Anegada community centre closes; Sr citizens’ programme suffers
It has now directly hit the senior citizens on the sister island of Anegada.
It was around October of 2016 that the building housing the Emile E. Dunlop Community Centre in The Settlement, Anegada was shut.
It is our newsroom’s understanding that the building lacks maintenance and the roof is allegedly unstable. In addition, there is the issue of bats living in the roof and their droppings are affecting the use of the building.
One of the concerns, according to our information, is that there is no money to address the problem of the roof due to the poor state of the territory's finances.
The community centres throughout the British Overseas Territory are under the Social Development Department, a portfolio of the Ministry of Health and Social Development (MH&SD).
Seniors stay home
As a result of the Community Centre in Anegada being closed for months, it resulted in the indefinite suspension of the senior citizens’ programme.
The seniors used to engage in art and craft, playing dominoes, praying together and were also given a hot meal.
The stoppage of the senior citizens' programme also affected economic activities for the already depressed sister island. The hot meal services provided economic opportunities for small businesses on the island and now that there is no place for the programme, it has placed even more economic challenges for some locally owned businesses.
There are reports that the centre closure has been communicated to the Social Development Department, the Ministry of H&SD and the District Representative, first termer Dr The Honourable Hubert O’Neal (R9).
The Emile E. Dunlop Community Centre was built by the Anegada Progressive League, a group of Anegadians living in New York, USA.
Meanwhile, Anegada District Officer Shirley Vanterpool-Evans confirmed to this news site this morning, January 14, 2017 that the Emile E. Dunlop Community Centre remains closed.
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29 Responses to “Anegada community centre closes; Sr citizens’ programme suffers”
I would say shame on NDP if there was an actual program but there isn't one. The people who go and again the 1 or 2 don't need to go. Only one person who goes there is really in need of a hot meal..persons who work all their lives outside of BVI retiring and collecting huge pension now come back and going to eat there while the persons who work hard for BVI can't get a plate. It needed to close. I am more concerned for the people who were working there so I hope some provisions were made for them to collect a stipend while they look for something to do and not indefinitely because work is available.
The community Centre needs to be repaired and used for what it was intended for in the first place. Because of this pseudo Senior Citizens program other community members were denied access for community events. In addition the SS Department shopped their groceries in Tola and send it by Ferry so no small business in Anegada was not getting any sale from them.
VINO you are usually spot on but you missed the bus on that one. Sometimes you need to investigate a little further before publishing.. Inquire again take a poll and tell me 1. How much Seniors go there. 2. How much get a meal. 3. Which small businesses they do business with in Anegada. When you give the answer to those concerns I will support the reopening of the program. Until then let it stay closed please.. Too much tax payers hard earned money going to waste.
Disclaimer: I am not against the Seniors or having a program for them but it must be functional and must serve them well otherwise it is just another money wasting, time wasting forum that no one benefits from. I expect some likes and dislikes but that's ok I don't expect everyone to agree but that's my opinion from the knowledge I am privy too and I am sticking with it.
Thank you VINO for allowing me to express my opinion.
From the time the government took on the role,it was never the best, perhaps the Lion's Club, Roteract,Interact, and all other clubs should get together,and take it back from the hands of the government. It will be better off.
Too much of a disgrace to see the seniors treated this way.
MAGGOTS!
Furthermore, for someone to come on here and blog that people are "maggots" or people to insinuate that family members aren't feeding their elderly family members is unnecessary- there are not two seniors attending but somewhere between 9 and 12, which isn't a big difference from the number that was in the VG Seniors group.
The point is.. we as a people can do better and so can the Govt. Together, we can all achieve more. That centre was even more importantly a shelter in the event of any disaster so rather than focus solely on whether there should be a Seniors programme or not, put more energy into coming up with solutions
Just closing the current community center and walking away is a slap in the face to seniors at the sunset of their lives and will be a national disgrace. Seniors on Anegada are equally as deserving to senior services as seniors on the main island of Tortola. For too long residents on Anegada and residents on other outlying islands have been treated as second class citizens. Similarly, residents on Anegada for too long have received poor political representation. Stop the marginalization of Anegadians. Enough is enough.