TV Ramos Road Receives Upgrade in Segments  

Infrastructure work to upgrade the Thomas Vincent Ramos Highway, formerly the Southern Highway, is underway and will proceed over the next several months. Today in the House, the Minister of Infrastructure Development, Julius Espat explained that the project was scheduled to begin in July and will continue until next March. The scope of the works extend from the mile six junction with the Hummingbird Highway to the Hopkins junction. Espat said that after accepting bids, Teichrob and Sons Limited got the contract.

 

Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development & Infrastructure

“The contract amount is for nine million, five hundred and ninety-five thousand, one hundred and sixty-seven dollars and seventy-five cents. The distance is sixteen point two kilometers long. It starts from the junction at Dangriga, and it will be completed at the junction in Hopkins. It is the initial stages of the rehabilitation of what we know as the Southern Highway, but the official name is Thomas Vincent Ramos Highway. So this is the first section that we are doing because the roads have experienced damage because now the road is being used by heavier trucks, meaning the trucks that are coming in from the Orange Walk District from BSI and the trucks that are coming in from the Cayo Districts from Santander and other trucks that are using now the port in the south. So this is the first phase of the project we are doing, as I said, from Dangriga to Hopkins, and we will be making additional proposals to the government of Belize to continue from Hopkins to Placencia, then from Placencia to Independence and then from Independence all the way to Punta Gorda. We are doing it by phases, so we’re trying to be as responsible as we possibly can start date is July 2024. Completion date is March 2025.”

Falling Debris Injures Two Women at Novelo’s Bus Terminal

Two unsuspecting women escaped grave injuries this afternoon when rubble from the roof of the bus terminal on East Collet Canal fell on them.  The women were having a brief conversation on the sidewalk just outside of the building when a piece of cement fell from the rooftop and landed on them.  It was a frightening experience for persons in the immediate area and the mishap has led to questions about the integrity and soundness of the building.  News Five’s Isani Cayetano visited the scene today and spoke with members of the taxi association.  He also spoke with the husband of one of the women who remains hospitalized at the K.H.M.H. tonight.  Here’s that story.

 

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

A fifty-three-year-old woman is hospitalized at the KHMH after being struck by falling debris at Novelo’s Bus Terminal here in Belize City.  Ana Chanim and her husband Felito arrived at the station around midday and were on the sidewalk in front of the building when she felt a sharp and sudden pain in her right collarbone.

 

                      Felito Chanim

Felito Chanim, Husband

“What happened is that I came down here today, me, my wife and my son-in-law we went to an interview for a job for me, and after that well then we came back and had lunch and we decided to catch the bus to go back home to Belmopan.  Doing so, my wife was behind me and I was walking in front of her and she paused to speak with another lady and the roof of the terminal, atop, the cement building roof, fell from up there and the piece of block fell on her shoulder.  I don’t know what is broken, I don’t know what it is as yet but we have her in the emergency room at this moment.  We’re not sure what the outcome will be.”

 

According to Thomas Garcia, a cab driver who operates from the terminal, he frequently hangs out in front of the building, along with members of his taxi association, to greet customers.  Not once did they realize that high above them the roof of the building was breaking apart.

 

                          Thomas Garcia

Thomas Garcia, Taxi Driver

All of us like to stand up outside, neva know that this thing ya di heng pan di side and none of us even look at it that kinda way, right.  And apparently, you had two ladies and another man were standing out there waiting for somebody to come and pick them and sudden one dis thing ya just break away.”

 

Isani Cayetano

“What kind of assistance was given to the two women after they got injured?

 

Thomas Garcia

“Well, apparently deh mi di wait pan di ambulance but according to what I see, these taximen from out here, they rushed the two people to the hospital.”

 

The incident, says Chanim, was rather frightening.  The falling debris sent passersby, as well as people entering the terminal, scrambling for cover.

 

Felito Chanim

“Everybody were really frightened.  People were running all over the place because they think more was coming down.  They thought that more of the building was falling  I mean everybody was frightened because little bricks were falling, little small pieces, so everybody was running for shelter. Mein I was terrorized, I was frightened.  The thing is, my wife was behind me, I didn’t even know that the thing fell on her because I think the impact that she got, at the moment, she didn’t react.  She reacted like a couple moments after when she realized that she got hurt.  That’s when she jumped and hugged me, you know, and when she hugged me she was falling and I had to lift her up because she couldn’t even stand up, you know, and it was frightening, really, because I didn’t expect something like that.  That’s right out of the blues.  You’re going into the terminal, this thing could have fallen on her head, imagine.”

