The village of Aucun wins €100,000 for the creation of a wetland and the reconstruction of a mill
The village of Aucun won €100,000 for the reconstruction of the Boularic mill and for the creation of a wetland. Eventually, a loop connects the three wetlands of the village.
A 1h30 educational walk, i.e. a pretty three-kilometre loop, punctuated by explanations of wetlands and their role, but also around small water structures such as mills or leytés, recesses dedicated to the preservation of food, kinds of fridges of yesteryear. It’s a nice project that is taking shape at None, with a welcome boost from the Heritage Foundation.
The latter has actually just awarded €100,000 to the village of Val d’Azun, in the Hautes-Pyrénées. This sum will make it possible in particular to complete the restoration of the Moulin du Boularic. Guy Nicollas, first deputy, explains: “All along the Boularic, up to the Tech, there were previously around forty mills. Most have disappeared due to lack of maintenance. The Boularic floods have not helped matters .”
Participatory restoration
Each family actually had their own mill to make their bread. Guy Nicollas resumes: “This is communal. The town hall moved into a farm that it bought in 1963. The party room is located in the old barn. The mill belonged to the property.”
It was therefore three years ago that a momentum was formed in the village to restore this old mill. Everyone brought their skills: a stone lover thought about rebuilding the walls: a retired cabinetmaker also brought their skills… The mill has just had a beautiful slate roof restored. A millstone from the Lavedan museum has been installed. It remains to install a door and restore the mechanism – and to check that the town hall has also acquired the right to water.
The Boularic will return to its original bed
It is therefore around the mill that a new wetland should emerge, which will be linked to that at the entrance to the town, the Hiasse area, but also to that of Sailhets. An old map from the 1800s showed that the bed of Boularic has since been moved… The latter should therefore find its original bed in 2023, thanks to the purchase of the land by the town hall.
On site, Guy Nicollas is already imagining “a listening area, with the sound of water, the song of birds, a cool corner… In summer, it will be very pleasant.”
€20,000 left over for the town hall
A car park, the Poueyes car park, already exists to allow visitors to park. On the other hand, the path that will pass through the city center will have to be reviewed to secure the passage of visitors.
A project that the municipality hopes to see completed in May or June 2024. There are many partners: the Pays de Lourdes Vallées des Gaves, the Pyrenees National Park, the Department, the region, the State through the DETR (Endowment of equipment rural areas), the Adour-Garonne Water Agency and therefore the Heritage Foundation. Thanks to these many actors, the remaining charge for the municipality will be €20,000 for a total cost of €231,000.