Finally – Ballast Bay ghut, CGB seawall to be fixed this year!
Following a strong appeal made by residents of the Second District last evening May 24, 2012 at a community meeting held at the Cane Garden Bay community centre, Minister for Communications and Works Hon. Mark Vanterpool announced his plan to build a bridge over the ghut.
A resident of the area said he hoped this time “they would do it right” as previous attempts to address the issue were futile and it is his hope that it will be remedied once and for all.
Explaining the situation, one resident said, “the ghut used to flow and so bad that vehicles couldn’t pass. So now instead of elevating the bridge so water can flow underneath, they had fixed it by placing three small culverts, which is not the best solution as it not working. So the water is running on people’s houses and areas below the ghut.”
Minister Vanterpool assured residents at the meeting which was organised by the Second District United Development Council (UDC), that the issue will be addressed this year as the funding has already been set aside for the project from the CDB loan which was recently approved by the United Kingdom. The monies for the loan he said will be available in another few weeks.
The Minister also told residents that he visited the site three months ago and determined that rather than doing anything else, his ministry would put together a plan on how to design the bridge and bring it back to residents for their input.
From a mitigation standpoint, Hon. Vanterpool added, the Ballast Bay ghut and another project in Jost Van Dyke are the two top priority projects for Government.
Solution for Sea wall eye sore
Another major concern for the Second District is the sea wall in Cane Garden Bay, which has crumbled significantly since the October 2010 heavy rains. And according to Hon. Vanterpool it is also a priority project.
He again assured that funding is also available for that project and along with the Ballast Bay ghut, whereby a design will also be put together and brought back to the district by the end of June for their input. He also disclosed that if the Public Works Department cannot handle the project, the project will be contracted to ensure it is addressed.
Furthermore, Hon. Vanterpool stated members of the community are encouraged that even before the Minister and his team return in June with their plans, that they can visit the Ministry and offer their inputs and suggestions.
Several other issues were also discussed that are affecting the Second District at last evening’s meeting which is one of the regular meetings conducted by UDC in the second district.
The United Development Council of the 2nd District is an independent, collaborative community based organisation with a mission to improve and enhance the quality of life of residents, businesses and visitors within our district. The organisation’s vision is to create a world class destination in the VI by impacting people, places and spaces.
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