Georges Marsan tells us about Monaco Town Council’s 10 key projects
Georges Marsan has been re-elected for a sixth term, which he describes as "historic" - © Monaco Town Council
A redesigned Jardin Exotique, new crèches, neighbourhood activities… These major innovations are due to be rolled out over the next four years.
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“This will be a particularly full term of office,” says Georges Marsan, who has been elected for the sixth consecutive time as Mayor of Monaco.
And there is certainly a significant number of projects, some of which are substantial. As the Mayor told his four new running mates: “you’ll need to hold on tight.”
1. A museal, connected, Jardin Exotique
Its reopening is eagerly awaited in the Principality, but we’ll have to wait a little longer. According to the timetable drawn up by the Town Hall, the famous Jardin Exotique will not reopen until 2025, by which time its new park-and-ride car park should also have been completed.
“We’ll be ready,” the Mayor says, although he points out that the work in hand is not just structural. We’re working on a museum project, with QR codes and virtual tours,” says Georges Marsan. “We’re using the time to transform the Garden. The cave will also be refurbished, with a new eating area. In the meantime, the Botanic Centre remains operation, and we’ve had a lot of visitors, which is great!”
2. A new, bigger media library with a digital focus
Another project that is eagerly awaited by the Principality’s residents, and which should come into being within the next two years, is the new Media Library, in bigger, improved facilities .
“We’re expanding from 1,200 m2 to 1,900 m2, and the space will be equipped to meet the modern demands of media libraries, especially in terms of digital technology,” says Georges Marsan. “We already have a digital mediator at the Médiathèque, but we are also taking part in the programme to reduce the digital divide. Monaco Town Hall is a partner of the Maison du Numérique (Digital Centre), and the Media Library and Espace Lamartine will continue to provide digital classes for their members.”
The younger generations are not left out: video game tournaments, manga-centered reading sessions and role-playing will be on offer for children and teenagers, thanks to the inclusion of the Ludothèque (Games Library). A rehearsal room for Monegasque artists will also be available nearby.
The venue will also have an eating area and will continue to host conferences, concerts, artistic events and film screenings, just like the current Médiathèque… with one difference! Spectators will be able to take advantage of a specially equipped room that can be converted into a conference room.
3. The future Léo Ferré concert hall to rival the most modern in France
The venue has also been completely redesigned: the new Léo Ferré hall will be a multi-purpose hall with a standing capacity of 1,800 and a seating capacity of 1,200. Opening has been postponed due to delays in the work on the Fontvieille shopping centre, and is now scheduled for 2025.
“We will still be putting on shows and events there,” says the Mayor. “But its layout can be changed in just ten minutes. This venue will be on a par with the most modern venues in France!”
4. Espace Lamartine becomes an intergenerational venue
While all the above projects will not be delivered before 2025, one building will be ready this September: the Espace Lamartine. “It’s THE project of this tenure and the previous one,” stresses the Mayor. “It was entirely self-financed by the Town Hall, with a budget of 7.5 million euros. We have doubled the surface area and completely transformed the building.”
The site will still include the A Pignata restaurant, for senior citizens, as well as the Snoezelen area, it will also house multi-purpose rooms for conferences and digital and creative workshops. But above all, the aim is to make it an intergenerational venue : “the young people will be able to come and help the seniors. And we will be able to accommodate up to 80 people for conferences of all kinds, for all generations,” says a delighted Georges Marsan.
Club Le Temps de Vivre membership will also cover this venue, and subscriptions will be available to all Monegasques and residents over the age of 16.
5. Supporting the elderly day and night
In addition to the Espace Lamartine, this term of office will seek to provide more support for the elderly. While a number of initiatives have already been put in place to make life easier for the elderly in the Principality, such as the recent introduction of free entry to swimming pools for those aged 60 and over, the Town Council is seeking to go further with the introduction in the near future of a new night patrol service, in cooperation with the Department of Health and Social Affairs. “This service, which is due to start in 2024, is intended to monitor the most vulnerable. Night-time visits are planned for that purpose,” says Georges Marsan.
The Mayor would also like to create a daytime service, providing entertainment in the home. Similarly, one of the objectives of the mandate is to open SOS Administratif: a service aimed at senior citizens, to help them complete their administrative paperwork, regardless of age
Finally, the Town Hall hopes to set up a Carers’ Day in the near future, aimed at the relatives of dependent people: “they are not professionals; they are often the children, brothers or sisters of people who require home care. They face many challenges. We want to organise this Day, which will be a time for sharing and discussion… We’re already doing it for young children with the Espace Parents, so why not for the elderly?”
6. 3 new crèches and an app for young parents
As for our youngest citizens, there are plenty of projects in the pipeline. Three new crèches will be opened in the Principality over the next four years, The first will be at Palais Honoria, the second at Grand Ida and the third at Bel Air, increasing the number of crèche places by 20%.
