villages to run short during the tourist season. The infrastructure for this and other related items is high on the list of priorities. Fresh water is running away into the sea, from the rivers in Apokoronas, and could be used better. Another problem is the old pipework in much of the area. (At this point the village representative from Kefalas Stavros Stavroulakis, told us how, for example, much of the pipework in Kefalas is made with asbestos and is in urgent need of renewal. This has become a major news item.) We have plans in place to build more local water tanks.

What about Rubbish/ fly tipping/ recycling?

Not only should rubbish be collected regularly, the area around the bins should also be cleaned. Recycling should be encouraged and made easy.

The dumping of builders rubbish and large items is currently a problem as, so far, the council has not found a suitable place to put it. It would be possible, though, for a small place to be found in each area of Apokoronas where rubble, etc. could be placed (in large industrial skips) and then be collected once a month by the council and taken to the proper place. This would mean there is no excuse for dumping on the side of the roads. (Here may I remind you all that if you have large items to dispose of – fridges etc – you can call Katerina at the council and she will arrange for it to be collected – 28250 23220)

Almyrida lost its blue flag status last year. Will you reapply if you are elected?

We want not only Almyrida to get its Blue Flag returned, but also to increase the numbers of Blue Flag Beaches in our area. The reasons for the loss of the flag were minor incidents and could have been sorted out in one day (e.g. flush in toilet not working properly, flagpole not painted, beach not swept etc.) This is important for our tourism and for the future of Apokoronas. Over the last few years there has been a dispute about who has control of the beach in Almyrida as it is in an archaeological area and came under their* control and there has been a lot of “passing the buck”. It is now clear that it is under the control of the council. Cleanliness and the amount of sunbeds and space for people to sit freely must be controlled properly. The local community and businesses need to co operate in this endeavour.

*The Archeological ministry 

Can we have free WiFi in our village?

The EU recently had an initiative for the councils to apply for funding to provide free Wifi in the villages. More than 5000 applications have been granted. Unfortunately the Apokoronas council failed to put in the application, by the middle of January deadline, and lost the opportunity for the funding. We will certainly apply for the funding if it becomes available again, and look at other ways to provide this. This is important for the young people of our municipality as well as householders, especially in areas where it is not possible to get telephone lines.

What about the future of the young people of Apokoronas?

The young people are the future. At the present time unemployment is high and morale is low. One of the first things we want to do, should we be elected, is to create a Youth council to run in parallel with the main council, where the young people can present their ideas and debate them. This will help in two ways: first to find out what the young people in our area really need from us and secondly to encourage them to take part in the development of our area and its future. After all, they will be the councillors of tomorrow. Another thing we want to do to help our youngsters to stay in our area, rather than leaving for Athens etc., is to create a college in the area (perhaps by utilising the large, empty town hall in Kavros) specialising in tourism where they can get knowledge and study for certificates and qualifications.

What about the Sewerage scheme in Georgioupolis?

It is criminal that the funding for the sewerage system at Georgioupolis was lost. It was then passed on to the area council funding. This is an extremely high priority as it affects every aspect of our lives and most especially the tourism of the area. Not only must Georgioupolis be served but also the other areas: Almyrida, Kalyves and the surrounding villages. These villages, Almyrida, Stylos, Neo Horio and Armenoi, can be served by small compact sewage treatment plants. This is not simply for the homes and businesses that it serves but to prevent spoiling of the ground water and seeping into the fresh water sources.

What about naming roads in our village?

The naming of roads, particularly in the larger villages such as Plaka and Kokkino Horio where the numbers of residents have grown very rapidly, is particularly important to enable the services, ambulance, fire brigade, police to reach specific addresses easily. This is not a difficult thing to achieve, or expensive. It needs organisation and the passing of a bill in the council and then the co operation of the village councils.

What about tourism?

Apokoronas is an area rich in natural beauty and has two main sources of employment: tourism and agriculture. We have to work together with both so that one complements the other. We need to increase tourism, but the right kind of tourism. We also need to encourage tourism outside the summer season. For example: a pathway from Ramni down through to Lake Kournas along which the local shepherds and farmers can sell their produce from a Koumbos (the old stone animal shelters). The council can encourage the hotels, restaurants and other businesses to use local products by giving incentives – e.g. a reduction in council rates if they take part in the scheme.