 

In the wake of what took place earlier today, Garcia is making an appeal to the management of the terminal to assess the building for structural soundness.

 

Thomas Garcia

“I would like to make, well I would say the guy that runs this terminal and so on to keep on checking and make sure that this does not happen again because this is a lawsuit for these people, whiching these people neva touch nothing fi mek that could drop pan dehn, but what I am saying is that by right dehn suppose to check it out.”

 

Isani Cayetano

“Was there any response from persons who were in the building on the second floor?”

 

Felicito Chanim

“No, there was none.  Just a couple employees sitting at the top laughing.  I don’t know what was funny but I guess they found something funny about it, but nobody from the terminal itself who was in charge did come down and say anything or checked what was the problem. I would like to let them take responsibility as well because as I said, I am not working right now and hospital is a bill, so they should take some responsibility and see what they can do to help.”

 

Isani Cayetano for News Five.

 

George Price Centre Hosts House Meeting Friday

Since the National Assembly Building was constructed in 1971, it has been the venue of the country’s parliamentary proceedings. But as the country grew over those years, so did the constituencies, which means that there are spacing issues. Aside from that, the building was in dire need of repairs. And the Government of Taiwan came through and provided the funding for the upgrade of the historic building. So, for the next twelve months, all House Meetings will be held at the George Price Center, while the necessary works are being carried out. Today, Speaker of the House, Valerie Woods called the media to the center to show us seating arrangements and how the temporary venue has been outfitted to carry out the proceedings. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

It was fifty-three years ago that this historic landmark, the National Assembly Building, was opened to conduct the people’s business. Now it has grown out of space and needs an urgent upgrade that will allow for the country’s most important business to be carried out there for at least a few more years.

 

                       Valerie Woods

Valerie Woods, Speaker of the House

“The National Assembly on Independence Hill was built and constructed and inaugurated in 1970. So we’re looking at 50 plus years without any major renovations. In addition to that, we’re looking at a national assembly legislature that has grown from when it was first inaugurated.”

 

Speaker of the House, Valerie Woods, says that the upgrade must include retrofitting that takes everyone’s needs into account.

 

Valerie Woods

“Not too long ago, there was a passage of the disabilities bill, which was made into law. And that was a very clear and glaring example that our legislature, even though it speaks to the House of Representatives, and it is the People’s House of Representatives, is simply not accessible. It’s not accessible by members of the public who have mobility issues, and quite frankly by members of Parliament, as well as staff who may have mobility issues, and media as well. So, that was also an urgent need to do that. It fosters inclusion as well.”

 

Over the next twelve months, the National Assembly Building will undergo major transformation to make it contemporary and necessary repairs to a leaky roof that deteriorated over time. But to get the work done, a temporary venue had to be identified where House Meetings can be held. Woods says the George Price Center for Peace and Development is that building. Even that venue had to be prepared to specificity for the business at hand.

 

Valerie Woods

“We worked with the board of the George Price. um, Center for Peace and Development and, uh, thanks to their accommodation and to the really the excellent work of the engineers, architects over at the, uh, Ministry of Infrastructure and Development and Housing, we are now able to hold a house meeting that  will, a house, and of course, Senate meetings afterwards,  that will be in a chamber that replicates that of the legislature, is functional, As for our Standing Orders.”

 

The only drawback to the current venue is that the space does not allow for a public gallery inside the building. So come Friday, when the first House Meeting will be held at the George Price Center, there will be no audience in attendance.

 

Valerie Woods

“The only option, quite frankly, to have persons present for the public gallery would be housing them under a tent outside with a big screen, but we’re, we’re taking this on a case-by-case basis. The House meeting tomorrow is our first real test run.  We think we’ve done everything in the planning. We started as early as May.  And with the, with the teamwork of the staff here, got it ready.  And we think we’ve managed our anticipated glitches. But tomorrow will be our first test.”

 

The media has been assigned to a small seating area with chairs to carry the meetings live. When the renovated National Assembly Building is complete within the next year, it should have a more modern look, with improved acoustics and an overall improved working environment and accessibility for all. Marion Ali for News Five.

When will the Ministry of Transport Get a New CEO?

