The campaign to build a hospital on the grounds of the old American base in Gournes is rapidly gaining momentum as hundreds of local residents have already added their names to a petition for the medical complex.

“The last update we had from Manos Fragiadoulakis, district health director, has been that the project has advanced and will be promoted provided that the building on the base property is conceded by the state's real estate agency,” said a spokesman for one of the local cultural associations. “For this reason we urge everyone to sign the petitions that are available throughout the municipality.”

The spokesman said the petitions will be filed with the proper authorities until the new council of the State’s real estate agency decides on the issue.

The petitions are available at the following locations: Gift shop Δωροπροτάσεις, Paper World bookshop, Khronicles Office and Spyridon Sweetshop, all in Kokkini Hani; Our Corner Book Shop in Gournes; all the pharmacies in Kokkini Hani and Gouves; meat markets Kouroupakis in Kokkini Hani and Papadakis in Gournes; all beauty salons in Kokkini Hani; Dali Café in Anopolis, and Manos Supermarket in Pano Gouves.

Meanwhile, Gouves Mayor Yiorgos Nikolakakis, an outspoken advocate of the proposal, said he was delighted that the plan is finally moving into high gear.

“Our campaign for an urban health centre began roughly three years ago during the initial stage of Kallikratis,” he said. “Our thinking was that we need a permanent health structure in the wider metropolitan area, and here in Gouves we already have a basic structure… the building that was the old hospital when the American Air Force was headquartered here.”

At a recent meeting spearheaded by Mr. Nikolakakis at Gouves Town Hall, the plan was solidly endorsed by the mayors of Malia, Hersonissos and Episkopi, as well as numerous other local officials.

“We filed the proposal with the district health agency, and we also sent copies to the health minister and the state,” Mr. Nikolakakis said. “First impressions are that they think about the project in a positive manner. We have also filed a topographic chart with photographs of the space available.” 

The mayor said the first issue to be dealt with is for this building to be granted to the health ministry by the state real estate agency.

The old base military hospital-site of proposed
medical center in Gouves

“Then we will proceed to finance the reconstruction of the building,” he said. “Of course,” he added optimistically, “if they would just give it to the municipality it would proceed so much faster. And of course, everything can help it along, like all the signatures that the cultural organizations are circulating.

When asked about the state’s real estate agency efforts to sell the prime base property, Mr. Nikolakakis was adamant in expressing his opposition to any commercial use.

“We have now executed a general land-planning chart of the region – an open city chart. In this plan we have proposed uses for the land in the entire municipality, including, of course, the base grounds,” he said. “Consequently, anything built on base will have to come out from any of the suggestions we have indicated, and we have barred commercial uses like a mall, casino or a five-star hotel. We have really fought for all this for a long time, but we have finally accomplished our goal!”