Del Paseo Street has several streetlights some say it’s insufficient. Photo: Sofía Medeles.
Sofía Medeles(Ajijic).- Residents disagree on street lighting in the La Crucita area, located two blocks from the Ajijic boardwalk. The area has several functioning street lights, but some concerned citizens say there still isn’t enough light on the street. However, one couple is annoyed by the strength of the existing lights.
Acting delegado Maximiliano Macias Arceo commented that a couple living at the intersection of Nicolas Bravo and Del Paseo, are disturbed by the lights. «There is a big problem with those people who are bothered by the light. They’ve bought a device to turn off the lights at a certain time, though I believe it has not been used. They were told that they cannot do that, since it is a public road. Other neighbors requested the lights to prevent people from staying there drinking alcoholic beverages until late hours or throwing garbage.»
People passing through the area also complain about the lack of lighting. The last administration gave permission to cover a streetlight on Nicolás Bravo Street, a few meters from the area of La Crucita, because it bothered the couple in question. It now offers very little light.
In a tour by Semanario Laguna, there were at least four lamps on Del Paseo street and two in the beach area. Despite this, the area is still very dark. Four passersby were asked what they thought of the lighting, and they agreed that it is insufficient.
For his part, Macías Arceo stated that his intention is to put more lamps in the area, since there is a lot of traffic both on the beach and in the street. After a recent cleanup, more people make use of the space. He also stated that anyone installing a timer would be subject to a sanction.
Translated by Elisabeth Shields
The bicycle path after lights were turned on Thursday, March 17. Photo: Sofía Medeles.
Sofía Medeles(Ajijic).- A week after the announcement made by the Chapala City Hall on March 17, another stretch of lights was installed along the Ajijic bike path.
Two weeks ago, the social communication department stated that the lights would be turned on from Tempisque Street to Villa Nova, however, lights are now on to the limits of the delegation, in the area known as La Cristina.
Acting delegate Maximiliano Macias Arceo said that although most of the bicycle path in Ajijic is already illuminated, some lamps need maintenance because the photocell does not work, among other minor problems.
He added that continuous maintenance will be given to both the lamps and the trees. He thanked the municipal president, Alejandro Aguirre Curiel, the director of public lighting Gil Parra, and the director of municipal services José Antonio Urzúa Gracián.
Translated by Nita Rudy
Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel junto al gobernador Enrique Alfaro durante la entrega de los 16 kilómetros terminados de la ciclopista Chapala – Jocotepec. Foto: Jazmín Stengel.
Jazmín Stengel.- Cuatro obras, entre supervisión y entregas son las que presentó el Gobernador de Jalisco, Enrique Alfaro Ramírez, durante su gira por Chapala, acontecida el viernes 25 de marzo.
El proyecto de la ciclovía de Chapala que abarca 16 kilómetros fue entregado de manera oficial el mismo día, frente al parque La Milagrosa. La obra inició durante la administración pasada 2018-2021, el presupuesto total, hasta Jocotepec fue de 211 millones de pesos, aseguró el gobernador.
Enrique Alfaro y el presidente municipal de Chapala, Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel, durante la supervisión de obra en la Telesecundaria Guadalupe Victoria en Santa Cruz de la Soledad, un alumno leyó un agradecimiento al respecto.
También se realizó la grabación de un video para presentar el proyecto de imagen urbana en la entrada de Chapala, es decir, la obra de rehabilitación planeada para la avenida Francisco I. Madero en la cabecera municipal, cuya inversión consta de 17.5 millones de pesos para la primera etapa y aproximadamente 80 millones más en la segunda. Se estima que la obra tardará dos años en terminarse.
Los dos proyectos supervisados son la extensión de la Telesecundaria Guadalupe Victoria en Santa Cruz de la Soledad con un presupuesto de 12.9 mdp y un nuevo módulo en el Instituto Tecnológico de Chapala, Mario Molina con una inversión ya asignada de 25 millones más 15 millones que el gobernador anunció durante la gira.
La primera etapa de la ciclopista que constó de 8 kilómetros desde Chapala hasta Ajijic fue entregada por el Gobernador en el mes de agosto del 2020 a la administración 2018-2021.
Busca la nota completa en nuestra siguiente edición impresa.
A wire fence was placed on Las Garzas street, located to the west of Ajijic, reducing its width. Photo: Sofía Medeles.
Sofía Medeles.- Residents of La Cristina, west of Ajijic, denounced the placement of a fence in the creek and in a stretch of Las Garzas Street by the owner of an adjoining lot. According to those affected, the owner of a carnitas restaurant asserts that the stream is part of his property, so he decided to put up a fence to prevent passage.
