Spacious and luminous facilities, prepared to receive even people with reduced mobility and to accommodate all employees, executive and parish assembly members, a CTT post, a Citizen's Space and an ATM. This is, in short, the new headquarters of the Parish Council of Ferragudo, which this morning was inaugurated by the Secretary of State for Consumer Defense.
Luís Veríssimo, president of the Junta and an assumed Ferragudense, recalled the “small and unconditional” space where the municipality used to function, with about 30 square meters, on a first floor with steep stairs. «The bathroom was in a stairwell and I didn't even fit in there», joked, for his part, Francisco Martins, mayor of Lagoa.
The president of the Board added that the new facilities will soon be served with more parking, when built the car silo planned for the zone. But nowadays access is usually easy, with the exception of summer.
With the closing of the bank branch that operated in that building in downtown Ferragudo, the opportunity arose to buy the space. As the Junta, having few registered voters (about 3000), is «one of the parishes in the country that receives the least direct revenue from the FFF», that is, from the State, its budget was not enough to even dream of a change of premises.
And it ended up being the Câmara de Lagoa that went ahead with the purchase of the large store, for 245 euros. “But we bought it with everything: the partitions, the false ceilings, the furniture, everything. A small investment in changing the layout, in the decoration and adaptation of some spaces», explained president Francisco Martins to journalists.
The mayor of Lagos underlined the effort that the Municipality has been making to «dignify the Parish Councils, starting with their work spaces».
After Lagoa, Porches and Carvoeiro, the next step will be to improve the conditions of the Parish Union of Parchal and Estômbar. In the first village, the headquarters is located on the first floor, but now two stores have been purchased, and “adaptation works” are in progress. «Within a month and a half to two months», added Francisco Martins, Parchal will also have new and worthy installations.
The "next project", assured the mayor of Lagoa, will be the facilities in Estômbar, which will also have "a new space".
For his part, the Secretary of State for Consumer Protection made a point of highlighting the "moment of great symbolism for the parish and town."
The new facilities, added the official, will "improve and qualify the way the Parish Council performs its proximity service every day."
João Torres also underlined the «commitment» of the Lagoa Council «to find a good solution for the installation of the Junta», recognizing its ability to «stimulate the best synergies», in this case between the Municipality and the Parish.
The secretary of State also made a public acknowledgment “to the president of the Parish Council and his team, who worked hard for this solution”. “What animates local authorities in our country is service to the community and populations. These installations, already free of architectural barriers, with services such as the Citizen's Space and the Posto dos CTT, will allow us to intervene in a register of greater proximity», concludes the official.
And what will now happen to the former Junta's premises, which are also located in downtown Ferragudo? The president of the Chamber Francisco Martins answers: «with all the requalification to be carried out in the riverside zone, there will be a revolution here. It will probably be a tourist office, but it will soon be seen».
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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