It’s been almost a month since the third C.E.O. in the Ministry of Transport has demitted office. The last C.E.O., Doctor Gilroy Middleton, joined the ministry in January, but only remained there for seven months before resigning. Today, the Minister of Transport, Rodwell Ferguson, assured us that there is no problem between him and his CEOs. To date, he has changed three chief executive officers. He explained that in the last case, it was simply a matter of Middleton getting a better job offer from the University of Belize.

 

Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Transport

“Before the CEO left, we had a very good relationship. He came and said Minister, I think my passion is in teaching. I want to go back into the classroom. I said go back in the classroom.”

 

Reporter

“And do you know who will replace him?”

 

Rodwell Ferguson

“At the moment I have one person working temporary until the prime minister decides to give me a CEO.”

 

Inter-district E-buses Runs Open for Bids

As we reported on Wednesday, three new e-buses have arrived in Belize.  Those buses will be assigned to a company that is currently running a public transportation operation. Today the Minister of Transport, Rodwell Ferguson told News Five that the company that qualifies for the routes will come right from among the existing pool of bus operators. This, he said, will ensure that there will be no additional competition.

 

                        Rodwell Ferguson

Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Transport

“The first start was two E-buses in Belize City and then now three that will service the Western and the Northern Highway. If you notice we put out the bid, put out the tender and those who have interest will bid and then a committee will sit down and decide who is the best person to bid to get all the rounds because one company will manage the three buses at least for one year pilot project. We are getting the same operators to apply. And so it will be one of them that will be successful. And so they are already in the system. So we are not bringing anybody new to compete along with them.”

 

Shortage of License Plates and Stickers Again at Transport

For yet another time, there’s a shortage of license stickers and license plates. Today the Minister of Transport said that they had received a press release in August informing them that they were in stock, but in just a month the stock was depleted. He did not shy away from taking blame and assured us that the problem should be fixed shortly.

 

Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Transport

“As the minister responsible, I guess the buck stops at me. But ever since I tell my staff, we must get the act together. So, you know, put a database in place. I’m asking them for the last year, let us have a minimum reorder level and a maximum reorder level so we  reach two hundred, it’s time to reorder. Right now, I believe we are getting to that, to that milestone, and hopefully after September, there should be no more issue with license plates. As those four sets came in, they’re gone. I want to applaud the Belizean people, they want to do things the legal way, and they come and demand a license plate, and come and demand their stickers. But we are now almost over the hump, and we should be able to come back and sweep.”

 

Reporter

“Why has it taken this long?”

 

Rodwell Ferguson

“I’ll say it’s internal, and I hope that I got it fixed now.”

 

Belize’s Top Tourist Destinations Get Compactor Garbage Trucks

Five of Belize’s most popular tourist destinations today received compactor garbage trucks from the Belize Tourism Board to help them better manage their garbage collection efforts. The Minister of Tourism, Anthony Mahler handed over one of the units to Belmopan, Placencia, San Pedro, Caye Caulker and Hopkins. The ceremony took place in Belmopan, a city which itself has encountered problems with the only compactor truck they were using prior to today. News Five’s Marion Ali was present and filed this report.

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

Tourism and clean destinations logically go together. If a city is dirty, it won’t be appealing to visitors. Today, the Belize Tourism Board endorsed that concept when it handed over new compactor garbage trucks to five of Belize’s top tourist destinations. Belmopan, being one of the recipients, is now able to better manage its garbage collection to meet a rapidly growing population. Mayor Pablo Cawich explained.

 

                           Pablo Cawich

Pablo Cawich, Mayor, Belmopan
“As Belize continues to grow, maintaining clean, sustainable environments becomes increasingly important, not only for the health of our citizens but also to sustain the beauty of our country for residents and visitors alike. We understand that the critical role of tourism in our nation’s economy and keeping our cities clean is essential to making a positive impression on everyone who visits our beautiful country.”

 

San Pedro, Caye Caulker and Placencia, three of Belize’s most favored tourist destinations, also received one of the compactor trucks and the representatives who were on hand to receive them spoke about their usefulness in helping to keep their part of the Jewel appealing to visitors.

 

                             Andre Perez

Andre Perez, Area Representative, Belize Rural South

“As everywhere in the country, you know, we do have a garbage problem, so it’s no secret about that. But the work that we’re doing, and working along with the Town Council and the Village Council, we’ve always had meetings and discussions about the problems of the garbage, which is always a problem and we have several meetings. Certainly these trucks, one for Caye Caulker, one for San Pedro, will be assisting a lot.”