The tourism activities should also include marine tourism (yachting / sailing/diving) and cultural tourism, making Vamos the cultural capital of Apokoronas, for example by introducing a music festival, organising conferences, and the promotion and invitation of exchange visits for students from foreign universities. Going forward with the long discussed plans for a marina at Kalyves – and fishing shelter, with water supplies able to accept visitors with tourist boats.

The new National Highway?

The spectre of a new national highway still looms in our area. The plans are available to see in the council office. This is not likely to happen at the moment but, if it is proposed again, we are against it. There are areas of the existing highway that need to be improved – for example at Kavros there needs to be either an underpass or bridge, and many other junctions need to be looked at for the sake of safety.

Animals?

I recently attended a meeting to learn more about the problems of animals in our area.

We will begin by providing a municipal clinic manned by a municipal vet – and/or volunteer vets – where animals can be treated cheaply or free. Following on from this we will work in cooperation with the other municipalities in the area to find premises and provide a properly run shelter for stray animals.

How can you help the farmers?

As well as the aforementioned encouragement of the use of local products by the local tourist industry, there are other ways we can help our local producers and local village people. We have excellent grade olive oil here in Apokoronas, for which the farmers are paid 2-3 euros per litre. We all know what sort of prices it is sold for in London, New York and other countries. A properly run co operative in Apokoronas with a logo and shared bottling facilities could help promote and sell our oil for better prices to the farmers. Promotion? Well, with about 3000 non Greeks living in our area, I am sure that there will be plenty of ideas for promotion and locations for selling!

If you go to buy bay leaves in the supermarkets you will find that they are usually picked and packaged in Turkey. We live in an area full of bay trees, and other herbs. We can encourage and help the local women's and young peoples groups (Syllogos) to collect, dry and package these herbs and spices and sell them, thus providing a small income for them and promoting the produce of Apokoronas.

Communications

Communications within the municipality have to be improved on all levels. We have already had discussions regarding the setting up of a website. We have many people of experience living in the area who have offered to help in this.

We also have plans to help the movement of residents around the municipality by setting up local buses between the villages. This can be done by using the services of the school busses and drivers during the times they are not transporting the students.

Another way the young people can help would be the setting up of small village KEP offices in he villages using empty buildings. They might be open three mornings a week and run by the young people who are all computer literate. It would mean that, if you simply wanted to fill in an application or similar, you could do it from your village rather than going to the town hall each time.

Will you support the current “social services”?

We will continue to support the work of “Help in the Home” and “Xeira Voithias” and other groups in our area. We need to make sure that those in need know what else is available in the way of help. For example it is possible to apply for a reduced rate for water and local taxes if you meet certain criteria. Until now only 13 people in Apokoronas have applied for this.

How will all this be financed in the current situation?

Firstly the council does receive money from the government. Like a housewife in difficult times we need to prioritise and use this money to its best advantage. Having said that, the days of waiting for the government to pay for everything have long gone. We all need to work together to find solutions.

The next term of local government also covers the next tranche of European monies that will be available. We need to make sure that we apply for the right things and also make sure that all the paperwork is in place so we do not lose our opportunities. Plans and studies have to be complete, accurate and on time. We can also use the technical services available to us in the Hania district at the University and the technical colleges etc.

Why was so much money spent on the Kefalas “Bypass” when the other roads are full of holes?

This was money from the EU for a specific purpose. The application was made several years ago. The money could not be diverted to other uses. This shows the importance of applying for funding for the the right projects at the right time.

Mr Koukianakis concluded by thanking everyone for attending and said that he thinks of the Non Greek community as “twice Apokoroniotes” as they chose to live here, rather then live here by an accident of birth. There should be no division in the different communities as we all live together and have the same hopes and problems, while appreciating that there may be one or two things that affect the foreign community differently. He hopes that this is the beginning of an ongoing dialogue that will continue to benefit the community and reiterated that he would like input from anyone with ideas.

I hope this gives you a flavour of the meetings and there will be more for those of you who are interested in the near future.