On Tuesday 14 April, the village of Joane welcomed a visit from the Mayor of Vila Nova de Famalicão, Mário Passos, for a working visit that enabled him to see first-hand the progress of various ongoing investment projects in the village in key areas such as education, health and social welfare.

The working visit began at Padre Benjamim Salgado Secondary School, whose extension and refurbishment works represent the largest ever investment in a school building in the municipality: 20 million euros, with support from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR). The project is proceeding according to schedule, and for pupils at Joane Secondary School, the 2026–2027 academic year will already take place in the new facilities. 

“It is on site, looking at the work, that one can confirm its quality, its precision and its adherence to the plans,” noted Mário Passos, accompanied by the Councillor for Education, Sport and Health, Pedro Oliveira.
The visit then moved on to the construction site of the new Family Health Centre (USF) in Joane, which, despite initial setbacks, is now progressing at a good pace. With a budget of around €2.1 million and also co-financed by the PRR, the facility is being built from scratch and will house a range of services, including family medicine consultations, nursing, women’s health and child health.

Sport also received the attention of the Famalicão mayor, who paid a visit to the grounds of the Joane Sports Group to understand the current challenges and most pressing needs of the sports group.

Mário Passos did not leave Joane without also visiting the construction site of the future Residential Care Home for the Elderly (ERPI) at the Joane Parish Social Centre, accompanied by the council’s Social Action councillor, Susana Pereira.

The project, co-financed by the PRR and supported by the Municipal Council, represents an investment of over 3 million euros. It will have a capacity of 40 beds and will also enable the provision of Home Care for 60 users and a Day Centre for 20 users. “It provides a response that has long been identified as necessary for the elderly population of the parish,” said the mayor.

It should be noted that, in this regard, the local authority has already channelled around 2 million euros to social welfare institutions in Famalicão since 2024 to support the completion of infrastructure works that will enable an increased social response within the municipality.