Contents
Around Town
Market Soap Opera
This is not the Thursday Market
One of the most ‘entertaining’ stories we have been reporting on this year has been the ’Thursday market’ saga. Ever since it became clear that the Thursday market was going to have to move from the marina, there has been loads of fun and games going on which couldn’t have been scripted better if the story had been written for EastEnders (for those of you who don’t know, EastEnders is a British soap opera set in London, much of the drama focuses around a market and a pub. For those of you who don’t know what a soap opera is, think of ’The Bold and the Beautiful’ and you’ll get the general idea). Last month there wasn’t actually much news on the Thursday market front (but this fits in with the lull that generally happens with soap operas as they lead up to the holiday blockbuster). For the time being everybody seems to be happy with the temporary, illegal location at the car park near the Four Martyrs Square. Work has started on clearing the space for a new square in Kalithea (Konstantinopoli Street) which might then become the new location for the market. But as there are several appeals against this latest proposal, it is far from clear if this will become reality. So, maybe, just maybe, the market will stay where it is until people start working on the underground car park and the pig-flying acrobatics school. To catch up with previous episodes, check out the previous editions in the archive section.
Grand Dam: Little Water
In June, we reported on the inauguration of the ‘Dam of Rivers’ (also known as the Amari Dam). And we provided you with the same pretty photo that you can now see to your left. Since then the lake has filled up and there is heaps of water in there. So why is there now a water supply problem? Well, the main reason for constructing the dam was to provide a water distribution system for the Municipalities of Arkadi, Rethymnon and Sivirtos. A new pipeline network was installed for this purpose. But at a recent testing session it was found that many of the pipes were leaking. Apparently, no high pressure tests have been carried out on the pipes (not even at the most recent testing session) for fear of the amount of damage that might be caused to the pipes (we just love this one!). As they say, further research is necessary. What is clear that the project will not yet be signed off to the contractor to the authorities. Fixing the problems is supposedly the contractor’s responsibility. Depends on the contract, though. Watch this space.
Seasonal Sport
While it might not be all ‘Christmas Cheer’ on the sporting front, it’s not a case of ‘Boxing Day blues’ either (‘blues’ in this sense being taken to mean ‘feeling faintly downhearted and playing the guitar’, rather than referring to the colour of a team strip). But anyway, here comes our seasonal round up….
ASTERAS: It was an average month for our local ‘cute lads’ football team - whatever average might mean! Two wins, two losses and a draw. This consolidates their mid-table position. But we do feel that there needs to be a lot more hard work in the training department to get the team to gel a bit more, and to play a little bit better….
KRISES: The Rethymnon female football team are having a slow-ish start to the season. They have played three games so far; the results being one win, one draw and one loss. As long as they keep winning against the teams below them, they might just make it….
AGOR: Good news on the basketball front. The glitch against Iraklion at the end of October was indeed a glitch. In November they won all their games, and the team now sits solidly in second place.
OPER: There is also good news from our women’s volleyball team. After a very difficult start, the team seem to have found the way to get the ball across the net; three wins and just one loss this month. This has put them in the top half of the table. It might be unrealistic to expect them to stay in that position by the end of the season. But we’re not complaining, oh no!
Let’s keep the ball rolling in 2010!
Municipal Financial Problems
Perhaps not the cheeriest of stories at this time of year, but we will try and think of a happy ending to this page. Local budget planning meetings are now getting under way, and it has become clear that the town’s coffers are pretty empty (oops, did we spend too much then?). A reduction in the tourist tax levied on tourist shops, hotels etc. has caused headaches for the financial department of the municipality. It looks as if some tough measures will have to be taken; at the moment the main choice seems to be between the increase of municipal taxes or a decrease in rubbish collection (the Sunday collection is very expensive). It is also not clear what will happen to redevelopment projects that the municipality has scheduled for the near future. And there are council elections next year! But this brings me to one of my favourite jokes of all time (first told to me by my lovely sister Ruth): Q: Where do you weigh a pie? A: Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high. The answer should be sung for full effect in the style of Judy Garland as in the Wizard of Oz.
