Fieri is being increasingly revitalized thanks to the Urban Renaissance projects. The “Dervish Hekali” Str. and the nearby “Rinia” park are two objects for which the work started a few months ago is moving rapidly toward its conclusion.
The project, worth approximately 144 million ALL, will transform the old and damaged infrastructure of the street and the park in a modern infrastructure of European standards, with recreational, creative, and entertainment spaces for all ages.
Accompanied by the Minister of Urban Development Eglantina Gjermeni and the Mayor of Fier Armando Subashi, Prime Minister Edi Rama inspected the works for these two facilities, the direct beneficiaries of which will be residents of the neighbourhood “29 Nentori”, “Konferenca e Pezes” and “Liri Gero”.
The street “Dervish Hekali” is positioned within the Small Ring road of Fier, and parts of the project are the secondary roads within the residential block in the neighbourhood “Konferenca e Pezes” and around the 9-year school “Andon Xoxa”. The works envisaged by the project are: the repair of the damaged areas of the road and its widening; improvement and greenery; construction of a 135-150 cm-wide bicycle lane; additional parking lots on both sides of the road; restoration of 22 buildings including the Prefecture, the City Hall of Fier and the Theatre “Bylis”; unification of facades; additional urban furniture as well as bins for urban waste; the lighting system in the area, and the network of rainwater.
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Fier will have soon its Central Park, a modern multifunctional and inclusive environment for all citizens of Fier and of the administrative units of this city. Along with the rehabilitation of the road “Xoxi Andoni” and of the surrounding spaces, its construction is another project of the Urban Renaissance, with an investment of approximately 300 million ALL.
The project envisages the construction of a large urban park with gardens, recreational areas for all age groups, as well as spaces for art and culture; the unification of the facades on the ground floors, with a priority to the business areas; the restoration of facades; the restoration of characteristic historic and cultural elements of the city; increased green areas; the clearing of public spaces, and the refurbishment of underground and surface infrastructure.
Whereas the rehabilitation of the road “Xoxi Andoni” envisages works for the road layers, for the canalization network of potable water and rainwater, greening and vertical and horizontal signage.
Accompanied by the Minister of Urban Development Eglantina Gjermeni and the Mayor of Fier Armando Subashi, Prime Minister Edi Rama was on site to inspect the progress of works.
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The 700-metre long boulevard “Ramiz Aranitasi” is one of the main arteries of the city of Fier connecting the square “Fitorja” with the square “Pavaresia”. It is the continuation of the boulevard “Jakov Xoxa” and serves as a connecting road between the city centre, the south part of the city road ring and the south national highway. The current condition of the road, which is the border separating the neighbourhoods “Kastrioti”, “16 Prilli”, “11 Janari” and “Kryengritja e Fierit” leaves much to be desired, as it is very difficult for people and vehicles to communicate.
For this reason, this important artery is subject to a rehabilitation project that will enable the restoration and redesign of lacking public spaces, as well as the promotion and development of business and all economic and social activities in the area.
In order to inspect the progress of this project, Prime Minister Rama was on the ground accompanied by the Minister of Urban Development Eglantina Gjermeni and the Mayor of Fier Armando Subashi.
The works envisaged in the project include: the reconstruction of the highway structure, the conservation of the street collector and of the water supply line, the canalization of rainwater, lighting, placement of containers, greening, restoration of facades and urban furnishing, signage, building the road substrates. There will be a parking lane on both sides of the road, and sidewalks of variable width on both sides of the boulevard.
The project envisages also the addition of approximately 1.5-metre wide bicycle lanes. There are 40 objects on both sides of the boulevard, and intervention will be made in 23 of them. The project envisages the restoration and unification of the facades, and the ground floor of all buildings will be coated with ceramic tiles.
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The marketing of agricultural and livestock products has been an open wound in the city of Fier, both in terms of poor areas and of its conditions that were beyond any standard for the trade of products. After years of abandonment, the new city market is expected to have 102 stands for the farmers of Fier and of surrounding areas who had to occupy sidewalks and public spaces.
The trade market of agricultural and livestock products is one of the important investments not only for the city, but also for the administrative units of Fier. It is expected to boost the city’s economy, in addition to improving the standards of service to citizens in qualitative terms. The project includes also the rehabilitation and remediation of the urban space surrounding the market.
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The school “Dino Ismaili” in Levan of Fier is another evidence of how the Renaissance Education sites are transforming every school that has been abandoned in poor conditions for decades. Built in 1965, the school was a miserable building due to the lack of maintenance, and therefore the teaching process was made very difficult for the 335 students attending it.
Now the school meets all the standards that the next generation deserves. In addition, the school has also the appropriate infrastructure for children with special needs.
After the reconstruction, the school meets also the standards to become a community centre which will be used not only by students, but also by the community as a space for social and cultural activities after school hours.
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The cleaning of irrigation and drainage canals remains a major commitments for the Agricultural Renaissance. After more than 25 years in oblivion, the cleaning of irrigation and drainage canals in the city of Fier is progressing rapidly.
Prime Minister Edi Rama followed closely the works in Pojan, an area that is part of the irrigation / drainage scheme in the field of Hoxhara. The manager of works in this area briefed the Prime Minister with the advancement of the works carried out so far, and emphasized that the new excavators have facilitated the speeding up of the process.
“By the end of 2016 we were 4 kilometres away for completing the 100 kilometres. There is a lot to do because nothing has been done for years. Thanks to the new equipment, within a short period we could carry out 1/3 of the work done last year. We will go on, starting from the coast to Derezeza. It is 8 kilometres long, and we’re 1.6 kilometres away from its completion. We will join the two canals”, the works manager said.
Approximately 11 thousand farmers are expected to benefit from this investment, as their farms will have functioning irrigation/drainage canals from now on. Meanwhile, the project manager of the area said that a significant clean-up of sludge and waste has been made during this period. “8 million cubic metres are expected to be removed this year, totalling 1/3 of the last 20 years. This is a pretty significant improvement within a year”, he said.
Approximately 6800 hectares in this area will be affected by this investment. Prime Minister Rama praised the fast work pace, saying that “The good thing about this work is that after the cleaning-up with these tools, it will be simply a question of maintenance. These lands were abandoned for 25 years.”
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The archaeological Park of Apollonia, which was declared a cultural monument in 1948, is one of the most frequented parks by Albanian and foreign tourists, despite the passing of time and the lack of maintenance, as one of the most visited tourist attractions in our country.
Already at the focus of the government and of the Ministry of Culture, the archaeological park will undergo a radical restoration that will make it worthy of the historic values it represents. The Prime Minister, the Minister of Culture Kumbaro and the Mayor of Fier inspected the works which are about to end, and are expected to increase the number of visitors this year. “Everything has been restored. The investment for the thorough rehabilitation of the entire Park of Apollonia amounted to 750 thousand Euros. This is the first time that we’ve had a complete project, ranging from the master plan to the engineering system, the electrical system, the water pump system, and the itineraries of tourists. It includes also the restoration of the Saint Mary church, of the Monastery and of the Dining Room, as well as of the whole system of porches of statues and of the museum. We are very close to the inauguration, and we expect a boom of visitors this year. Their number has tripled this year compared to 2013, even before the start of works”, Minister Kumbaro said.
Meanwhile, the church’s pastor said that the church was abandoned in really poor conditions. However, what visitors are now offered is something completely different. “I’ve been here for almost 20 years. This recent restoration has revived the church. It was really necessary.”
Built around 1220, this church is one of a kind in Albania due to its unique configuration in the shape of an inscribed cross.
