(Haipo) – The Israel National Fund announced that it is considering investing approximately 200 million shekels in the Haifa metropolitan area: approximately 100 million shekels for the development of the Kishon River Park and an additional 100 million shekels for environmental and other projects in local authorities in the Haifa Bay. The announcement was made during a visit by a senior KKL-JNF delegation to the Kishon River Authority and the Haifa Municipality.
A huge 950-dunam metropolitan park on the banks of the Kishon River
Eyal Ostrinsky, Chairman of the KKL-JNF, said that during a visit to the Kishon River Authority, led by Director General Sharon Nissim, KKL-JNF representatives announced that the foundation is considering providing assistance in establishing and developing the Kishon River Park – a unique park on an area of 950 dunams with an investment of approximately NIS 100 million. According to Ostrinsky, KKL-JNF sees this park as a turning point that will drive environmental change and strengthen trust in the process of change required in Haifa Bay. The visit was also attended by KKL-JNF Deputy Chairman Eliran Shmuel-Hai, Board of Directors member Avi Baladi, representatives of the KKL-JNF management, Avi Simhon and Yuval Admon from the National Economic Council and the Haifa Bay National Administration.
Support of tens of millions of shekels for local authorities in the metropolitan area
In addition to the investment in Kishon Park, KKL-JNF announced that even before the visit, decisions had been made to support the establishment of parks and open public spaces in socially peripheral neighborhoods in the Haifa and Krayot areas, in the amount of up to NIS 5 million per authority and a total of approximately NIS 30 million. In addition, during a visit to the Haifa Municipality with Mayor Yona Yahav and Deputy Mayor Israel Savyon, KKL-JNF representatives announced that the fund would advance a decision to define the Haifa metropolis as a central aid target, and that an investment of approximately NIS 100 million in the next three years in environmental and other projects within the various authorities was being considered.
Haifa as a Gateway to the North – Strategic Significance for the Metropolis
Ostrinsky emphasized that the Haifa metropolis has strategic significance – it is the gateway to the north and the metropolitan anchor of the Western Galilee and even the entire Galilee, and that "a strong Galilee needs a strong Haifa." According to him, in recent years the metropolis and the city of Haifa have not received sufficient support and have not grown as needed. Ostrinsky noted that one of the main problems in the metropolis is air pollution and industry in Haifa Bay, and added that KKL-JNF intends to stand alongside the professionals in the government who are fighting this, for the sake of the residents of Haifa, the Krayot, Nesher and indirectly for the entire north.
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This is not the first time that a resource-intensive project has been established in the Kishon River. So after establishing a mechanism, appointing a director, assistant director, secretary, drivers, in-country training on similar projects, and more and more expenses, the budget runs out and they do some small thing and the project disappears as it came. Maybe, maybe, maybe this time it will work. Maybe I'm skeptical.