“We asked the government to build crèches in state-owned residential properties, and they agreed. For example, at Testimonio II , parents are happy that they don’t have to go all the way across town to drop their child off at the crèche,” says a delighted Georges Marsan, who also mentions the recent reopening of the Larvotto mini-club for children aged between three and twelve.
But before the long-awaited arrival of these new crèches, young parents will be able to enjoy other advances. Starting with the launch of an application in the coming months: Ma Crèche au Quotidien (Day to Day at my Crèche). The aim is to enable parents to follow all the information about each crèche, with photos of all the activities on offer, directly on their phones.
Last but not least, at the beginning of 2024, administrative procedures should be greatly simplified, thanks to childrens’ and parents’ services all being located in the Foyer Sainte-Dévote. The premises are also due to house a physical venue called Làscia e Piya.
“This physical space, which we may move to the Parc Princesse Antoinette during the summer, will enable parents to swap childcare equipment and accessories,” says the Mayor.
7. New courses at the Pavillon Bosio and the Rainier III Music Academy
Again with a view to providing the best possible support for local young people, the Town Hall is also planning to do something new in two flagship artistic establishments: the Pavillon Bosio and the Académie Rainier III.
From the start of the 2024 academic year, the first will offer a fourth Master’s option, ‘Fashion Scenography’. It is an opportunity to strengthen the partnership with Monte-Carlo Fashion Week.
The second will feature an “artist residency” by international pianist Shani Diluka from the start of the academic year in September 2023. The entrance examination is scheduled for 21 June at the Academy.
In addition, the Academy’s Auditorium, which had been flooded, will be completely refurbished come September. The institution is also planning to record a first album by the Musique Municipale band, devoted to traditional Monegasque music.
8. Events in all the neighbourhoods and revitalised markets
Young Monegasques will also be able to get involved in the Junior Municipal Project, which has created a number of events such as the Splash Party and Hallowe’en evening.
He also wants to create a new dynamic for the Principality’s two markets. The Monte-Carlo market will now be equipped with tables and chairs so that special events can be held on Saturdays and Sundays: “The aim is to provide a place to eat, but without seeking to compete with the Beausoleil market.”
The rest of the year, from 2024 onwards, there should be neighbourhood events. “We’re going to try to propose activities in all the municipal venues, so that everything isn’t always centred on the port. This is one of the priorities of our tenure. We would also like to create evening entertainment in the Parc Princesse Antoinette, but there is a lot of work involved to make the park safe and set up permanent lighting,” says the Mayor.
He also wants to create a new dynamic for the Principality’s two markets. The Monte-Carlo market will now be equipped with tables and chairs so that special events can be held on Saturdays and Sundays: “The aim is to provide a place to eat, without seeking to compete with the Beausoleil market.”
The Condamine market, meanwhile, is set to evolve to fit in with the new Fontvieille shopping centre by 2027. It’s quite a challenge: “it needs to be restructured, but keep its identity. We don’t want to change how it operates, because it works very well. But I think we need to change the setting. The market is twelve years old: the stalls need to be able to work properly and comply with regulations. However the building is listed: we have to keep the Mediterranean market style, but modernise it. (…) For example, perhaps a new car park, or changes to the Place d’Armes. All this must be done in cooperation with the Government.”
In the meantime, themed days and evenings such as the Fête Nationale, the Grand Bal, the Italian evenings and the oursinades will remain in place, as they are very successful. The next one will take place on 21 June, to coincide with the Fête de la Musique.
9. Fewer billboards, but digital
While traditions and heritage are carefully preserved in Monaco, this term of office should also be an opportunity to further develop digital tools, particularly on the civil registry side. While Monegasque digital identity was recently introduced, the Town Council and the Government are now working hand in hand to introduce a professional electronic signature. Digital nationality certificates could also be envisaged.
But the digital transition will also be an opportunity to change the Principality’s billboard displays. “We want to install modern signs and remove obsolete ones. We want the boards to look good and blend in with the landscape. We will be reducing the quantity of signage but ensure it is high quality, and we will continue to provide special rates for the clubs and associations,” says Georges Marsan.
10. The environment at the heart of the tenure
Environmental issues are not forgotten for the new term of office. In addition, a number of existing initiatives, such as eco-responsible measures in crèches and Munegu Repair Cafés , will be maintained. The first second-hand flea market was organised as part of the European Week for Waste Reduction, and this should become a permanent fixture on the calendar.
But the Town Council is not forgetting its main objective: to improve its carbon footprint by 2030. As a signatory of the Pacte National de la Mission pour la Transition Énergétique (National Pact for Energy Transition), the town hall’s buildings and organiastion will also be transformed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Georges Marsan and his team are also planning a campaign to raise awareness among Monegasques and council staff: “We want to raise awareness, particularly in-house, so that we can make this transition a success. We are also in the process of drawing up an Environmental Charter for all municipal departments. It should be ready by the end of 2023.”