How long is too long for Seine Bight villagers to wait for community center?

The village of Seine Bight in the south has been transformed with the paving of the thoroughfare that leads to Placencia, one of fasting growing areas in tourism. But while that has brought more visitors to the area, there is still one hindrance to the development of the village. News Five’s Delahnie Bain found out that the community center is taking years to build.

Delahnie Bain, Reporting

Residents of Seine Bight Village agreed to the demolition of their community center based on the promise of a new and better facility. But that was almost two years ago when the upgrading of the Placencia Road began. Today that new structure has still not been completed and the villagers have had enough of the waiting.

Franz Ramirez, Resident, Seine Bight Village

“The community center was supposed to be built from a year, two years ago but as you see they’ve been dragging their feet. I’ve been hearing contractors come and go. It’s—I don’t know when it will be finished.”

Vincent Lopez, Resident, Seine Bight Village

“When di money low, dehn stop when di money come back dehn start work. That’s the way it’s designed at this point.”

The long drawn out construction period is only one of the concerns that the Seine Bight residents voiced. According to Franz Ramirez and Vincent Lopez, they are not kept informed or involved in the project.

Vincent Lopez

“I thought that the villagers would have been involved from the beginning up to now, but it is not so. We only hear that the building was going to be worked on but we don’t know what kind of structure or what kind of design they have, we only see it start up to this stage.”

Franz Ramirez

“These guys working are Belizeans but they’re not just local guys from the village which in I think that any kinda construction on the peninsula, you should have twenty to thirty percent of the local help.”

Vincent Lopez

“If a weather would catch us here, we would have to go out from this village because the multi-purpose building is still there, not usable.”

Delahnie Bain

“What else was that used for apart from a hurricane shelter?”

Vincent Lopez

“School; and the school cannot hold the amount of people here. They have to migrate; they have to go to Georgetown, Mango Creek, Belmopan.”

So what’s at the root of the problems? Ramirez and Lopez feel that the government needs to move the process along, because the contractor is working at his own pace.

Vincent Lopez

“Di government tolerate di contractor so he do what he wants in this village.”

Delahnie Bain

“So what do you think needs to happen now?”

Vincent Lopez

“For the government to get after the contractor and let the work continue.”

Franz Ramirez

“What we need, not want is a vibrant village council because the village council are the ones that are in charge of such projects as these along with the minister. The minister, I heard he tries but the agents that he has in charge a bunch of dunces.”

Other residents have claimed that the contractor was given the job because of his relationship with the Minister of Works. He is also said to have a number of projects ongoing, which could explain the shortage of resources. Delahnie Bain for News Five.

We contacted the village Chairman, Adolph Williams, for his side of the story but he refused to comment.