Belize City Looks to Balance Business Growth with Park Protection

But as Belize City continues to expand economically, its leaders say growth is also about protecting public spaces. While Mayor Bernard Wagner points to a surge in entrepreneurship and trade licenses reshaping the city’s economy, the council is also taking steps to secure the green spaces that serve those same growing communities. That focus now turns to a move to formally acquire thirteen land titles for parks across Belize City.

 

Bernard Wagner, Belize City Mayor

“We are in charge of the different various parks, the Memorial Park, the Rock Park which was formulated San Cas Park and many other parks. The Wilton Cumberbatch. Manatee Park in the Caribbean Shores, Fiesta Park. But we have never had the title to these spaces. And I said to myself along with my team that I have to leave here better than I found it. And maybe that’s just the banker in, that we can’t be making that, oh, we own Memorial Power, but we don’t have the title. And so with the help of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the various area representatives, my staff members we set out a plan to really get these titles in the hands of the city so that we could create a register of all the titles of all the spaces, the public spaces, and have it put in safekeeping for the city. It’s not good when you have in a institution, you have your documentation. You will know at your house, you try to keep your title away of, not in your house. so we want to ensure that we get these, we are pretty on our way with it. We have been able to get thirteen titles process started. And so when we get those, we will have our administrative staff do those of them and put them in safekeeping for the city, for future. So that you really have that document in place because many times in some of these parks, people take, make claim to spaces. So it’s always in the best interest of the council that we have these public spaces legally in our hands.”

 

City leaders say as more Belizeans strike out on their own in business, they’re also working to make sure growing communities have safe, protected spaces to gather and enjoy, by securing land titles for parks across the city.