Le Var Information: How, at the level of your municipality, are you getting through the current government crisis?
Frédéric Masquelier: It has no daily impact on the municipality; even if this inertia around the finance law and in particular its rectification reflects an inaction which, generally speaking, is not good for the morale of the French. However, France below remains in action.
Belgium has experienced a worse situation with more than 300 days without a government, proof that communities know how to demonstrate autonomy. A reality that deserves reflection regarding a decentralization which could be more important in France.
The contribution requested from local authorities as part of the finance law has forced you to review the timetable for certain projects…
We have actually postponed the opening of the Miss France museum by one year and also the redevelopment of Place Saint-Jean in Boulouris. This temporary contribution was requested from us at the end of the year from a municipal budget which was not yet planned. Staggering these two local investments proved to be the least bad solution to impact residents as little as possible.
Where is the hotel school project? Is the groundbreaking still planned for 2026?
We are currently in discussion with the Lausanne hotel school because the latter has since changed its policy. It no longer wants to make the “École de Lausanne” brand available for projects outside Lausanne and Singapore. However, this completely changes the project for the future École Hôtelière de la Côte d'Azur (EHCA) as initially presented. We are therefore waiting to see what alternative the Lausanne school will be able to offer us in this particularly harmful situation for the municipality.
What project(s) would you like to see completed before the end of your mandate in a year?
The first project, and also one of the first challenges of my mandate, is to breathe a certain dynamism into this city which is largely made up of elderly people, but which is not, however, at the end of its life. In terms of infrastructure, the redevelopment of the tennis courts, the Aspé dam which should help protect the city center from flooding, and also the Promenade des Bains, which will be at mid-stage at that time, are for me essential works that must be completed quickly.
Finally, from a security point of view, I would like, by the end of my mandate, to maintain the hundred municipal police force that we have managed to reach.
-You are also president of Estérel Côte d’Azur Agglomération. The agglomeration has opted for a local health contract. For what reasons?
For the sake of coordination and also to have a global approach to health issues: this local health contract brings all stakeholders to the table. It will make it possible to continue projects such as the redevelopment of nursing homes, to coordinate the presence of doctors in the region and to develop a whole “prevention” component at a time when medical care continues to grow.
Just a year ago, the Klaxit carpooling platform was set up at the urban level. What initial assessment do you draw from this mode of transport?
It worked very well and even better than I thought! In the space of a year, we have gained 2,526 registrants on the platform and 1,389 carpoolers. This still represents 194 tonnes less CO2 emissions for the year 2024! The success is such that we have chosen, for 2025, to double the annual budget dedicated to driver remuneration and which also allows passengers to travel for free. It thus goes from 26,000 to 50,000 euros.
What is the next step in terms of soft mobility?
A carpool area has been planned for two years now in Adrets-de-l'Estérel but given that two thirds of users come from the Pays de Fayence Community of Communes, we are waiting for the latter to come forward so that we can at least share in equal parts the financing of this development.
In Puget-sur-Argens, it is a multimodal area which will be created in 2025 at the motorway interchange. This facility served by public transport will be equipped with charging stations for electric vehicles and secure bicycle parking. It will offer a capacity of 83 parking spaces.
This year again, a cycle path will be built on RDN 7 near Puget-sur-Argens. Without forgetting the future TCSP [Transport en commun en site propre, NDLR] on the Promenade des Bains, work on which is also due to begin in 2025.
