CITCO holds civic pride fair in Battlefield Park

Battlefield Park was invaded this morning by members of the City Council and local schools as part of a new project designed to promote cleanliness. News Five’s Karla Vernon explains.

Eloisa Trujeque, City Councillor
?Today we are celebrating an awareness day, environmental awareness day. This is actually the brainchild of the department enforcement officers. They came up with the idea because they said that they want to show people and let the public be aware of what their work entails. So they decided to showcase it along with the other partners in the sanitation department.?

Karla Vernon, Reporting
Sanitation Enterprises Limited was one company at the city pride fair at the Battlefield Park. Managing Director Rupert Marin says while some residents help to keep the city clean, a number of issues make the work of his employees difficult.

Rupert Marin, Managing Director, S.E.L.
?We?ve got a bunch of problems. We have illegal dumping, abandoned lots that people use as dumpsites. We maintain the drains; one of our responsibilities is to maintain the growth from fence line to street line, overgrown grass. We do a lot of emphasis on abandoned lots in our area.?

And even with City Council elections looming, Councillor Marshall Nunez denied that today?s activity was about politics.

Marshall Nunez, City Councillor
?It?s so coincidental that it happens in the height of what is the election campaign, but it isn?t a political campaign as such, it is a serious duty from the environmental department to remind people of their civic responsibilities.?

Trophies were also handed out today to the winners of an environmental cleanliness poster competition. St. Joseph?s School swept all three prizes.

Geoffrey Segura, 2nd Prize Winner
?Make them do their part in the society, help keep Belize clean. Because if they litter, there will cause lots of diseases and sickness and thing.?

Marlisse Leslie, 3rd Prize Winner
?We took pictures of people cleaning in Belize and people littering in Belize and people who helped keep Belize clean. So that people who come to Belize could see how we try to keep our country clean and to not let them litter in Belize.?

Adelaida Guerra, Std 6 teacher, St. Joseph?s
?I feel great about it. I felt good about them, and our work was not fruitless, it was productive, so I feel proud of my students.?

Reporting for News Five, I am Karla Vernon.