Pontedera: now there is a light of hope and a project to revive it, with an operation worth 10-15 million euros
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PONTEDERA. A premise is mandatory. Several announcements have been made in 16 years. For now, none of these have been followed by anything concrete. The only certainty is that there is a concrete “barracks” devoured by weeds and battered by the passage of time. Again, now, there is a date. Will it be the right time? Who knows. We will find out in September, when there could be – the conditional is more mandatory than ever – a turning point for the former Nicò gym and rehabilitation center, a stone’s throw from the Fi-Pi-Li. Born as a revolutionary health center, it closed after a short time. And it has never reopened. Now there is a light of hope and a project to revive it, with an operation worth 10-15 million euros.
THE NUMBERS OF NICO ‘
First of all it is necessary to explain well what the now ex Nicò is. We are talking – taking the original floor plan as a reference – of a complex for use as a sports and rehabilitation center with a gross surface area of 5,260 m2, built on a land of 16,610 m2 and consisting of: main building with two floors above ground, connected to others five buildings directly or with covered paths; technical rooms; two parking lots; green or equipped spaces; building with gymnastics room on the ground floor and spinning room on the first; building with cardio-fitness room on the ground floor and exercise room on the first; building with weight room on the ground floor and rehabilitation on the first; building with three swimming pools. The area is between via Montevisi and viale Europa. Today only the skeleton and many empty rooms remain. And to think that in 2002 the inauguration of the Nicò was experienced in the city with absolute enthusiasm. Pontedera finally had its ultra-luxury gym. After about two years, however, the story ended with the failure of Nicò srl, the management company of the structure, which took place in February 2004.
SHOULDER STRAP AND PROMISES
The former Nicò suddenly lost his vitality. Closed doors, tall grass and an avalanche of chatter. Since 2005 there have been rumors of alleged entrepreneurs ready to take over the structure. The result is there for all to see. The last chapter, for now, of the far from happy “saga” took place in October 2016, when two entrepreneurs, Patrizia Coffaro e Marco Nencioni, announced the reopening of a wing of the former Nicò for November of the same year, with a new rehabilitation center. Once again, however, nothing has happened. Today there is a health emergency, the economy is crying blood in every corner of the world. It is difficult to think that anyone could invest millions in an abandoned and almost completely redone structure. Yet there is an indiscretion that travels in the opposite direction.
THE NTH PROJECT
The former Nicò now belongs to a bank. And the change of ownership could come in September. To take over the property would be a group of entrepreneurs – whose names and origins are unknown for now – ready to transform the area. The idea is to recover the rehabilitation vocation of the structure, creating medical offices and spaces for fitness. But the real “juice” of the operation would lie in the undeveloped portion of land, where a small shopping center would be built, with bars and other services. Investors would be convinced by the strategic position in a high traffic area. For now, as in previous years, it’s all about intentions. After the summer everything will be clearer. The concrete giant can come back to life. –
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