They bought the former dispensary property to create a medical center that gives new life to the place – El Eco

The presence of backhoe loaders at the former railway clinic alerted residents of the area yesterday morning and created uncertainty about movement in the place.

It is after decades of abandonment and trouble that private property falls in Sáenz Peña, Vigil, Basilico and Duffau will be transformed into a medical center that will give new life to the neighborhood. At the moment, only earthmoving tasks are being carried out, but work will progress in the coming months.

As this medium was able to figure it out, a group of professionals acquired the land to build a holistic care space there. It will, specifically, be a renewed version of the Villa Italia Medical Center, which was able to operate in Quintana at 600 and closed its doors in October last year, before The impossibility of renewing the lease of the property they occupied.

Despite this good news – constituting a long-term project – the space has been a source of concern for Villa Italia due to the state of deterioration it has reached in recent years, becoming a source of danger to street vendors and passers-by.

It is worth noting that the municipality made this summer, after repeated complaints from the neighborhoods, improvements in the place to reduce the neglect that burdens the neighborhood. The owner paid for the clean-up and lay-out—fencing and lighting—and though the neighborhood celebrated these changes, they were not enough to appease the vandalism and continuation of insecurity.

Abandonment chronology

On October 31, 1953, with 40 beds and a staff of 70 workers, the Tandil Railway Clinic opened, which closed its doors after 40 years, in 1993.

On the other hand, in 2019 there was an amputated attempt to establish a real estate development project there. At that time, it was learned that the property had changed owners and the project of recovery and urbanization of the former clinic was launched, which also included subdivisions and sanitary spaces. In August of that year, renovation work began on the block, but the initiative was ultimately unsuccessful.

Over time, even the members of the council took up the problem and presented drafts demanding solutions in place, with a view to ensuring the safety of the residents, and the Tandil Ombudsman intervened so as to put on the agenda the need for the municipality to implement the regulations. according to which the vacant lots must be preserved.

Along these lines, in mid-2021, there were more than 270 residents of the Villa Italia neighborhood who reported a case of outright abandonment of their old care center to the local ombudsman, revealing an “alarming and desperate” situation.

In this context, the residents of the area reported that they did not receive any response to the growth of pastures, the excess dirt due to the waste that is disposed of in the aforementioned properties that generate unpleasant odors, and the presence of rodents. They also showed that since the perimeter wire was broken they “lived in fear” because the use of the space as a “hideout” for youth and criminals was encouraged, and the interest in the dim light on the block was encouraged.