During his statutory visit to Santa Maria yesterday, the President of the Azores Government, José Manuel Bolieiro, announced the launch of the public tender for the Global Infrastructure Project for the 11 housing units in the Airport Housing Park.
During the visit, José Manuel Bolieiro was accompanied by the Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing, and Employment, Maria João Carreiro; the Mayor of Vila do Porto, Bárbara Chaves; and the President of the Vila do Porto Parish Council, Eduardo Cambraia.
The tender for the acquisition of services, which has a base price of 145,000 euros, plus VAT, and an execution period of 120 days, was submitted yesterday for publication. It should take place today in Diário da República and Jornal Oficial and will allow the development of infrastructure projects throughout the housing area.
“We are at a historic moment that means a lot to the people of Mari and the Azores. The airport’s housing stock has a history and an identity,” said the President of the Government.

He added: “In the last three years, the Government of the Azores has achieved a boost in results, as a result of a lot of bureaucratic work and a demand and ambition that has now come to fruition”.
According to the Government of the Azores, “this was a situation that had been dragging on for too many years, to the detriment of the families who live in the neighborhood and to the island, and it was possible to resolve it thanks to the willingness of both the government and the municipality, in a joint intervention.”
The project’s conclusion will allow work to proceed on the rehabilitation and construction of the water and sanitation infrastructures, the electricity and communications network, public lighting, streets and parking areas, green areas, and the road network.
At the same time, the Regional Secretariat for Youth, Housing, and Employment, through the Regional Housing Directorate, will develop architectural and engineering projects for the rehabilitation of the homes in the eleven neighborhoods. This will allow for the rehabilitation of the homes already in use and the creation of new plots for the next generations of people from Santa Maria, who will thus see the supply of housing in Santa Maria increase.
This public tender for the Global Infrastructure Project follows the orders signed by the Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing, and Employment, Maria João Carreiro, and the Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Food, António Ventura, with responsibility for Spatial Planning, to authorize the subdivision of the São Lourenço, Santa Bárbara, and Santo Espírito neighborhoods.
The authorization and issuance of the allotment permits, which consist of 116 plots, 110 of which are housing plots, creates the conditions for a comprehensive intervention in the Santa Maria Airport Housing Park, as committed to by the Government of the Azores.

The President of the Government of the Azores also stressed that the meeting with the Vila do Porto City Council “was a moment to underline the ‘commitment to cooperation’ that has been developed between the Government of the Azores and the Vila do Porto City Council on issues such as housing, the supply of water to farmers, paving roads and protecting the coastline.
Regarding the work carried out by the Azores Government on the island of Santa Maria, the President of the Government guaranteed that, in a gradual and progressive way, it would be “enhancing the installed capacity” and “promoting a strategic vision” of the future for the economy of the Azores and, in particular, for the island of Santa Maria.
Speaking to journalists, he stressed the importance of using the installed airport capacity to boost the Space Technology Center, which projects the Azores to Europe and the world.
The President of the Government, José Manuel Bolieiro, also stressed the importance of “valuing Santa Maria in its strategic position and in the capacity it has in its installed infrastructures,” referring to Santa Maria airport and the just claim with ANA/Vinci for its full operation.
“We will not allow this matter to fall within the scope of our capacity to intervene and influence,” added the President of the Government.

in Correio dos Açores-Natalino Vivieiros, director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.