Portuguese-American Center of Suffolk – Construction work at the Portuguese club is completed at a cost $135,000

Construction of the portico at the modern Portuguese-American Center of Suffolk (PACS) of Farmingville, in the New York region of Long Island, is finished and ended up costing around $135,000. This information was provided to the Luso Americao newspaper, by the president of the Center, the Lisbon-native Carlos Félix.

With the construction that began around May of last year, the social headquarters of the Center, now with a new addition, has an entrance that makes it easier to access the noble hall, especially during the long months of winter.

“It was the cherry on top that was missing from the headquarters” president Carlos Félix admits. “I must say that all people who were involved in the construction have affectionate connections to the Center just like all of us”

The dream to add the portico to the headquarters of PACS went through three administrations; the project was approved under the direction of Jack Silva in 2018, development began when the leadership role was passed to Maria Leonita Rodrigues and it was finished under Carlos Félix as the head of the Center.

With an initial budget of $100,000 the addition ended up costing “around $125 to $135,000” stated Carlos Félix.

Félix, the current president,  was raised in Antas, Alenquer, and immigrated at 16 years old to the United States. Before becoming president, he had positions as vice-president and member of the fiscal council.

The PACS was created in the beginning of the 80’s by a group of immigrants interested in practicing soccer, later on, they bought 4 acres of land that today is the headquarters of the Center.  The PACS was built to help develop a cohesive community, one with a lot of importance in the “Imperial State”.

The different phases of the portico’s construction project at the entrance of the center were approved by the club’s general assembly.  The club’s construction commission includes Ludovino Correia, Adelino Moreira, Francisco Pinheiro, Fernando Trindade e Jack Silva.

When COVID-19 was at its peak, the structure of the portico was already set up and from there the vice-president Adelino Moreira was at work for three months to make sure the project was finalized. With the exception of the structure and the electric installation, everything came together out of the efforts of his own labor – including the painting. He did not ask for one penny from the Center.

President Félix realizes that COVID-19 caused a lot of loss for the Center “Thousands of dollars were lost. We had the hall reserved for practically almost every weekend” he says.

“We were obligated to close for four months for the protection of all. It is clear that when we began the construction that we had no idea a global pandemic would paralyze the country and the world”.

The president stated “It is very hard to maintain an association of this size without any profits. People forget that just because we have a beautiful establishment it also means that this beauty comes with a lot of expenses and financial obligations that in this Center are very elevated”.

With around 500 associates, PACS cannot, according to Carlos Félix, resort to state funds in support of the new coronavirus.

 “The success of this Center is not dictated by the president or by anyone in particular, but by the ensemble of the people who work for him” he gladly said as he was finalizing the interview.

For the completion of the construction, the following businesses and entities contributed: Sunshine of East Coast Inc. (Ludovino Correia); L&D Masonry Corp. (Paulo Dias); Farmingville Masonry & Concrete Supply Inc. (Tony Melo); Silva Excavating Corp. (José Silva); United LJC Corp. (Luís Antunes) and Wayside Concrete Corp. (Luís Portal e José M. Rodrigues).