«The Vetropack settlement will have a beneficial impact on the future of Boffalora and the entire Magenta area.»

How did the municipal administration, and above all the community, react to the news of Vetropack's settlement in the area?
We all feel a bit like protagonists of an industrial site that is about to come back to life, aware that the Vetropack settlement will have a beneficial impact on the future of Boffalora and the entire Magenta area. In the revision phase of the territorial government plan, which we know is the most important tool that administrations have for planning the future of their territory, our administration had decided to maintain this area as a productive zone, also recognising incentives precisely to facilitate the settlement and recovery of a large industrial area in decay. This is a demonstration that well-done urban planning is decisive in creating the right environment for development, so much so as to make it more competitive than others for the establishment of new production sites.

What has the recovery of this area, which had been partially disused for some time, meant for the Boffalora community?
The establishment of a new company in that area is very emotional for us Boffaloresi and we are proud that that place will continue to maintain its industrial vocation.  In this area where Vertropack is now being built, there was once another important company, by the name of SAFFA, which represented prosperity, welfare, development, work, and the many companies that were born and grew thanks to it. SAFFA has been crucial to the development of our area, SAFFA is the history of Boffalora and the Magentino area, it has given us a lot and recovering and making this area productive again is our way of honouring it and we are confident that what once was SAFFA will be Vetropack now.

What do you think (and/or hope) will be the effects generated by its recovery?
This regeneration is of economic, cultural, social, and environmental importance. From the environmental point of view, over 40,000 square metres of asbestos that were present have been removed and the area has been environmentally cleared. We are moving in the direction of an important regeneration, including architectural and landscape regeneration, of a place that had been abandoned and in a state of decay for many years. As far as the economic aspect is concerned, this project is under the attention of the interministerial committee for the attraction of investments, it is a project that is part of the strategic planning of the MISE Ministry of Economic Development, and it is a project of extreme importance for the Lombardy Region as it envisages a major investment in our territory. The arrival of Vetropack will bring benefits to the area in terms of economic spin-offs and will open up a range of opportunities for Boffalora and the Magenta area.  We have also started working to create alliances between the company and schools in the area, because it is important that the training of our young people is real and targeted according to the needs and professional profiles that Vetropack will need once it is established.  We are also trying to make Vetropack aware of the companies in the area and what they offer, giving the company entrepreneurs the opportunity to compare notes and try as much as possible to network and establish possible collaborations.

As Mayor, from 2018 to today, how has your position evolved towards this important project? And what are your expectations? 
I started following the process in 2018 as Councillor with Curzio Trezzani as Mayor, then with the 2019 Municipal Elections I continued to do so as First Citizen. It has been a long journey that has required from us administrators, from the municipal technical office, from all the entities involved, and from Vetropack an intense commitment in following all the complex procedural process up to today. It is an intervention that stems from a reasoned choice, a choice of regeneration, a path of recovery of a disused area, our territory and the entire Lombardy Region really need it.

Interview with Sabina Doniselli, Mayor of Boffalora sopra Ticino