Work

I realized recently that, up until now, I haven't really explained what exactly my job is here in Recas. I am working in the Local Development Office of the Recas Town Hall. In this function, my local counterpart and I are involved in everything from the upgrading of infrastructure (water, utilities, garbage, etc.) to the development of tourism, attracting new business, and applying for EU and international development funds. In other words, our office is something of a catch-all for local issues and projects. For the first few weeks, aside from familiarizing myself with the community, the major needs, and the major players, I have for instance begun to develop architectural drawings of the town hall and several other publically-owned buildings in town (for which drawings have never really existed). The hope is that I may be able to spearhead various renovation and reuse projects. Another "possibility area" is the town park, which the mayor would like to redesign (along with the introduction of a new recreational park for young people) to be more welcoming and usable by the public. If you take a look at my PHOTOS, I included a shot of the park (with the Catholic Church in the background). Another photos I included is of the existing town market space, to which the town hall would like to give a facelift. The key will be to see how much can be done for barely any money! And then there is of course the Strategic Development Master Plan for the area, which has until now not really gotten off the ground -- and yet is vitally important for plotting out how the town will manage physical growth in the coming years. So as you can see, there is plenty of work to do: some projects will be achievable in a matter of days, others may take my entire two years (and then some).

It has been nice to be busy, and feel that I am already filling a need on the town hall staff. Now if I could only figure out what people are saying to me!...

Gotta run, but enjoy the pictures, and please feel free to respond.