Filenews 17 August 2022
The inauguration of the Akamas Regional Multipurpose Center was held by the Minister of Education, Costas Kadis, referring to an emblematic project, not only for the community of Kathikas, but for the whole of Akamas.
In his statements, Mr. Kadis said that the project will give the community and the wider region added value, while noting that there will be the possibility to host pupils and students for educational programs, which are intertwined with the character of the area and will focus on the environment.
According to the Minister, this project belongs to the group of projects created by the Government in the communities of the area, such as in Drousia and the Museum of Popular Culture, in Arodes the Paleontological Center, and in Neo Chorio the Herpetology Center. All these projects continued to be in line with the Government's vision for the wider region.
Moreover, in her address, the District Officer of Paphos, Mary Lambrou, mentioned, among other things, that this project was promoted through the District Administration of Pafos in cooperation with the Community Council as a co-financed Rural Development project with a total expenditure of €1,136,736.43 plus VAT and was completed at the end of 2020. The designers of the project, she continued, were the Architects – Engineers Loukaidis and Philippou, while the contractor was the company Stylianou & Masouri Construction Ltd.
The project that was done with additions to the old Primary School includes, as she said, a hostel, a dining area and places for the education and engagement of young children, while the Community Council has cooperation with the Terra Cypria Foundation for its operation, with the resulting, as she said, benefits for the Community.
She also added that in Kathikas, important projects have been executed in recent years in collaboration with the progressive Community Council which, in combination with private initiative for small businesses in the village, have made Kathikas a pole of attraction for visitors.
Specifically, she said, the community has been upgraded with the redevelopment of roads that have been stoned and the facades of the buildings in the core have been improved. The redevelopment works were carried out in 4 phases at a cost of € 1.3 million approximately, through the State Budget coordinated by the Office of the District Administration. At this stage, she continued, the fifth phase of redevelopment is being carried out, with a total cost of €900,000, which will be completed in 2024.
She also noted that the building part of the Birdlife and Flora Regional Information Centre has been implemented through the District Administration of Paphos in the years 2020-2021 at a cost of €356,998 and the equipment and exhibits are at an advanced stage at a cost of €166,000 plus VAT. The project will be an interactive visitors' space for elements of the Akamas region's environment, she said.
Moreover, in his statements, the president of the Community Council of Kathikas, Menelaos Tourvas, thanked Mr. Kadis for accepting the invitation to inaugurate the Akamas Regional Multipurpose Centre in Kathikas. Mr. Tourvas noted that despite the period of the pandemic, the Terra Cypria Foundation has so far hosted more than 250 pupils and students at the Akamas Regional Multipurpose Center in Kathikas.
