Written by Samedi Valpic nr 3 – June 21 –
Jean-Marie Viaccoz, Prefect of the District of Sierre (Crans-Montana – Sierre – Anniviers), presented “District : Ensemble, une dimension à découvrir” (District: Together, a dimension to discover) to a packed and motivated audience, which included a number of leading figures from associations and institutions. The District, the Prefecture and the Conference of Presidents, this intermediary institution between the Communes and the Canton, present in 10 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, is a special and historic one in Valais (*): beyond certain regal functions, it is, on an operational level, an essential mediation tool. Has conflict invaded the land of consensus? Not really, but consensus is a building process in which the stones of interests can only hold together thanks to the cement of coordination. If the District of Sierre is made up of 10 Communes, they have to agree on projects that affect several of them, and that are in phase with the Canton. This is where the role of the Prefect and the Conference of Presidents comes into its own. This is what Jean-Marie Viaccoz told us about his work, which involves no fewer than 270 meetings a year…
Without losing sight of the essential: the result! In this respect, 2 examples of District-wide work were presented by Pascal Bovey, consulting engineer in mobility: an overall study plan for future public transport in the District, with all the projected links for Crans-Montana and its variants, as well as the DISI project, a full-scale test that will network all the District’s public transport systems from October 6 to November 2, the first step towards long-term development.
The full presentation documents (including plans) (District, Mobility Project, DISI Initiative) will be available in the Members’ Area next week.
(*) see “Les Dizains en Valais” on the “Articles” page