The Chairman provided Founders with an update on the current number of Founders of the Foundation which now include thirty-five businesses from the initial 18 Founders.
One of these thirty-five members is the GRTU which continues to act as a Founder representing 200 micro-SMEs.
The Chairman and the CEO presented to the Founders the projects the Foundation concluded in 2018 and in particular referred to: an agreement concluded with Enemalta p.l.c. for a project to upgrade the street lighting and an agreement for temporary parking in the area. Founders were informed that the Foundation also put in place a new traffic management system. As part of this system, the Foundation launched a Rapid Response Pilot Project and there are now two police officers patrolling the Central Business District from Monday to Friday between 8.00a.m. and 5.00p.m. There is also a dedicated telephone number for matters which require police intervention in the area. The Foundation also obtained a personalised postcode for the Central Business District and is now working on the branding and signage to be installed in the District.
The CEO informed Founders that on-going work includes re-surfacing of roads and embellishment of the District. The Chairman and the CEO also presented to the Founders the upcoming projects planned by the Foundation and mainly referred to the storm water project which is due to start in May 2019 and should be completed by August 2019. The Foundation kicked off the embellishment of a public garden in the District while a major project for 2019 will be the Management Strategic Plan for the area. The Founders were informed that the capital commitments for the projects to be undertaken by the Foundation in 2019 is expected to be in the region of EUR2,051,166.
During the AGM, the Founders were informed that in view of the fact that the term of the first board of administrators expired on 3 March 2019, the Private Sector Group met to appoint the six administrators to represent the Private Sector at the Board of Administrators. At this meeting, the Private Sector Group elected the following as Administrators for the period 6 March 2019 to 3 March 2022: Cannon Estates Ltd., C. Fino & Sons Ltd, Forestals Investments Limited, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Simonds Farsons Cisk p.l.c. and Mr Benjamin Tabone Grech.
The Chairman also informed the Founders that the Government appointed: Mr William Wait, Mr Johann Buttigieg, Ms. Antoinette Conti, Mr Paul Abela, Ms Joan Debono Grech and Mr Damian Whitehead, as Administrators for the same period.
The CEO further informed the AGM that the term of the Chairman of the Board of Administrators had also expired and for the next term of 18 months the Chairman was to be appointed by the Private Sector. During the Meeting of the Private Sector Group, the Private Sector re-appointed Mr William Wait as Chairman of the Board of Administrators for a second term of eighteen months.
At the meeting Founders were presented with the financial statements for the financial year ending 31st December 2018.
Before closing the meeting, the Chairman thanked the Government for its assistance to the Foundation, the outgoing Board of Administrators, the Members of the Foundation and the CEO for their work and commitment towards the Foundation and the Central Business District during 2018.
The Foundation is currently designing a simple legible navigation, orientation and way-finding system able to ensure that anyone can move around the Central Business District with ease.
The system, which will evolve in phases, will help the user avoid obstacles, know when a destination has been reached and also be able to exit from the zone taking the shortest possible route. The final design phase of the signs is currently ongoing and the first sign will be assembled on site at the end of April. A three year maintenance agreement is included in the agreement with the supplier of the signs.
Names and logos of all Foundation members will be included in the signs. New members will have their logos included too when these join.
When did you start operating From the Central Business district?
I joined the Group in 2000 and therefore i was not around when our company moved its operations from Gwardamangia in 1971 but i’ve heard plenty of stories, told by our senior directors, on how we were one of the first businesses to move our operations to Mriehel. I’ve also seen video footage of our premises being built where, apart from the Farsons brewery building and a few other buildings, one could see only trees and landscape. How things have changed!
Is your core business based in the Central Business district?
Although not all our operations are based in The Central Business District area, one can say that FiNo has established itself with our premises in Mriehel. Our location is renowned with the public and would go on to say that our showroom is also a landmark site for directions!
What key factors made you decide on establishing your operations in the Central Business district?
From our humble beginnings in a small workshop using traditional handheld tools, the company set its sights on bigger things and had a vision to move to bigger premises where furniture could be manufactured using industrial machinery with a fully- fledged factory with skilled craftsmen employed. Mriehel proved an attractive location where, apart from enabling growth in the short term, also offered the possibility to further expand in future years.
What do you believe is the Foremost advantage/disadvantage in Being Based in the Central Business district?
The name of the Foundation itself gives a very good indication of the primary advantage! Being in the central part of the country is an obvious, yet a very important factor, and one which should not be underestimated. The area is very well connected nowadays. obviously this also brings with it other challenges, amongst which congestion is one of them.
What do you believe is the foremost advantage/disadvantage For your employees to come to Work in the Central Business district?
Gone are the days, where distance between your home and your place of work is not a factor. When i had started my working experience, now a good 20 years ago, you never heard a candidate mentioning the distance in an interview. With the increase in the population, this has become an element which is given importance by employees. With us being centrally located, this gives us an advantage over other areas located in the northern/southern area.
It is a known fact that, with around 8,000 employees working within the Central Business District Area, parking has become an issue. I am aware that the Foundation has already worked on this but further improvements are needed.
Why did you join the Central Business district Foundation?
I always say, that having one channel rather than many different channels, increases the possibility of achieving results. With so many different stakeholders involved, having them all around one common table made our decision to join an obvious one.
What value added in your view will the Central Business district Foundation give your business?
I am sure that the Foundation has many projects earmarked for the future. As a matter of fact, it is the Foundation’s vision to improve the quality of the people working in the area. These improvements will surely make the Central Business District area a more attractive and sought-after zone.
