After eighteen months of renovation works, the Macanese Association (ADM) headquarters will reopen once some “technical procedures” are completed.
Although the president of the association, Miguel de Senna Fernandes, admitted there is no exact date for the reopening, he stressed to the Times that they hope the contractors could put the final touches on the renovation works by the end of July.
Senna Fernandes said that the popular Macanese canteen which operates from the facility is expected to run as it used to before the revamp.
“We will still be doing the workshops […], we will [still] be serving lunches for the members,” he said. “We will be doing these kinds of usual things, nothing really new.”
The newly renovated headquarters are also a way of presenting the association to the community.
Senna Fernandes described the
renovated premise as “quite pleasant.”
The association head added the association has nearly 600 members and that the revamp also includes updating the association’s member policies and fees.
“Unfortunately, the fees will be increased because everything else is getting more expensive so the prices will go higher, this is for sure. Even the members’ fees we will be revising,” he revealed.
The current membership fee of the group is MOP30 per month. Members would also have to pay a one-time sign-up fee of MOP500.
Senna Fernandes also stressed that ADM is searching for partnerships with local stores and restaurants to provide its members with discounts.
“We have to reorganize the membership policies in order to not only protect ourselves but to also protect the companies or the institutions that we ‘d be partnered with,” he claimed.
“There’s a good opportunity to change a lot of things that should have been changed a long time ago,” the ADM president added.
Meanwhile the association is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary this year. ADM will also hold another “Encontro” [meeting of the Macanese community], which will take place in November.
The association will still cater to non-members. Senna Fernandes revealed that in many cases, members’ relatives are not affiliated with the association.
“Having a place where they can go everyday would be great of course. It’s good to always keep in touch,” he concluded. Lynzy Valles
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