The facts on Tal-Grazzja chapel

I was surprised to read Eddie Aquilina's article last Thursday and, in particular, that he chose to put pen to paper without first establishing the real facts behind the Tal-Grazzja chapel incident. The facts are far from what he wrote regarding what happened to the chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Graces in Sliema.

Yes, I personally promised to help in finding a solution to repair the damage as soon as possible, without prejudice, in the interest of all concerned. After continuous chasing and putting pressure on various persons to get a technical report and an estimate from the Curia, we are, to date, still waiting for such a report. No one in his right senses would embark on a repair job on a historic building without the advice and supervision of a responsible engineer.

In his article, Mr Aquilina gave the impression that two priceless paintings were damaged. The fact is that no such damage occurred. He said that Fr Raphael Pace Lupi had raised thousands of liri to restore the chapel two years ago. This is not the case. The funds were paid by us to restore the chapel. Through the planning contribution introduced by Mepa we paid Lm10,000 for the restoration of this chapel, out of which it is said that Lm7,000 was spent, leaving a balance of Lm3,000. The balance should be held by some entity; definitely not by us!

Mr Aquilina also said that he brought to our attention the need to take more precaution. Again, this is not the case. He never spoke to me.

The following is the main sequence of the facts as they happened:

On March 1, 2007 one of our subcontractors, Tal-Maghtab Construction Limited, that had all the necessary permits from all entities, was excavating a trench in the middle of high street to install a sewage pipe. The works were carried out using a trencher, machinery that causes less vibration than a mechanical breaker. The trench was completely dug into solid rock which goes right up to the surface of the road in this case. The works were carried out after a method statement was prepared and approved by the Sliema local council's architect.

When we noticed what had happened, we took immediate steps to fill the trench with premium concrete to avoid further damage.

A magisterial inquiry was opened and numerous engineers and architects came to the scene to see what happened. No one, including myself, could come to a definite conclusion as to what could have led to this settlement in the chapel foundations.

We immediately installed a number of monitoring devices over the cracks to monitor any possible further movement. We are all happy to confirm that, to date, there has been no further movement in the chapel.

On March 3, all interested parties met to find a way to restore the chapel. Following this meeting, the Curia appointed Alex Torpiano to draw up a report and estimate the cost of the repair works that need to be carried out.

Three weeks later I asked the Curia and the owner of the adjoining property to give us the report to pass on to the insurers.

Four weeks later I called Fr Anton Gouder and asked him whether he could intervene to speed up the drawing up of the report. He promised to do so and called back telling me they still did not have a full report and promised that he would chase Prof. Torpiano to finalise the report.

When, on May 1, the Prime Minister came to visit our new hotel he was whisked off by Fr Victor Soler to show him the state of the chapel and complained that no one had taken action.

The following day I called Fr Gouder again and told him that I had not as yet received this report and this delay was giving a bad impression to the public as media coverage seemed to imply inertia on our part as developers of the hotel. He promised me again that he'd look into the matter.

The conclusion is that to date we are still waiting for the full report from the Curia. As a magisterial inquiry has been opened into the incident, we are precluded from carrying out any remedial works. The owner of the adjacent building was quite cooperative, but action by us cannot be partial. We are perplexed by this situation.

AX Holdings has stated that it wants to see the Tal-Grazzja chapel and the adjoining property repaired. We are waiting for the owners, the Church of Malta, to come forward with their expert's report on the restoration costs and from then on it can be seen what needs to be done to execute the works.

I would like to take this opportunity to draw attention to a street lantern, which is fixed to the chapel's façade and which is connected by cables from the other side of the street. This heavy lantern is undoubtedly pulling the façade of the chapel outwards. I appeal to the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to remove this hazard.

It is a pity that people like Mr Aquilina opt for the easy way out - to complain and write without knowing all the facts and contribute little to help find a solution in the common interest.

I frequently say that it is much easier to be a talker than a doer. If the interested parties in this matter present the architect's report on the remedial work that needs to be carried out, then the residents of Sliema will soon be in a position to enjoy the chapel again.