the essential
A buyer has finally been found for the Castéra-Verduzan thermal baths. The town hall signed the public service delegation on Monday, entrusting it with the establishment for 20 years.
A page is turning and a new one is about to be written for the Castera-Verduzan thermal baths. The establishment finally has a buyer, and the signature of Mayor Claude Nef affixed to the documents on Monday morning entrusts the thermal center to Nicolas Touron, a physiotherapist and osteopath based in Bordeaux. The health professional will have the difficult task of straightening out the establishment, under a public service delegation, after 27 years of management by the Gers Department. The latter was forced to leave this activity for reasons of legal incompetence and following a formal notice by the Regional Chamber of Auditors (Editor’s note: following the NOTRe law of August 7, 2015).
DDM – WHAT IS DEBBICHE
The town hall had therefore started looking for a private partner to entrust the establishment to it in the form of a public service delegation (DSP). It therefore chose Nicolas Touron’s project. Finding a buyer was not easy. Three public service delegation procedures opened in 1999, 2003 and 2009 had failed. But obtaining rheumatology approval last year changed the situation. Until now, Castéra-Verduzan had benefited from approval for oral and digestive pathologies, which is an extremely limited activity in terms of treatment. Rheumatology represents 80% of thermal activity.
Delegation for 20 years
“About ten years ago, I opened a multidisciplinary health establishment, with nursing, physiotherapy, osteopathic, psychological and psychiatric care, etc. I don’t know anything about thermalism, I admit, but I know about water treatment, balneotherapy. What I want to implement is the development of therapeutic patient education, which aims to help patients manage their lives with a chronic illness as best they can,” explains Nicolas Touron, who came to Castéra-Verduzan on Monday to provide his first care in the center and sign the public service delegation documents. The health professional will be present several days a week to treat spa guests. A new director, Alain Laguerre, has been appointed to run the center.
On Monday, the two parties signed the public service delegation for 20 years. “Initially, our objective is to improve the financial situation over two years to reach a neutral situation. This would already be a big victory. And then to sustain the activity for the following years,” confides Nicolas Touron. .
DDM – WHAT IS DEBBICHE
It is true that the financial situation of the establishment is not encouraging. In its 2019 annual report, the Court of Auditors notes that for the period 2012-1018, the Department was forced to bail out the thermal baths of Castéra-Verduzan and Lectoure to the tune of 1 million euros per year. In recent years, the Gers Department has injected millions of euros to keep the Castéra-Verduzan spas afloat.
“But I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe in it. Rheumatology approval is very important, it will be a plus. But it’s not easy, it’s a challenge. I don’t have the advantage of a large group, I remain a caregiver”, adds Nicolas Touron.
“New life”
“We are all convinced that this new approval will bring new momentum to Castéra and an increase in attendance which will allow us to envisage the future in a positive way. Even if Castéra is a very small spa resort, it has a great history,” confided the mayor of the commune Claude Nef after the signing.
The president of the departmental council Philippe Dupouy “welcomed the work carried out by the services of the Department and the municipality throughout this handover. I have every hope that this agreement will offer the Castéra Thermal Center a new life essential to the local economic and tourist activity.
