OW Mayor Speaks on Infrastructure Project

Phase one of the infrastructure program in Orange Walk Town is underway, including paving of the Belize/Corozal Road, sidewalks and drainage. It’s a huge project, about four miles of road from one end of town to the other. It’s also been a long time in coming, much to the frustration of residents and the municipal administration, which took the brunt of the complaints about the disastrous stretch of road. So what’s Mayor Kevin Bernard saying today? He’s the man who has been lighting the fire under government to get the work done for months. News Five caught up to him today and found that while there are some minor concerns…it’s all good.

Kevin Bernard, Mayor, Orange Walk Town

Kevin Bernard

“I am happy, yes, that the government has decided to start the work. What I am not happy about is that we are not even consulted in terms of how long the process will take, what is the time span especially seeing that we have a September celebrations coming up? We want to ensure that they give us a timeline as to what is going to happen, because we have to plan. For example just now, coming out here, there is a lot of traffic that has been blocked – there is no communication with our Traffic Department, there is no communication with our council at all. Now I am not going to complain. We want the work to be done. We want the work to be completed. But all I am saying is let them have some decency and let them communicate with us. That’s all we are saying. Now, them fixing the street…I think it is something very good. It’s something that will benefit all Orange Walkenos and in fact all commuters that will come through our town. And so I am just hoping that the works can be done at a much faster pace and at least the first phase can be completed because we are a bit concerned about the parade route that we have as well in the September Celebration. But all in all I think that we have been clamouring for this, we have been fighting, the people of Orange Walk have been saying that we don’t want to hear whose responsibility it was…they just wanted the street to be fixed, and so the work is being done and I applaud the government for that.”