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 A.M. Costa Rica/Elise Sonray
Frontón building is scheduled to
become art market.
Uncertainty seems to surround
future locations of police By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Police officers said they had no idea that the municipality may soon kick hundreds of them out of their downtown building A mayor's aide said Thursday that the municipality will begin to transform the large police structure El Frontón near the Caja into an art market within three months. But police officers stationed there said Sunday that no one has told them anything. To top it off, the mayor's aide, Rafael Arias, said that the Fuerza Pública officers will be moved to Pavas and to the kiosk or bandstand in Parque Central. But the security ministry said it no longer has the municipality's permission to use that kiosk. “In the original announcement, the municipality said they would let us borrow the space under the kiosk,” said a security spokeswoman Sunday. “But then for a number of reasons they changed their minds,” she said. No one seems to know where officers will go if they cannot use the central park kiosk or the Frontón building. As one of her first orders of business, Janina Del Veccio, the security minister announced in April that she would create a new police unit focused only on San Jose's downtown. The unit, called Unidades Metropolitana, was to be based in Parque Central. The mayor of San José, Johnny Araya, attended the presentation to show his support for the project. Now there are more than 100 new officers crammed in the existing police Frontón building downtown. The security spokeswoman said Sunday that she could not confirm what the municipality would do with the Frontón building. And that legal representatives may be able to answer that question today. The municipality announced the plan for the art market last year saying that they would move the mercado de artesanía in Plaza de la Democracía to the Frontón building. That was reported in January 2007. The art market along with the plan to repopulate San José are part of San José posible, an initiative announced in 2006 to refresh the downtown area.  A.M. Costa Rica/Elise Sonray
Police officers Raúl Ugarte Solano and Jorge Alvarado
Morales are both part of the new Unidades Metropolitana and said they
work out of the Frontón building. They said they were told
about a month ago that they would not be using the Parque Central
kiosk, which is behind them.
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High
season is coming. Do you know where your ad dollars are? They should be here |
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| A.M. Costa Rica third newspage |
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| The entire running team came
back on the race course to escort Vilma Lisac to the finish
line. |
 Photos by Dani Morales and Monica
Morales
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Racing is more than a
competition, it's a Costa Rican culture
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By Melissa Hinkley
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff I read that running is the fourth most popular sport in Costa Rica with soccer coming in first, second and third. After running my first race in Costa Rica, I couldn't agree more. I competed in the Fifth Reto Powerade race Sunday in the Centro Comercial la Ribera, Belén. There were actually two races going on, the 21 K (half marathon) and the 10.5 K (6.2 miles). I contemplated running in the half marathon because
Once a week, they have group sessions where they train together as a team. I trained with them last Saturday, which was actually my first encounter with formal running in Costa Rica. We started at 6 a.m., which seems to be very common in Costa Rica because of the heat, and then ran 15 kilometers (almost 10 miles). We ran as a team, although slightly spread out, weaving through the mountainside and passing coffee plantations, small neighborhoods and curious observers. I got a very unique tour through the rural parts of the western Central Valley that I would otherwise never have seen. I noticed several things on that 15K run as I was surrounded by beautiful scenery and great companionship. I figured out that running for Costa Ricans is not just about the competition. Ticos value the time spent together as friends, as relatives and as fellow runners. Running is something that bonds them together and gives them a passion to share. The support they show not only for team members, but also fellow competitors, is amazing. |
At the Powerade race many
participants were running simply because
they enjoy running. Others were there to lose weight and stay in
good
physical condition. And, of course, there were people there who
were
training for other marathons, and they were ready to win the race. This
combination of people made for a lively atmosphere, considering there
were 2,500 people running, plus family and other personnel. There
were people everywhere bouncing around in their short shorts, sneakers
laced
up, and sweat beginning to drip. The sun was shining, the music
was
