From the space occupied by the orchards next to the Besòs river in Santa Coloma in the last century, a large green nucleus was born that during this mandate will face its definitive transformation to become a large metropolitan green lung and an area of great tourist attraction, with a park of family entertainment and great thermal equipment thanks to the discovery of a vein of hot water in the subsoil.
The Can Zam sector has an approximate area of 30 hectares, between the Besòs river bed, the B-20, the La Roca road and the Cacaolat factory. Half of it is the green area that makes up the Can Zam metropolitan park, which will have about 14 hectares plus the green area of the riverbed.
At the end of 1999, ten hectares were urbanized between the La Roca road and the Besòs river, nine of which were occupied for the execution of metro line 9 until they were finally vacated in 2013. From then on, with the With the collaboration of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), the transformation of the park began with the construction of sports facilities, such as athletics tracks, two soccer fields, the skatepark or the Duet sports center, as well as leisure areas and children's games and the creation of the Isabel Muñoz environmental classroom.
The second phase of the project has pending expropriations of private properties in the area of the Escola Oficial d'Idiomes and the petanque area. The Can Zam farmhouse area is also pending expropriation, and the green area of the Francesc Moragas park, pending consolidation due to the works on an underground car park that were paralyzed in 2008.
But what has really resized the Can Zam park has been the appearance in 2018 of hot thermal water that was found in the subsoil of the city during the works of the L9. Studies carried out in recent years confirm that the groundwater table covers more than 50 hectares, which represents one eighth of the municipality of Santa Coloma, and extends through the neighborhoods of Fondo, Llatí and Santa Rosa. According to geological studies, its capacity is "inexhaustible" and it is of high quality in terms of mineral properties. This abundant thermal water from Santa Coloma allows the promotion of different projects related to thermalism. One of these is the thermal spa that will be built in Can Zam, once the General Directorate of Energy and Mines of the Generalitat has already granted exclusivity for the exploitation of thermal waters, which allows bidding for two new wells necessary to determine accurately the characteristics of the aquifer (flow, maximum temperature, etc.), as well as its properties.
The second step is to determine the quality of the water and the uses to which it can be put.
In the meantime, Santa Coloma de Gramenet will receive the seal of a thermal city awarded by the Association of Thermal Towns of Catalonia, to which it is a member. The priority, according to the mayor, Núria Parlon, is to "create a public spa leisure center" that is a metropolitan reference and a first-rate tourist attraction. Other projects, such as its use to create a public network of hot water and renewable energy in public buildings, due to the high economic cost, will have to wait for the achievement of European funding.
“This mandate is the moment to definitively promote Can Zam”, advances Parlon. Thus, he proposes that the emblematic local park be a great green and leisure lung that has already begun to be designed with the five million subsidy that the Minister of Culture, Miquel Iceta, committed for the construction of a sports complex.
"All of this gives meaning to our philosophy of having a large, leafy green park, but also with new facilities to enjoy it," underlines the mayoress, such as the new Olympic-size swimming pool that will be built. With this, Can Zam will have two swimming pools, the 50-meter one and the current 25-meter one. In this same area, a space will be set up for the elderly. "A health space", adds the mayoress of Colomense.
The new sports equipment, located in an area of 9,000 m2, apart from the two swimming pools, will include a gym, a space for practicing rhythmic and artistic gymnastics, as well as a multipurpose space for skating, dancing and other activities. sports, especially those for the elderly. One of the most powerful environmental aspects of the new Can Zam, at the discretion of the mayoress, is naturalization, which will include the planting of 48 specimens of trees on the slopes that will surround what the City Council calls "the great clearing", a open multipurpose space in which events such as the popular RockFest can be held, but also "sports, social, cultural events, and also civic events".
The green and leafy areas will be a constant in the perimeter, but also the leisure spaces. In this sense, the mayoress announces an investment of 950,000 euros for an "inclusive park" with adapted children's games.
The citizen participation process that was carried out between 2017 and 2018 provided proposals for other activities in Can Zam, which will be promoted in a second phase. Citizens voted to create a bush maze, a botanical and science garden, a river forest, a traditional playground, a climbing wall, a porch, a gazebo and a kiosk, zip line parks and a vertical forest, fountains drinking water, dance platforms, floral rugs and shaded areas. Along the same lines, they voted to create dog zones, urban gardens and outdoor gym areas for the elderly. Likewise, it is proposed to reformulate the existing esplanade in front of the lake, conserving the natural amphitheatre.
