Bienvenido! A New Belize Sign is Inaugurated Near Animal Park
A second Belize Sign was installed today in the area of the Baron Bliss Lighthouse in the City. The first, which is erected at Buttonwood Bay, has been evoking nationalism and pride so much so that the City Council decided to put up two others at strategic areas in the City. The launch was held today, but it wasn’t without controversy. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
A second Belize Sign was officially launched today by the Belize City Council; the new sign is erected adjacent to the Baron Bliss Lighthouse near the exit of the Fort Street Tourism Village. The brightly colored sign bolsters the Belize experience for Belizeans and visitors, who travel to the city to take selfies and capture the spirit of the city.
Kevin Singh
Kevin Singh, Councilor Responsible for Park Beautification, CitCo
“Since the placement of the first such sign in the Buttonwood Bay area, we have witnessed a surge of national pride like never witnessed before, with Belizeans living at home and those living abroad proclaiming their Belizean-ness to the world. Via social media, we are proud to announce and show that we are Belize and your City Council is pleased to assist in fostering that pride by providing development and advance which generates such emotions in the heart of our people.”
Darrell Bradley, Belize City Mayor
“I also want to pay recognition to the first person who did the original Belize sign on the other side of Belize City, Mister Estephan Perera. One of the things that we have been talking about is that along the entire water front there should be a series of artefacts that really encourage foot traffic so that one of the methods to our madness—so to speak—is that residents would see the enhancement along Seashore Drive. You would have seen that there was a footpath put along there. You would have seen now that there is a Belize sign there.”
The multicolored attraction is the second of three Belize signs that will be installed across the Old Capital. The first was in the Buttonwood Bay area and the third will be in the Yarborough area. It is part of the master plan to enhance the water front areas of Belize City with infrastructure and artefacts.
Darrell Bradley
Darrell Bradley
“Recently on the media there has been a lot of discussions about the crime situation, there has been a lot of discussion on the curfew, there has been a lot of discussions in relation to what does Belize City has to offer. And our response is that our city is the best. We have a lot of richness in the city and we should celebrate more of what Belize City is and more of our people. And the idea of a sign that is very simple that says Belize is that we should celebrate who we are as a city.”
The monument is one of the many projects that the City Council has embarked on with several public and private stakeholders. But the launch was not without controversy. On Tuesday, Attorney Estephan Perera, who did the first sign, claimed that the council threatened to remove a plaque which was erected next to the sign with his name and that of the donor. Mayor Bradley explains.
Darrell Bradley
“There was no misunderstanding. One of the things that we had discussions about is that really the donor wanted to remain anonymous and he suggested the idea of the sign. We discussed with the various committees in relation to the placement of the sign. We didn’t want it to be close to the Baron Bliss Lighthouse so that we even considered the sufficient distance. But one of the reasons in terms of the signage was because of expressions said to us by the donor in respect to anonymity.”
The sign was launched in honor of the memory of Lena Quinto, which was the request by the donor who funded the sign. Duane Moody for News Five.
