When Completed, Renovated Commercial Center to Become the New City Hall

For some time it has been an eyesore in downtown Albert Street in Belize City, but the commercial centre near Market Square is expected to be the new home of City Hall. Deputy Mayor Oscar Arnold said that the leaking roof has delayed the renovation of the landmark building and the project will now be completed in January of 2019.

Oscar Arnold

Oscar Arnold, Deputy Mayor, Belize City

“The contractors did advise us that there is a leak in the roof that is stopping them from doing some of the internal work because if they are putting up the walls and some stuff inside and the water comes down, it can damage the materials that they are using. We contacted the individual who had first did some of the roof work for us and they’ve quoted us an amount of dollars that it would take to get a special covering to stop the leaking. Because if you know the commercial center, I don’t know how familiar you are with it, but it is like two domes and then to let the light in. Because of deterioration and years of usage, weathering and that sort of thing, it’s not leaking on top, but where the joints are, so it is coming in from the sides. So they found a solution to it and we’ve sent off to get that part of the covering that they will then install and some of the interior works will be able to be completed. So whatever works can be done is being done by the contractor. There are other structural works that they are working on and some of the demolition and so on, but they were ready to put in some of the interior walls.”