Albufeira Town Council will invest 8 million in Homes and Day Centers that will be built in Olhos de Águas and Fontainhas. This was one of the main news for 2019 announced on Thursday, the 27th, by the president José Carlos Rolo, in the already traditional ceremony of presentation of greetings and New Year's message, which took place in Paços do Concelho.
The mayor announced that, next year, the focus of the Municipality of Albufeira will be on social investments, on the «human being». «When we invest in education, sport, housing and social action, these are investments that are not profitable in terms of money, but that have a great impact on society», stressed José Carlos Rolo.
The Municipality guarantees “support for renting, for sporting and cultural activities, for all that are improvements in schools and sports parks”, said the mayor to journalists, at the end of the ceremony. "In the end, this is investing in people," he stressed.
In addition to the two homes (the Fontainhas was started by Nuclegarve but now the City Council will take over its construction), a third is also planned, in Caliços. But then, announced the mayor, the process is "further behind" and should only advance "at the end of the year 2019".
The sector to which the Municipality of Albufeira will also pay special attention in the next year is housing. José Carlos Rolo announced that the creation of three new Municipal Housing Poles is planned in the parishes of Paderne (40 units), and Albufeira and Olhos de Água (20+29 dwellings).
“One of the main problems is that the municipality has no assets. Land should have been acquired for us to use now. We are trying to acquire some parcels as they appear», he explained. These lands, he added, will serve to build social housing, but also to create green spaces and car parks.
José Carlos Rolo also recalled the main moments of 2018, some of which were «less good», such as the unexpected death of the former mayor Carlos Silva e Sousa, «to whom I pay my sincere tribute». The current mayor, who took the lead last March, makes a positive assessment of these months at the head of the Municipality: «the executive tried to reorganize the services», guaranteeing the entry of «new blood», and «started a set of wide range of investments, including in the Road Network of all parishes, where we have invested close to 2 million euros».
As a former teacher, the president made a point of highlighting the areas of Education, with the improvement of the existing school infrastructure and the recent measure of exemption from payment of meals in pre-school and first cycle schools in the municipality.
At the sports level, José Carlos Rolo recalled the interventions carried out in various infrastructures, both municipal and clubs: «Albufeira is a council very rich in associations, especially in sports. The clubs have a strong dynamic and the local authority has supported financially, with transport, logistics, facilities, tributes and sporting events, that is, we try to create all the conditions for the various sports to be practiced in Albufeira».
The good relationship also extends to business associations, namely APAL, in partnership with which the Chamber was present during the current year «in the main European fairs», to promote the county's tourism abroad, «In 2019, we hope to count on the reinforcement of partnerships with other entities so that together we can go further», said the president of the Chamber.
An investment that will also advance next year is the implementation of a video surveillance system, with which "the aim is to provide residents and tourists with greater security".
Other projects for 2019 are the revitalization of Baixa de Albufeira and Olhos de Água, «in a process that will also have to rely on the people who live there and the merchants», as well as the revision of the PDM, which should «finish by the end of the year".
The executive will also "analyze the transfer of competences from the Central Government to the City Council, namely in the areas of Education, Health, Beach Cleaning and licensing of beach concessionaires". "We have to decide by the end of January, in some cases, and February, in others, what we want to accept from this transfer of competences," he said.
The mayor also promised to improve – “a lot” – in the Municipality's Urban Hygiene, by contracting different service providers. "We are at the end of the contract with the current company, so this is the ideal stage to improve the service".
José Carlos Rolo guaranteed, on the other hand, that the Municipality is on the side of associations, businessmen and citizens who want to participate in the development of municipal activities. "We want to count on you to make shared decisions for the development of our community," he assured, directly addressing the dozens of representatives of the Albufeirense associative movement present.
The ceremony ended with the performance of the Coral Group from the Albufeira Conservatory, which sang several Christmas songs, and with the delivery of a souvenir to all those present, from mayors, official entities, public security forces, representatives of the associative movement and citizens .
In summary, the Mayor José Carlos Rolo announced a new year of 2019 «with a lot of work and with even more investment, so that we can have a happy and quality of life community».
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues | Sul Informação and Albufeira Town Hall
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