Hélène Arnaud-Bill: “We are seeing a 21% drop in local crime”
Presenting her wishes at the Guy Moquet 2 gymnasium, Hélène Arnaud-Bill, mayor of La Garde, recalled that she was simply keeping a campaign promise.
Indeed, communale Gérard Philipe is undergoing renovation work and, in the long term, the City will create a Pôle Culturel which will house a modern 350-seat performance hall. Hence the satisfaction of the mayor: “Through this project, amounting to €18.5 million, our town stands out as a cultural beacon. This achievement proves that in La Garde, what we say, we do”!
THE IDEAS OF YOUTH
Thanking Jean-Louis Masson for entrusting her with the youth delegation until 2014, she added: “Youth has been at the center of our action since 2001. Conseil de Ville des Jeunes, themed weeks, educational success program, increased reception capacities, quality of reception facilities: schools, crèches, leisure centers, were born from this constant and sustained attention. In line with all the elected members of the Conseil de Ville des Jeunes, we are listening to your observations, your wishes, your projects. To take the most recent examples: In 2023, you proposed to secure the access road to the Plan and the passage under the railway bridge. Following your suggestion, we set up a traffic light in 2024 to alternate between vehicles and pedestrians. You also proposed to renovate the schoolyards and it is as a result of this that we depaved the Maurice Delplace and Elsa Triolet schoolyards, not forgetting that of the Séverine Mignoné school which was entirely rebuilt last year. You also requested the installation of children's play areas in the future urban park as part of the heart of the city consultation. This is indeed planned... currently the house Your predecessors had requested the creation of a gymnasium near the Maurice Delplace school. You will have it within 2 years. You also drew our attention to the speed of bicycles, especially electrically assisted ones, on the cycle path at the level of the Paul Langevin school in Sainte-Marguerite”.
HEART OF THE CITY
Continuing the review of her action, she also specified her projects: “The year 2024 was punctuated by sporting life, with the passage of the Olympic flame through La Garde, but also by the signing of our new 2024-2030 city contract which will allow us to continue our progress for future years, as well as the creation of a social housing exchange, a great first that allows tenants to exchange their housing with each other. 2025 will be punctuated by the delivery of major projects. The first phase of the requalification of the heart of the city with the new urban park and the large free multi-story car park, the greening of adjacent streets, especially those leading to schools. You will also see the delivery of the new theater. Thanks to it, we will be able to expand our cultural offering with new live performances, such as dance or circus”.
DROP IN CRIME
“Regarding the management of resources, our guiding principle has always been to pass on to future generations the budgetary and financial means to make their own choices. Therefore, we have reduced the heavy debt ourselves. We have made minimal use of borrowing, only for our two senior residences, the mas des Sénès and Marie Curie. We have invested heavily because postponing work, neglecting the maintenance of our facilities, means passing this burden on to future generations. An even heavier burden due to inflation or an overly advanced state of deterioration,” insisted the mayor. The mayor also mentioned everyday safety: “We have increased staffing and provided our police municipale with personal and collective equipment. In addition, the intense network of video protection is a valuable support. Our police municipale makes a decisive contribution to our public peace. 2024 is another year that saw an overall drop in crime of 6.4% and of almost 21% in local crime such as thefts, burglaries, and vandalism. These are the best results in the métropole,” welcomed Hélène Arnaud-Bill.
In the presence of: Jean-Baptiste MORINAUD, deputy secretary general of the préfecture du Var, Jean-Louis MASSON, president of the Département, Jean-Pierre GIRAN, president of the Métropole TPM and mayor of Hyères-les- Palmiers, Valérie RIALLAND, departmental councillor, Thierry ALBERTINI, vice-president of the Département and mayor of La Valette-du-Var, Robert BENEVENTI, mayor of Ollioules, Christian SIMON, mayor of La Crau, Arnaud LATIL, mayor of Carqueiranne, André GARRON, mayor of Solliès-Pont, president of the Communauté de Communes de la Vallée du Gapeau, Bernard MOUTTET, mayor of Cuers, Yves PALMIERI, mayor of La Farlède, Jean-Pierre HASLIN, former mayor of La Garde.
Photos: PRESSE AGENCE.