Witnesses interviewed shared that the fence was put up five months ago and originally reached behind the trees, a few centimeters from the bank of the tributary. But after last year’s October landslides, the property owner reinstalled the fence at the point where the cobblestone street ends, reducing the street to an approximate width of four to five meters. In addition, the material of the posts and the fence wire were changed.
«The space on the street has been greatly reduced. Before, two cars could pass each other without any problems. Now, if they approach each other head-on, one has to back up almost to the highway to let the other one pass. Also, if you pass by the creek, the man gets furious and says you can’t pass by there because it’s his land,» said a neighbor on Las Garzas Street.
In November 2021 the affected residents, mostly expats, gathered signatures and presented them to the City of Chapala to request that the fence be returned to its original location before the landslides.
In this regard, Ajijic acting delegate Maximiliano Macias Arceo said that he was aware of the complaints and that the report has been delegated to the Urban Development Department for review.
The property owner, besides alleging that he installed the fence to prevent access underneath the bridge and because neighbors throw garbage in the creek, says that the creek is part of his property. “The report is now in the hands of Urban Development, so that they can review the property boundaries and, in case of inappropriate expansion, the department will be in charge of realigning it,» said Macias Arceo.
According to the National Waters Law (LAN), streams and riverbeds are federal property; that is, a domain that belongs to the nation and all its inhabitants. This type of land has a buffer strip that varies from five to ten meters wide, depending on its course. To make use of these lands, a concession must be granted by the National Water Commission (CONAGUA). Privatization of these lands is considered a crime.
Translated by MaryAnne Marble
On weekends, some drivers park their vehicles in the pedestrian walkway on Colón Street. Photo: Miguel Cerna.
Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).– Acting Ajijic Delegado Maximiliano Macías Arceo said the pedestrian zone currently set up on weekends along Calle Colón will be re-examined because it is ignored and frequently illegally used for parking.
During weekends it is common to see how the walkway, which extends along Colón from the intersection with Hidalgo to the intersection with Del Paseo along the lake, is not accomplishing its purpose as it is not respected by tourists or local businesses.
Macía said that one of the main problems is the lack of traffic officers to supervise the area. The officers were helping Chapala’s tourism and speeding up the traffic on the Chapala-Jocotepec highway, at the height of Ajijic.
«At the beginning it worked very well but now it is out of control. People shamelessly move the cones and park, and since the officers are usually in the dock area they don’t notice these actions. We are going to talk to the municipal president to take the appropriate actions,» said Macías.
The interviewee commented that previously a project was being managed to place more solid but removable delimitations in the walkway. These will be delivered to the president Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel to define if the pedestrian walkway will be reconsidered or removed.
Since the installation of the pedestrian walkway on Colón Street in November 2021, there has been a weekly increase in encroachments by both motorists and businesses. In addition, Maximiliano Macias said that cones have been stolen, because of the 60 cones with which they started, to date there are approximately 45 left.
Semanario Laguna conducted interviews among the tourists who roamed the area, who said they did not know the purpose of the cones, due to the lack of signage of the walkway. Therefore, instead of using the walkway, they transit through the street to tour the downtown area of the Magic Town.
Translated by Sydney Metrick
Las maniobras constantes de la maquinaria pesada en el área, bloquean por momentos uno de los carriles de la carretera provocando tráfico. Foto: Alma Serrano.
Alma Serrano.- Las obras de construcción de la ciclovía en la carretera Chapala-Jocotepec, en el tramo de la delegación de San Juan Cosalá, ha dificultado la movilidad tanto para los automovilistas como para los peatones.
Las maniobras que realizan en el área las máquinas, los camiones de volteo y las revolvedoras de cemento, bloquean por momento uno de los carriles de la vía que es muy transitada.
Las complicaciones también se extienden a los peatones, quienes tienen poco espacio para circular por las orillas, aunado al escombro generado por los trabajos que en ocasiones no es retirado por los encargados de la obra al terminar las faenas.
Además de que se dejan alambres expuestos, excavaciones sin señalamientos y herramientas de construcción, lo que ha generado que el área se vuelva peligrosa para los peatones y ciclistas, especialmente por las noches.
“No está bien que dejen escombro en la carretera porque pasan accidentes, sobre todo por las noches”, comentó una habitante transitaba por la zona.
De acuerdo con la información de la Secretaría de Infraestructura y Obra Pública de Jalisco (SIOP), el tramo de la ciclovía de San Juan Cosalá registra un avance del 85 por ciento, proyectando su conclusión para finales de marzo.
Los fines de semana, algunos conductores aprovechan el andador para estacionar sus vehículos sobre la calle Colón. Foto: Miguel Cerna.
Sofía Medeles.- Debido a que el paso peatonal de la calle Colón, en el centro de la delegación de Ajijic, es frecuentemente invadido, se replanteará el proyecto, informó el encargado de despacho, Maximiliano Macías Arceo.
