The completion of the renovation work on the building, which was already forty years old, was marked yesterday, 3 July, on the day of the celebrations for the 39th anniversary of the town of Ribeirão. 

‘The old headquarters no longer corresponded to the needs of the people of Ribeirão and that's why it was necessary to remodelling our space, which now has good and better conditions to welcome and help our community,’ said Leonel Rocha, president of the Ribeirão Junta. "We've been working to make the town of Ribeirão evolve. Last week, we inaugurated the last stretch of the new roundabout on National Road 14 and today we're opening the doors to a new council headquarters that will certainly provide a better service to the people of Ribeirão," he recalled. ‘All this makes us happy and convinced that we're on the right track,’ he concluded. 

Mário Passos, attended the event the mayor of the town, who pointed out that ‘investing in parishes, their spaces and infrastructures’ is a priority, adding that ‘the renovation and improvement of spaces like this one are fundamental so that citizens can be served in complete comfort’. 

It should be noted that the works received municipal support totalling 280,000 euros. The space has a service desk, a citizens' area, meeting rooms and rooms reserved for the council's executive. The refurbishment of the building consisted, in the first phase, of demolishing and building the existing masonry, ceilings and floors, as well as carrying out the entire electrical network, water supply and sanitation network, HVAC system and DHW. In a second phase, work followed on the construction of exterior and interior walls, finishing work, flooring, painting, water and electricity work, locksmithing and painting, among others.

Later on, Mário Passos made a point of returning to Ribeirão to take part in the solemn session commemorating the 39th anniversary of the town. ‘Ribeirão is a dynamic parish and this is well reflected in the many people from Ribeirão, who wanted to take part in this event,’ he began. ‘This is what we mean when we talk about a sense of community: citizens who get involved, who want to be part of community life and, in this way, contribute to the growth of our municipality.’

Leonel Rocha emphasised the work done to date, but with his eyes set on the future, he pointed to some investments planned for the near future. "Let all the work done so far not inhibit us from continuing to work for the people of ribeir. We want to create an Artistic Laboratory, a multifunctional space at the service of culture and associations, not forgetting the third phase of the refurbishment works at our Primary School, which includes the sports pavilion, the construction of the new junction with the A7 and the renovation of the road network."