This Thursday, 3 July, Joane celebrated 39 years since it was elevated to the status of a town, a moment that was marked in the parish with a solemn session to commemorate the date, where congratulations were sung, citizens and institutions were honoured and the present and future were discussed.
The Mayor of Vila Nova de Famalicão, Mário Passos, emphasised the investment made in the parish over the last year: ‘We've brought in more than 22 million euros of investment and this is perhaps the moment of greatest affirmation in these 39 years of Vila Nova de Famalicão,’ he said, referring to the construction work on the new Family Health Unit and the refurbishment and extension of the Padre Benjamim Salgado Secondary School.
The president of the parish council, António Oliveira, who emphasised the unity of the parish and the sense of community that Joane has been building, corroborated this idea. ‘The investments that have been made bring people satisfaction and create a bond of pride and belonging that also makes us grow as a collective.’
The mayor, who is serving his last term as mayor, pointed to the investments underway as levers for Joane's growth in the coming years.
‘These are structuring works, which, along with the renovation of the town centre, the investments in the road network, the union and convergence of synergies between the different movements of the associative fabric, are already a reason for satisfaction today, but more than that, they will be an important boost for the future, because we will have a modern USF, a functional school for many years to come and with it a more qualified, attractive territory that is in keeping with this status of town that we received in 1986.’
Mário Passos also promised that the municipality would continue to invest in Joane, giving as examples the work on the Social Centre, the renovation of the church and the planned interventions on the road network. "Whether through support for institutions, collaboration with the parish council or companies, we will continue to support the realisation of these investments, which consolidate Joane's status as a town. We want to build a better future for everyone," he said.
In this occasion to commemorate the 39th anniversary of Joane's elevation to town status, the Guias de Joane were honoured for their 45 years of activity, as well as the athlete Ana Marinho, the former Famalicão City Council councillor José Santos and Joane's employees and mayors, as a way of thanking them for their work over the last few years.
