The town hall of La Seu d'Urgell has put out to tender the works to build a retaining wall at the Albert Vives public school. The intervention seeks to shield the educational center from possible floods of the Segre river.
The execution is scheduled for next summer. This planning allows for avoiding interference with academic activities and guarantees that the infrastructure will be operational for the start of the school year.
The project raises protection against hundred-year floods
The technical performance contemplates the raising of the current concrete wall along 52 meters of total length. In addition, a new interior perimeter wall of 12 meters will be erected. The set covers a flood risk with a return period of 100 years.
This structural improvement has a direct consequence on the functionality of the equipment. The new barrier will allow overnight stays in the school building, an option that until now presented risks due to its proximity to the riverbed.
"It is very good news for the educational community of the center, because it will allow us to reinforce security against possible flooding episodes. The protection of people, especially students, is an absolute priority" - Joan Barrera, mayor of La Seu d'Urgell
The financing combines local and regional resources. The Catalan Water Agency contributes a subsidy of 125,000 euros. The city council completes the total budget of 171,000 euros with municipal funds.
Several educational services concentrate the risk in the building
Sílvia Tomàs, director of the Albert Vives school, detailed the scope of the protection. The wall will protect the building that housed the old nursery school. This space currently concentrates critical uses for the school community.
There are located the dining room, the classrooms and the morning reception spaces managed by the AFA. Also sharing the building are the first floor of the Agrupament Escolta i Guia Urgellenc and the upper floor of the Alt Urgell Educational Services.