“May the future of the Whirlpool area be work, sport and innovation”

“May the future of the Whirlpool area be work, sport and innovation.” With these words, the Mayor of Comerio, Silvio Aimetti, summarised his opinion concerning the future of the area, which, from 1 January 2017, might be called the ex-Whirlpool.

The multinational has announced that the headquarters will be moved from Comerio to Pero, to a building where about 500 people, from 28 different countries, will work. With public appeals, and with public relations work that lasted months, the local administration, led by Silvio Aimetti, tried to reduce the effect of the company’s decision.

After the company’s decision, the question is now the future of the area. Many have come forward to suggest solutions and ideas, even the President of Lombardy Region, Roberto Maroni, who has suggested a competition for ideas and a Garibaldi Barracks-style agreement. Mayor Aimetti’s reply was immediate.

“With great respect for the organisation represented by President Maroni, I wish to inform you that, since the day of the announcement, we have worked, at the council level, and at the level of the individual departments, on the issues concerning the decisions taken by Whirlpool for the Comerio premises. We are in contact with the heads of the company, with whom we will shorty have a technical meeting, to clarify a number of aspects.

“In the meantime, we have already met a number of people with various interests in the future of this area, including a number of businesses in the local area (hotels, restaurants, service areas), who will suffer significant economic repercussions as a result of this decision. There are several ideas at this time; I think that, as it should be, in these cases, they must be evaluated in light of their practicability and of the future vocation that we want to give not only to this area in Comerio, but also to the local territory, which, for some time, has been the protagonist in a significant, economic decline.

“Therefore, Comerio council is ready to collaborate in an organic way with all partners, who will be available, each with their skills and abilities, to guarantee a future of work, innovation and sport for this place which is so important and significant for the local area.”