The Palace of Marriages in Sancti Spíritus, closed for approximately two years due to severe structural deterioration, has been awarded through a public tender to the micro, small, and medium enterprise Armonía, which will take on both the comprehensive rehabilitation of the building and the future management of its services, the provincial radio reported this Sunday.
Carlos Enrique León Reyes, director of the Provincial Real Estate Management Company, confirmed that the bidding process concluded about a month ago and that the establishment was formally handed over to the new non-state actor, as specified in a report by the station Radio Sancti Spíritus.
"It had been closed for about two years due to its condition, that is, the level of deterioration in the facilities, the roof, and the overall infrastructure. And it is an establishment that has been managed non-state for years, meaning it was leased to non-state economic actors," León explained.
The rehabilitation work is already underway and includes roofs, landscaping, walls, plumbing and sanitary networks, coverings, eaves, and floors, all while respecting the original colonial architecture of the building.
"They are repairing roofs, renovating all the gardens, and patching walls. It is quite a large construction project; it is a facility that is significant in size, structure, and infrastructure," the official pointed out.
The business project aims to restore the services that historically made the Palace a landmark for the community: a restaurant, recreation on the second floor with a bar, a café, and a lounge.
In addition, the microenterprise plans to produce bread and the food that will be offered on-site, without altering the structure of the building. "We will set up local services within the existing framework, without modifying the structure of the building, to ensure those services," León specified.
The reopening is expected in a few months to host family celebrations such as weddings, quinceañeras, and birthdays.
The case of Sancti Spíritus falls within a trend that has accelerated this year: the government is transferring the management of iconic and dilapidated facilities to private entrepreneurs through bidding, while retaining ownership of the properties. In July, the state-owned company Cimex announced the bidding for 12 commercial establishments in various municipalities of the central province.
In August, the government of Holguín announced a tender for its Palace of Marriages, while Ciego de Ávila initiated a similar process for the management of six warehouses under the Barrio Market project.
Additionally, the Ministry of Domestic Trade began to outline the procedure for awarding through bidding the management of dining establishments within the Family Care System (SAF) to other economic actors, including the non-state sector.
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