Seine-et-Marne: One year after the riots in Mée-sur-Seine, they continue to heal their wounds

Shock. It’s the sentiment what did the people feel habitants from Mée-sur-Seine (Seine-et-Marne) seeing, in the early morning of Friday June 30, 2023, their Croix-Blanche shopping center in prey to the flames. On the next day riotsthis place of life, looted and burnedhas not become than a pile of sheet metal. But everyone is working hard to ensure that life resumes despite this scar.

Reviving the shopping center

Shortly after the fire, the mayor, Franck Verninis silent returned to the scene in order to take theextent of damage. He had committed to find a solution as soon as possible. “We have postponed the Camus school reconstruction projectputting the priority on the shopping center ” he says.

A wise decision since the locals, the residents are today in the heart of relocation project of the tradespeople affected by the fire. Indeed, the Carrefour sign saw all of its sales space reduced to smokebut there are also many other traders who have been deprived of their jobs.

Since March, things have changed somewhat: “ Carrefour City has reopened from provisionally in the premises of the Camus school. It was important for the inhabitants of the district to be able to find a nearby supermarket “, continues the elected official.

The shoemaker, the retoucher as well as the solidarity grocery store were also able to benefit from a relocation near the burned shopping center. The other businesses could not be relocated.

” THE difficulties today are in the delays related to clearing. The demolition of the old shopping center is partly placed under a protocol linked to the presence of asbestos “, says Franck Vernin. They nevertheless hope to be able to resume the demolition this summer.

Another step will take place later, the soil stability studies. “We want to make sure that it is possible to rebuild a new shopping center in the same place,” he adds.

They hope to be able to begin this stage as soon as the school year starts. It will then be a two-year project which will be put in place, bringing a deadline by 2027.

Bouncing Back From Pain

The centre commercial was not not the only one to have been impacted in the violence that followed. “Our municipal police stations has since been restored. The media library which had suffered a fire was also able to reopen its doors,” lists the mayor.

On the sporting side, the local tennis clubhouse was damaged by fires. “We have set up a redevelopment project et improvement of the sports equipments », assures Franck Vernin.

The elected official at the head of the city spent several nights with his head full of worries. In front of these degradationsit’s a very shared feeling that crosses the mayor’s mind about the shopping center.

For him, it is important to transform these difficulties into opportunities : “There is always a nostalgic side and with regrets, but we want to start on a new shopping center, because it would have been necessary at some point to invest in its renovation. »

But what about those responsible for this fire? “To my knowledge, no, there are none no arrests. The investigation would still be open, but I have not not been notified of arrest or people heard,” explains the mayor.

From his point of view, the priority is not around the sanction. Above all, we want to rebuild “, the mayor insists before continuing: “Faced with these misdeeds, we must pay and it cannot go unpunished.”

It is clear that this fire had a impact for the neighborhood. Some residents have taken to shopping elsewhere. “The turnover of this new Carrefour is weaker. The store is all alone and there is no more dynamic linked to the surrounding businesses,” regrets Franck Vernin.

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