Dal Molin project gets final approval

[unhappycamper]

Dal Molin project gets final approval
By Kent Harris, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Saturday, February 21, 2009

VICENZA, Italy — The final hurdle in the approval process has been cleared for the Dal Molin construction project, the Italian government’s representative for the project said Friday.

But not long after the news conference, the city’s mayor appeared to set himself up as another barrier, of sorts.

At a meeting at the provincial administration building, Mayor Achille Variati said the airfield site is the worst place he could think of in Vicenza as the new location for the 173rd Airborne Combat Team’s barracks and offices. And he said if he had been the one behind the decision, it wouldn’t have happened.

"This was a mistake," he said. "A historic mistake that someone has to be responsible for."

He said he didn’t want his words to be construed as a threat, but implied that he could use his authority to prolong the construction, or even stop it outright. He said he believed a majority of the city’s people oppose the U.S. using the Italian military facility.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60864