Stake Bank to Proceed Without Controversial Causeway

The project will see the employment of hundreds of local laborers in erecting the twin piers, as well as the structures on the island.  Once completed, however, Stake Bank will be off-limits to Belizeans wanting to enjoy its myriad amenities, similar to Harvest Caye in the south.  That’s because in order for the port to meet ISO standards, security on the island remains paramount.  According to Gabb, Stake Bank will revitalize the cruise tourism industry in Belize City by creating mass employment in various sectors.

Isani Cayetano

“One of the observations when looking at the press release is the fact that this time around there is no mention of a causeway, as initially had been proposed which would have extended from the mainland Belize City on to the island.  Is there a reason for that or is that an omission on your part?”

Troy Gabb, Project Coordinator, Stake Bank Cruise Port

Troy Gabb

“No, it’s not an omission per se.  What has happened is that, as we’ve said, the project has been morphing over the last ten plus years and one of the morphs have been that the causeway has not been included in the last amendment of the legislation and as a result is not a part of this particular phase of the project at this point in time.”

Isani Cayetano

“In terms of job creation and employment in the first phase which would be the construction phase of the development, what can Belizeans look forward to?”

Troy Gabb

“Well that is the part that really excites me.  In the first instance, under the construction period there is going to be a tremendous amount of jobs that are going to be created and that is one of the things that sticks out in the mind of the developer.  He constantly says that this is going to be a game changer for Belize, for Belizeans on a whole.  Mr. Mike Feinstein has been at it for a tremendous amount of time, him and his wife have been dedicated to this project and I think this is a sort of victory lap for them for the most part because now the amount of jobs that are going to be created is going to be significant.  We like to think that it’s going to be in the hundreds of jobs that is going to be created, so you’ll have quite a number of people having meaningful employment for a period between eighteen to twenty-four months during the construction period and then subsequently afterwards because of course the island will need to be staffed in terms of all the amenities that are going to be there.  Not to mention also that after completion, based on all the projections, that you’re going to have a significant increase in ship calls.  Of course, when you have an increase in ship calls it means that there’s more passengers, so the cruise tourism pie gets bigger and because it gets more and it means that more tour operators will be able to benefit from it, more tour guides, taxi people, shuttle buses, restaurants, you name it.  Because as well all know, tourism is one of the strongest performers for the economy at this point in time and because of that, if we grow it bigger then it means that it’s going to provide even more benefits to the overall economy and the overall society on a whole.”