loud and upbeat, and the race was about to begin. The actual race itself was somewhat uneventful for me. I ran the 6.2 miles in around 50 minutes, so that was just a small detail when thinking about the whole experience. The run was a cool experience though, because there were so many people along the way cheering runners on, handing out water and Powerade, and squirting participants with hoses. I wasn't quite sure if they were squirting us to cool us off or because they thought it was funny. Either way it just added to the experience. When I finished the race, there were many on the team who were still running. Most people went and refreshed themselves with complimentary drinks and fruit, but as members from my team would finish, they would stay around and cheer as their teammates crossed the finish line. My host mom here in Costa Rica just started running about a year ago, and she is training for the Chicago Marathon in October. During this race she was running the half marathon. Although she is not as fast as some of the other speedy runners, she is a trooper. As the organizers were taking down their booths and picking up trash, she was still running. She didn't finish the race alone though. No, she finished the race in 2 hours and 45 minutes with her entire team following behind her for support. My new favorite phrase is “Ya lo tiene”, which basically means, “you can do it!” So, as I have been thrown head first into the culture of running, I have realized that running in Costa Rica is so much more then just running. It is not hard to become involved in the culture. All that is necessary is a pair of sneakers, a good attitude, and a friend to squirt you with the hose. There is a race nearly every weekend somewhere. To see results from past races and to check out upcoming races, those interested can visit Ticomania.com. |
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Sardinal residents present
demands to environment minister
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A committee in Sardinal, Guanacaste, wrote a letter to the government asking for justice in the case of water pipeline. They also asked that the government fire the president of the water company, according to the Hermosa Activist Group. The group, El Comité de Lucha por el Agua de Sardinal, Guanacaste, addressed the letter to the minister of Ambiente y Energía, Roberto Dobles, saying it could not count on the municipality to defend the organization members, according to a release from the Hermosa group. In May Sardinal municipal officials decided to paralyze work on the new water line between Sardinal and Playas del Coco in May after members of the community turned up at a meeting and refused to leave until a decision was made. That meeting followed street protests. Protests have continued since then and construction has not been resumed. The letter made a number of requests to the Ministerio de Ambiente y Energia including the following: • That all legal actions against the people of Sardinal be dismissed because the people's fight for water was just and legal. • The letter also asked for officials to suspend construction |
of the water pipeline until a
reasonable and integral zoning plan is constructed. • That legal action be taken against the officials who allowed the mismanagement of the project to take place. • That the Servicio Nacional de Aguas Subterráneas conduct a study of the aquifer in order to have an accurate and up to date tool for the assessment of the water ministry. • The creation of a community committee to regulate civil control over sustainable development in Sardinal. • The developers themselves must analyze other water alternatives for their projects including desalinization of the coastal waters. • That the negotiation and final meeting for the water pipeline take place in Sardinal. The freezing of construction on the line has resulted in significant financial loss to developers on the coast. Many construction projects are in limbo because they have no water supply. The developers initially put up the money for the 6-mile water line so that the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantrillados could build it. Dobles is expected to send reports of studies conducted on the Sardinal aquifer to a panel that includes the head of the Acueductos y Alcantrillados and Aguas Subterráneas. |
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Bylaws are the key to
comfortable living in a condo complex
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By Angela Jimenez Rocha
and José Manuel Hildago* Special to A.M. Costa Rica Most new buyers of property are now seeking the protection of gated, guarded condo complexes whether these are high-rise or single-family living units under the condominium law known here in Costa Rica as Ley de Horizontal. However, after attending several annual meetings of some of the most famous condo projects over the years, the authors have discovered almost none of the new owners has done the homework in understanding the bylaws and the workings of the administration of these projects. First owners and would-be owners must read the bylaws which by Costa Rica statute are in Spanish. For North American expatriates, a certified legal English translation should be obtained. Next owners and would-be owners should make an appointment with a qualified person who can explain the terms since the English translation may not be fully definitive. The bylaws may establish an administrator who has all the power to collect maintenance fees and administer the project. There may be a board that does this, or there may be any combination of the two. Usually the developer controls this process, and that is what would-be owners must watch out for since the developer has a much different agenda than residents, in most cases. Too often the bylaws have no teeth for enforcement to solve problems that arise. What most buyers do not understand is that the bylaws are as important as the physical dimensions and appearance of the condo. In this country No. 1 is telephone service, which is not a given like in the States. Usually the condo association must donate the easements needed to connect telephones since usually there is a central box for connecting all the telephones of the complex. Too often this can take |
months
if not years, so a buyer may own a new condo with no telephone
service. José Hidalgo, one of the authors, fought for six
years at a project which featured homes in the $3 million range to get
