CANCUN — Cancún’s Auditorio del Bienestar has been deemed unsafe for large events less than a year after it was officially opened. In other words, it cannot fulfill the purpose for which it was built, reports noticaribe.com.mx via mexiconewsdaily.com.
The 245-million-peso (US $13.7 million at today’s exchange rate) arena — literally the Well-being Auditorium — was inaugurated in September 2016 and was to be a flagship of ex-Quintana Roo governor Roberto Borge’s administration.
However, today it stands as a useless relic more symbolic of Borge’s alleged corruption. The ex-governor is currently detained in Panama awaiting extradition to face a range of corruption charges.
Problems with the venue were evident soon after it opened, including lack of an air conditioning system that made conditions inside unbearable and a range of design defects. Borge’s successor, Carlos Joaquín, estimated last year that 100 million pesos would be needed to make the auditorium functional.
PHOTO: sipse.com
Yesterday, Public Administration Secretary Rafael del Pozo held a press conference at which he announced that his department has filed two criminal complaints with federal authorities.
The first relates to its budget overrun while the second is about poor planning for the project. Del Pozo said those who worked on the auditorium were aware of its deficiencies during the planning and construction phases.
In addition, he said the relevant environmental and construction permits as well as other state and municipal permissions were not obtained, meaning that it was an illegal project.
Completed by Nayarit construction firm FDL, the stadium was designed to emulate the Auditorio de la Gente (People’s Auditorium) in that state’s capital, Tepic. In any case, it was badly botched and now the Quintana Roo government has a white elephant on its hands.
“We have just received the expert’s report . . . that says the stadium is not safe to be used for large events,” del Pozo bemoaned.
“If you put 13,000 people in there, it’s dangerous. It doesn’t have more than one entrance and exit, only one car can leave at a time, it doesn’t have fire extinguishers, it doesn’t have any kind of hydrant mechanism in case of a fire. It means that the elements that should be guaranteed for people’s safety in a venue like that . . . are not guaranteed. Therefore, the auditorium cannot be used for the purpose for which it was built.”
Del Pozo said that he was unsure what will happen with the dysfunctional building but indicated that because it was built with federal money, it would be up to the federal government to decide its fate.
The facility has seating for 12,000 and was intended to be a venue for sports events and performance acts.
Source: noticaribe.com.mx via mexiconewsdaily.com
