City vendors move to new location

Progress brings problems; that is the well known adage that is being applied to the situation at the Queen’s Square Market. A few days ago, the City Council announced it was building a new facility and vendors had to move to a nearby location at the Pound Yard area. News Five’s Duane Moody witnessed the transfer today and found that while some were outraged, others had accepted the move.

Duane Moody, Reporting
When we arrived at the Pound Yard, officials from the Belize City Council were allocating spots to vendors so that they can start setting up their stalls. Food vendor, Jessica Valladarez, was not in a good mood, she says she is losing serious business.

Jessica Valladarez, Food Vendor, Queen Square Market
“We want to know if while we are going to be placed here, are they going to provide us with light, with water how long are we going to stay here. We are currently losing money and not selling because we are moving from the market and being relocated here. And they only give us until the twenty-eight of this month. The bathrooms are very far away for us and we have little water, little light, little of everything. What I’m worried about is the security here, how long we are going to be here, and what benefits are we going to have when we move back to the new building, market they are building for us there.”

Some vendors say that the new market is necessary.

Edith Brakeman, Fruits & Vegetable Vendor, Queen Square Market
“In yah nice, in yah good because you see right eena the market right now dah time fi dat bruk down cause the rat they deh the eat from the beans, the eat the corn so I think in yah good. In yah wah nice at least ‘til they done build.”

Kevin Singh, Councillor Responsible for Market
“We had a lottery draw yesterday where people they pick their numbers and that is their spot that will be required here for the temporary market. All the pieces are measured the same”

Duane Moody
“Okay, and they are getting the stalls? Who are the stalls going to?”

Kevin Singh
“Those stalls were brought in by the City Council for people who needs them. We did not tell them that we were going to give them anything that was structurally built.”

But the peace broke when Councillor Responsible for Markets, Kevin Singh, informed vendors that they had to relocate today and not by July twenty-eighth as they were told on Tuesday.

Jessica Valladarez
“They did not tell us nothing and there is a confusion because they told us that until the twenty-eighth we had and now they are saying today. So we don’t know. And it is going to affect us a lot because we don’t have money or the budget to buy materials and set up here.”

According to Singh, the City Council is moving the market to the Pound Yard at a loss. Duane Moody, reporting for News Five.

It will take approximately eight months for the new Queen Square Market Project to be completed.