telephones installed due to an easement problem. Angela Jiménez, the other author, has watched promotional material which indicates beautiful views for new condos, but the developer neglects to explain he will be building and blocking those views once he sells out the first structure. Going to the municipality and the Instituto Nacional de Vivienda, known as INVU and the institute which oversees condo projects, is obligatory to see exactly what is permitted and what might take place.. The best new condo developments offer a fiduciary program where a bank guarantees the developer will transfer deeds as promised once final payment is made. Most projects sell on the basis of 20 percent deposit and final payment when building containing the buyer's unit is complete. A fiduciary program gives the buyer protection. A buyer must use horse sense here and understand that there are tradeoffs. Once the building is complete, the prices of units have moved up substantially over the past years not just because they are complete but the cost of materials keeps rising. These are just a few of the items to consider but the authors recommend doing serious homework with qualified professional advisors independent of the developer’s sales office first. *Angela Jiménez is a licensed appraiser and architect. José Hidalgo is a lawyer. Both will be speaking at a free seminar in late September sponsored by Toyota Costa Rica and Orbit Real Estate. This is oriented toward newcomers to Costa Rica who want to get advice from experienced professionals. They may be reached at mail@orbitcostarica.com |
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Venezuela does to
México what México did to others
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By Phil Mattingly*
Special to A.M. Costa Rica What goes around, comes around It is ironic how history repeats itself as was displayed in Venezuela. The Chávez socialist government sent in the national guard to physically take over all the operations and assets of Cemex of Venezuela, the largest cement producer in the country. The government has offered to pay for the operations that Cemex refused to sell, but at a price thought to be 40 to 50 percent below its true value. Cemex is a Mexican company that is publicly traded, including as American depository receipts on the New York Stock Exchange. The Mexican government is a large shareholder in Cemex. Cemex is one of the largest and most successful cement companies in the world, but Chávez wanted the cash flow it generated in Venezuela to pay for his social revolution. It was a similar socialist movement in Mexico during the presidency of Lazaro Cardenas in 1938 that expropriated all the oil fields and refineries that had been developed and paid for by foreign oil companies (Shell, Standard Oil of New Jersey, etc). In spite of the fact that the foreign companies were invited in and contracts signed by the Mexican government and these foreign companies took enormous risk, they were taken over and the foreigners sent packing. Payment was eventually made in a take-it-or-leave-it' offer years later to the foreign companies at centavos on the dollar of their true worth. The "what goes around, comes around" part of this story is that Venezuela has now done to the Mexicans what the Mexicans did to the foreign oil companies. |
The
sad truth that history has taught us is that all socialist
governments cannot possibly provide to the poor what they promise
without money. They can print the money, which leads to
destructive
inflation, tax those that have, or a quicker solution is to steal
existing companies that produce large amounts of cash. Many
countries
of the world are experimenting with another cycle of socialism.
Venezuela, Perú,
Ecuador, Bolivia, Russia and others are all after the low-hanging
fruit. Where are the easy places to pick fruit? Why, banks,
insurance
companies, mining companies, oil, gas and other industries essential to
any nation. Sadly, tempting, low-hanging fruit is harder to find in Costa Rica. Óscar Arias and his gang have to be content with profits from refining and selling petroleum to the public, insurance company, electricity and telephone, alcohol production, and did I mention astronomical import taxes on things the public needs? There is a hidden cost with any government in control of this easy fruit. All of these industries are quickly filled with incompetent, spoils system employees that don't have to make a profit or compete and spend their time protecting their turf. Unions find easy pickings here also to help the 'haves' maintain what they have. It is estimated that PEMEX, the Mexican oil company, has over 20,000 employees that it does not need to operate efficiently. When you look closely at how this works, and how Central American Free Trade Agreement threatens all of this easy fruit, it is a wonder that the treaty passed at all. But the majority of the public wanted it, so here we go. Save some fruit for me. I want some of that stuff that you don't have to work so hard to reach. *Mr. Mattingly of Salt Lake City, Utah, is a frequent visitor and observer of economic events. |
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 A.M. Costa Rica photos/Manuel
Antonio Ramírez Corrales
Computerized traffic control system used to be in this steel
box.'Igor, get me some brains!'
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
When one assembles a list of items to steal, the computerized traffic light system, the so-called brains, does not rank very
Thefts of the copper wires associated with traffic control signals have been blamed for serious accidents, and police have had some success cracking down on the junk yards that would buy devices like the traffic control system. |
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