New building for marine organisations

If you’ve taken a drive on Newton Barracks lately, you might have noticed a nice new building in the Fisheries compound. The structure is the home of several marine oriented organisations based in Belize, including the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute, the Meso-American Barrier Reef Systems Project and the Fisheries Department. During official ceremonies this afternoon, the Prime Minister declared the building open. Fisheries Administrator Beverly Wade says the fact that several projects are sharing the space will make co-ordination much easier.

Beverly Wade, Fisheries Administrator

“I know there’s an old saying that some of the best deals are made while you’re having drinks, but I think that co-ordination between people that you bump into each other and you’re all in one building… It cuts out a lot of the bureaucracy that you usually come in contact with when you’re dealing with distinct separate organisations. And by having us on one compound–because it’s not only in this building, it’s the entire compound, because the CARICOM Fisheries Unit is also being posted in the old building–ensures that there is room for much better co-ordination, and there’s also room for informal discussions, which are very important in any team that you’re trying to put together.”

The cost of the building is an estimated one point four million dollars.