Durante los fines de semana, es frecuente ver como el andador, que se extiende por Colón desde el cruce con Hidalgo, hasta el cruce con Del Paseo, no ha cumplido su propósito al no ser respetado por los turistas ni por los comercios locales.
Macías Arceo aseguró estar al tanto de que el espacio no se ha respetado durante las últimas semanas, destacando que uno de los principales problemas es la falta de agentes viales para la supervisión del área, quienes se encontraban auxiliando el turismo de Chapala y agilizando el tráfico en la carretera Chapala-Jocotepec, a la altura de Ajijic.
“Al principio funcionó muy bien y ahora está descontrolado. La gente sin pena mueve los conos y se estaciona, y como los agentes suelen estar en la zona del muelle, no se dan cuenta de estas acciones. Se va a hablar con el presidente municipal para tomar las acciones convenientes”, señaló el encargado de despacho.
Precisamente, el entrevistado comentó que con anterioridad se estaba gestionando un proyecto para colocar delimitaciones más sólidas, pero removibles en el andador, mismo que será entregado al presidente Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel para definir si se replantea el paso peatonal o se remueve.
Desde la colocación del andador en la calle Colón, en noviembre del 2021, semana a semana han aumentado las invasiones tanto por automovilistas como por los comercios. Aunado a esto, Maximiliano Macías aseguró que se han robado conos, pues de los 60 con los que se inició, a la fecha quedan aproximadamente 45.
Por otro lado, Semanario Laguna realizó entrevistas entre los turistas que rondaban la zona, los cuales expresaron no saber la finalidad de los conos, por la falta de señalética del andador, que ha generado que, en lugar de utilizarlo, transiten por plena calle para recorrer la zona centro del Pueblo Mágico.
Alma Serrano.– Since February 11, the «KPetrom» gas station, located on the Chapala-Jocotepec highway, at the crossroads of San Juan Cosalá, has been out of service, due to a workers’ strike for breach of contract.
According to the notice placed on the dispensing machines, the union of workers and employees in the commerce branch in the state of Jalisco stated that, by agreement of the extraordinary general assembly, all the workers belonging to the company have agreed to call a strike in compliance with the demands of articles 920, 18, 782, 827, 921 of the Federal Labor Law.
The owners are Bransle, S. de R.L. de C.V., which is in the business of the purchase, sale, and distribution of diesel gasoline, with service station number E11757 and permit number PL/9296/EXP/ES/2015. The legal representative is José Carlos Martín Gonzáles.
Translated by Colleen Beery
Heavy machines in the area sometimes block one of the lanes of the road causing traffic. Photo by: Alma Serrano.
Alma Serrano (San Juan Cosalá).– Construction on the bicycle lane on the Chapala-Jocotepec carretera, in San Juan Cosalá has caused difficulty for both motorists and pedestrians.
Dump trucks and cement mixers are having to enter the car traffic lanes periodically, blocking the already busy road. Pedestrians are also facing obstacles, as there is little space to walk along the edge. Construction debris generated by the work is not always removed at the end of the workday.
In addition, exposed wires, unmarked excavations, and construction tools are left out; the area is dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists, especially at night. «It is not good that they leave debris on the road because accidents happen, especially at night,» commented a resident.
According to information from the Jalisco Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works (SIOP), the San Juan Cosalá section of the bike path is 85% complete, and is expected to be finished by the end of March.
Translated by Amy Esperanto
Chapala Mayor Alejandro Aguirre Curiel (left), with Congresswoman Claudia Murguía Torres and the Chief of the State Cabinet, Hugo Luna, after the mayor was informed of the repair approval.
Editor. – Chapala Municipal President Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel has announced approval of a Renovation of Urban Image project for the main street in downtown Chapala. Plans call for cobblestones to be replaced with hydraulic cement. Sidewalks and curbs will also be improved.
“I am very pleased that after presenting joint work projects with the government of Jalisco and the municipality, and thanks to the management of Congresswoman Claudia Murguía Torres, today the Chief of State Cabinet, Hugo Luna, has confirmed to me that the projects were accepted,” Aguirre posted on social networks.
“One of the most important projects is the renovation of Avenida Madero. The cobblestone will be replaced by hydraulic concrete, plus the sidewalks and curbs will be replaced,” he added in his March 2 posting.
In his message he thanked Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro Ramírez and assured that, “with this support and coordinated work our city and delegations will have better infrastructure that will be good for tourism in the state.”
Chapala Director of Social Communication Elizabeth Oropeza said the municipality is waiting for the state’s Secretary of Infrastructure and Public Works to present the project, which will be adapted by the state agency to the needs of the population.
Translated by Mike Rogers
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