Baron Bliss Lighthouse Rebuild Anchors Major Waterfront Revival

One of Belize City’s most recognizable landmarks is getting a major makeover. The Baron Bliss Lighthouse will be dismantled and rebuilt after structural assessments found that its foundation had been compromised. The Belize Tourism Board says the reconstruction will preserve the lighthouse’s original appearance, restore it to full operation and anchor a new boardwalk designed to breathe fresh life into the city’s waterfront. Director of Tourism Evan Tillett explains how the project will balance public safety, history and tourism development.

 

Evan Tillett, Director of Tourism, Belize Tourism Board

“The boardwalk project is very important to the area and to tourism in Belize City. The fact that we looked at it, if you know the Belize Sign is there, and you also had, I say had because the lighthouse was there. But there were some safety issues with the lighthouse, and the sea wall was very deteriorated. And so we looked at it and we said, “You know, this is something that we need to do in order to uplift the area and to add to the product.” And so we got a plan and we developed a entire boardwalk, which will now have an area that you can go out beyond the lighthouse. And we will replace the lighthouse in its original format, but of course it will be working. And so I think that is important for Belize. And so we did put out press releases, and we consulted with all of the key stakeholders before we started this project.”

 

Britney Gordon

“ Who was the contractor?”

 

Evan Tillett

“The contractor is don’t remember off the top of my head. But the contractor I believe is TCU Construction. I believe that’s the name of the company.”

 

The project is expected to be completed by January 2027 at an estimated cost of approximately one point five million dollars.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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