Fort Street paved in joint initiative

For months, potholes have exceeded the amount of pavement on Fort Street. But thanks to combined efforts by the Belize City Council and the Tourism Village over the weekend, things appear to be on the road to recovery. News Five’s Kendra Griffith reports.

Kendra Griffith, Reporting
On Saturday, the Belize City Council began working on paving three hundred feet of Fort Street.

Anthony Michael, Councillor, Works/Streets, CITCO
“We came out here on Friday and we looked at the condition of the streets out here and I decided, along with my city engineer, that patching it would not make much sense. Because of the lack of financial resources that the city council was under, I decided to call Mr. James Nesbit and asked him if he would do a joint partnership with the Belize City Council. He asked for a quotation and we provided a quotation to him for ten thousand four hundred and thirty dollars in material.”

General Manager of the Tourism Village, James Nesbit took the proposal to his board, which approved the project. By this afternoon, the road was ready for the tar, gravel, and a brand new look.

Councillor responsible for Works and Streets, Anthony Michael, says CITCO encourages other businesses to follow the lead of the Tourism Village.

Anthony Michael
“We have the expertise of well a qualified city engineer, we have the personnel, we have the workmen, and we have the willingness and the drive to fix the streets in Belize and if they want to—if they approach us, financially we will be able to do far more than what we are doing right now.”

Zenaida Moya, Belize City Mayor
“The business community had to help us to assist with this street and I know the business community, most of them have been quite helpful to this council. But there is only so long that we can continue to approach the business community in such endeavours, whilst there are monies out there that if we were to collect them, clearly we would be able to put them to good use.”

The money that Mayor Zenaida Moya is talking about is the three hundred and seventy-four thousand dollars that the Council says the Belize Tourism Board still has outstanding.

Zenaida Moya
“We reserve the right to continue to follow up ensure that we receive those arrears because it’s not something that we just want, it’s something that we need. Those monies could definitely help.”

And while the City Council has accepted the terms of the government approved one U.S. dollar head tax from cruise ship passengers, according Moya, there are still a lot of kinks to work out.

Zenaida Moya
“We haven’t received any money. In the past how we used to receive it was every fifteenth we would receive the money. Clearly, I understand that it takes them two weeks at each disbursement that they have to have to money processed and everything. So all of that again we are not sure at what time we would receive the money and they have not informed us when we will receive the money. All that have been said is that the agreement would be effective first February.”

But Moya says when the money does come on stream, street repairs will be at the top of their to-do list.

Zenaida Moya
“Right now this whole deterioration of our streets, clearly it’s a priority. Residents are clamouring for better drainage, they are clamouring for better streets, and that is where this council’s focus has to be.”

Until then, the council is grateful for the patience that Belizeans have shown under the terrible road conditions.

Anthony Michael
“I would like to personally thank the motorist and pedestrians and motorists. We are working all day and we are working until ten, eleven o’clock at night, patching up the streets and upgrading the streets.”

So if you’re lucky, you may one day find a repair truck in your area. Kendra Griffith reporting for News Five.