The Feast of the Municipality of Pučišće and the feast of Saint Jerome, the local patron, were marked by a solemn session of the municipal council. The session featured projects and activities from the past year, as well as plans for the coming period.
The solemn occasion was attended by Archbishop Nikola Eterović, a native of Pučišće, for whom this was the first feast in his hometown in many decades. Attending was also MP Danica Baričević, representing the county governor of Split-Dalmatia, Blaženka Boban, and the President of the Croatian Parliament, Gordan Jandroković. The event featured musical performances by pupils of the Pučišće Primary School, with the central part of the ceremony being the awarding of municipal honours.
The mayor, Marino Kaštelan, highlighted in his address the repair of the Košer landfill, the rotor in Gornji Humac, the expansion of the cemetery in Pražnice, and the renovation of the waterfront and small port in Puče. According to his statement, the value of these four major projects is approximately €10m. The municipality has continued to invest in transport infrastructure, public lighting, car parks, a kindergarten, fire services, social welfare, and healthcare.
Kaštelan reminded the audience of the long-standing process of resolving property legal issues at Košer, for which a final building permit has now been issued. The repair project is valued at €4.3m and has been submitted for funding from the Cohesion Fund. In Soline, a project for a new waterfront and marina, valued at over €3m, is being prepared, while the estimated cost for the expansion of the cemetery in Pražnice is around €1.2m. Plans are also in place for the renovation of the third marina, for which the procedure for issuing a building permit has been opened. Kaštelan stated that this is one of the few serious beach resources available to the municipality, and the work involves approximately 400 meters of coastline.
Among the projects that could directly change the daily lives of residents is a new fast ferry line connecting Puče, Postira, Omiš, and Split. According to the mayor, 47 years have passed since the last regular all-year-round line from Puče. In her speech, Baričević highlighted this initiative, in which she had participated, stating that she would advocate for its future extension to Pvalja. In Pražnice, a kindergarten has been renovated and a ten-hour day introduced, with the introduction of a nursery planned for the next academic year in Puče.
Kaštelan has been at the head of the municipality of Puče for over 21 years. At the session, Danica Baričević highlighted the long-standing trust the voters have in the mayor, noting that in a small community it is not easy to maintain trust over such a long period.
The annual award was presented to Martina Antičević, a fire service officer and commander of the Puče Fire Brigade, as well as a specialist in emergency medicine, for her contribution to the improvement of the protection and rescue system. Antičević had participated in the development of the fire brigade, including the establishment of a diving section, and made a significant contribution to the establishment of the helicopter emergency medical service on Brač. The award cited her long-term work in the service and her charitable engagement as president of the blood donors' association. The certificate was presented to Nataša Buvinić, who has worked for four decades as an assistant in the local kindergarten in Pražnice. In the citation, it was noted that, in addition to her regular duties, she had participated in numerous children's performances, creating costumes and sets, and through her work and attitude towards children, had become a 'symbol' of the 'Jerulica' kindergarten for many generations.
