Pays de Fayence: water, agriculture and health at the community council

A full agenda was presented to the elected members of the community council during the meeting held recently in the Michel-Félix room of the Maison de Pays in Fayence. It took four hours to process the 42 resolutions on the agenda, all of which were adopted unanimously despite abstentions regarding the renewal of an agreement with Enedis. A focus on five resolutions that stood out during this meeting.

A 20-year water plan

The director of the Pays de Fayence Water Authority, Eric Martel, presented the plans for the production and distribution of drinking water in the region. "A master plan makes it possible to quantify and prioritize the work over a 20-year period. For the Pays de Fayence, this involves securing the water supply through the complete rehabilitation of the upstream network of the Siagnole and the connection to Lake Saint-Cassien for agriculture as a first step. For distribution, this will involve creating storage basins and continuing to improve the yield rate, which has already increased from 63% in 2020 to 78% as of January 1, 2025. The Authority is working to improve this rate daily."

Eric Martel gave some dizzying figures, with "170 million planned over 20 years" , specifying that "subsidies can be mobilized to reduce this amount" . Regarding water tariffs, the elected officials validated a progressive harmonization for 2030 "so that all users contribute in the same way to the service with the possibility of adaptation in the event of a drought crisis" .

Purchased agricultural land

A budget amendment decision was made to allow the acquisition of a large agricultural plot of land in the Tourrettes plain. Patrick de Clarens, vice president in charge of agriculture, presented this project with enthusiasm: "It is 4 hectares in total with a farm, agricultural sheds, an irrigation basin and a residential house. For several years we have been budgeting for the acquisition of an agricultural property to develop market gardening production for schools as part of our Territorial Food Project ." Patrick de Clarens added that "if this acquisition is completed, we will work with our partners, the Var Chamber of Agriculture and the Société d'aménagement foncier et d'établissement rural, to install and support one or more market gardeners on this site ."

By helicopter to reach the hospital

The signing of an agreement was confirmed with the HIS company, which specializes in installing equipment to enable rescue helicopters to land at night, and the joint union for gliding and the Provence Côte d'Azur aeronautical association. Camille Bouge, president of the joint union, welcomed the fact that "this project could improve the ability to quickly transport patients to hospitals." Also for this sector, the community council validated the local health contract with the regional health agency in order to continue efforts to strengthen healthcare provision in the area.

A matter of money

A deliberation was postponed at the September council meeting. It concerned the fee for occupying public property during the work on the Maison de Pays, more specifically the parking lot located in front of it, which belongs to the municipality of Fayence. Its mayor, Bernard Henry, demanded the payment of €72,000 for occupying part of the parking lot during the work, a claim disputed by Jean-Yves Huet, mayor of Montauroux and vice-president in charge of finance. He requested that this sum be allocated directly to the parking lot rehabilitation work. Long discussions among elected officials prompted the majority of them to postpone this deliberation.

To encourage carpooling

Regarding the extension of the carpooling parking lot at the Adrets interchange, an agreement was signed with Escota and Estérel Côte d'Azur Agglomération which provides for the financing and construction of this necessary equipment for an amount of €980,000, with a contribution of €264,000 from the Communauté de Communes du Pays de Fayence.