And on San Antonio road Project…

Mayor Bernard is so happy about the road work that he’s not even making much noise about the infamous San Antonio Road. U.D.P. contractor of choice, Imer Hernandez, who happens to be the nephew of Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega, has gotten the two-million-dollar contract to pave the stretch of road. It’s not the first time, actually. Hernandez was paid by Central Government to pave that road back in 2012, but he never did. He even received fifty thousand dollars from the then Town Council as their contribution to the works, which never happened. So let’s just say that putting Imer Hernandez and the San Antonio Road in the same sentence won’t generate happy feelings. But putting that aside, the Mayor is saying – let’s just get it done, and get it done right this time.

Kevin Bernard, Mayor, Orange Walk Town

Kevin Bernard

“I wasn’t surprised. I wasn’t surprised at all that the government would have been brave enough to go back and issue another contract to the same individual, the same company, while the Council is still wondering what will happen to the fifty thousand. We are looking at options right now, whether or not we will take a legal suit against Mr. Hernandez for the fifty thousand that the Council had paid because there was no work done. This contract that the government has now issued to Imer Hernandez for two million dollars…I want to also say that while the government has the right to say who will be issued the contract, all we want to say at the same time is that they need to understand…I am surprised at the quotation quoted now…because what was on the previous scope of works for the paving of that same San Antonio Road was I think a little over three hundred and eighty thousand…so why the two million. That’s a question I think the Prime Minister will need to answer, or the people from the Ministry of Works. However what I want to say is that the people of San Antonio Road I think have been waiting for so long, have been demanding that the San Antonio Road be fixed…so I would want to see that work begin immediately and not wait until after elections or close to elections. Let them start the work now. We are already hearing the opposition side of our Council saying that we don’t want to fix the street. It is not the responsibility of the Orange Walk Town Council to fix San Antonio Road or the main road that goes through our town. It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Works and the government of Belize. So when the works is done we will thank the people of Belize because it’s the people of Belize’s money that is being invested right back into our community.”

There is no word yet on when the works on the San Antonio Road will get underway.  Hernandez might just be a little busy, since he’s currently juggling several multi-million dollar contracts including the Belmopan Market Project, the road-work on Belize/Corozal Road and the Tower Hill Airstrip.