Khaberni - Minister of Local Administration Walid Al-Masri confirmed that the development project of Tell Irbid needs about 3 months to complete, pointing to the importance of the project, which is under royal care, especially after the generous donation from His Majesty King Abdullah II for its completion in a manner befitting the location.
This was stated during a field tour conducted by Al-Masri in the area of the back of the hill, accompanied by the former Prime Minister and President of the Board of Directors of Irbid Development Corporation, Abdul Raouf Al-Rawabdeh, the Minister of Education Azmi Mahafzah, the President of the Greater Irbid Municipality Committee Emad Al-Azzam, the President of Yarmouk University Malik Al-Sharairi and the Acting Governor of Irbid Ra’ed Al-Jaafari.
Al-Masri explained that the development project includes the restoration of Irbid Secondary School for Boys as a main part of it, stressing the need to remove the electric poles in the area and replace them with underground installations to preserve the aesthetic character of the location.
He emphasized the importance of conducting joint studies between Irbid Municipality and Yarmouk University, especially in the traffic aspect, which includes conducting a comprehensive traffic census and developing a comprehensive plan to address the conditions of squares, traffic lights, and bumps in the city streets.
For his part, Al-Rawabdeh confirmed that the square opposite Irbid High School constitutes a visual deformation, necessitating its rehabilitation and integration into the Tell Park, as it is a main entrance to the school currently undergoing maintenance, with the necessity of enhancing the site's aesthetics to serve the city's residents.
He also called for the establishment of a public library within the project, with the possibility of using one of the heritage houses for this purpose, and benefiting from the experience of Shoman Foundation in this field.
Mahafzah stated that Irbid Secondary School represents a cultural and educational legacy in the area, emphasizing the importance of preserving it and the Wasfi Al-Tall Industrial School as important elements in the downtown development project.
In his turn, Al-Azzam emphasized the need to achieve harmony between the development works of the school and the overall hill project, so that the architectural elements are integrated within a unified vision.
He pointed out that the municipality has provided several alternatives to the Public Security Directorate to clear the hill area, which would allow the implementation of the park project on its full area, noting positive progress in this file.
On his part, Al-Sharairi clarified that Yarmouk University fully cooperates with the Greater Irbid Municipality in preparing the project plans, and works on conducting multiple studies that serve the city's development, confirming the university's readiness to leverage its academic expertise to ensure the project's success.
The tour included a presentation of the project concepts and the planned park at Tell Irbid, followed by an extensive discussion between the participants and the specialized engineers.
The visit included a meeting at the Irbid Reconstruction Foundation, attended by the Minister of Agriculture Saeb Khreisat, during which an agreement was reached to form a management board for the permanent exhibition of agricultural and rural products, including the President of Greater Irbid Municipality, the President of Bani Obeid Municipality, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Director of Development in the Ministry of Local Administration, and the Executive Director of Irbid Reconstruction Corporation to oversee the regulations and instructions governing the use of the exhibition, form an advisory committee, and study the operation mechanisms.