 

                      Warren Garbutt

Warren Garbutt, Chairman, Placencia Village
“The garbage truck that we have had been causing so much breaking down every minute. We were in desperate need of assistance with keeping our community clean for  the fact that the collection rates were low in Placencia, operating costs were very high, the trucks breaking down all the time, we could not continue using them, and because of this,  the poor sanitary conditions that our workers had to endure, we had no other choice but to  seek help to get a proper garbage disposal system and truck.”

 

Minister of Tourism, Anthony Mahler believes that along with marketing Belize is the important issue of managing garbage. He lamented on the lack of civic pride by some Belizeans.

                    Anthony Mahler

Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism
“When we go out and sell Belize to the world it’s easy for us to talk about what we have. So I say you don’t have to go to Australia to experience great diving and reefs. You don’t have to go to Egypt to see temples. You don’t have to go anywhere. You don’t have to go to New York and any big metropolitan city to feel the different cultures. We have all of that and we have more caves, rivers, rainforest, etc., and the wealth of that is our people. But for some reason, we don’t have the civic pride that we should have as a nation. We just throw a piece of paper and we laugh and we tell the joke and I say this over and over that we go to Chetumal and hold the paper and then as you get back across to Corozal they throw it on the street and that must not continue.”

 

Marion Ali for News Five.

Bids Welcome to Manage E-buses for North and West

Since the announcement came almost two years ago that the Ministry of Transport would be pushing for an upgrade in the public transportation system, bus operators have been making efforts to access financing to acquire better fleets and secure their runs. Along with the upgrade was the announcement that the United Nations Development Program was providing funding for Belize to acquire a fleet of electric buses, two for Belize City and three for interdistrict runs across the western and northern routes. While the e-buses in the Old Capital have been a welcomed option for a couple of months now, the ones earmarked for the cross-district runs have only been in the country since last Wednesday. According to E-mobility Project Manager, Taheerah Usher, there will be two buses running in opposite directions along the western route while the third will run along the northern route. She went over the criteria for a company or individual to qualify for all three routes.

 

    On the phone: Taheerah Usher

On the phone: Taheerah Usher, E-mobility Project Manager, UNDP Belize

“We’ve asked private operators to, um.  To indicate their interest is managing and operating these buses under that specific expression of interest, their specific criteria as a qualifications that they would be required to have in order for them to be considered to manage and operate the three buses. They would then have access to the full request form for proposals, and then they’d be able to submit their bid and then be evaluated based on those criteria that are outlined within the tender documents. The specific criteria is looking at in terms of your experience. Do you have any experience within the sector? Um, uh, looking at the financial standings, uh, within the, uh, expression, you see that there’s and I can share the link with you. There’s a specific criteria that asks in terms of providing financial. So, the financial breakdowns for the business and be able to show your financial capacity to actually operate and manage as well as the human resources. So do you have the relevant capacities within your existing, um, within your existing business to be able to, um, run these buses? So for example, your bus drivers, your conductors, and your human resources in terms of your, um, accountants and stuff like that. So I asked specifically for those criteria. And then based on that, then we’d be able to, with their submission, evaluate whether or not they meet those minimum criteria.”

Inter-District E-bus Runs Won’t Interfere with Existing Ones

Usher explained that one bidder, whether a company or an individual, will get the green light to operate all three buses under the routes mentioned. She explained that the runs will not interfere with those that are currently being conducted because the time slots are different from the schedules that current bus operators run.

 

On the phone: Taheerah Usher, E-mobility Project Manager, UNDP Belize

“It’s one tender and so the three buses would be awarded to one successful bidder. The document specifies the routes and the times in terms of peak and off peak times. And I know that the Department of Transport did their thorough research and investigation in terms of ensuring that none of the times which are being proposed does not interfere with any existing routes or runs. So I know they’ve done a lot of work in terms of that to ensure that there’s no clashes with any of the existing runs right now.

 

Celebrating September 10th in Belize City

The National Celebrations Commission is proceeding with an itinerary of events to celebrate Saint George’s Caye Day on Tuesday.  Here’s ICA Director Kim Vasquez, once again.

 

Kim Vasquez, Director, Institute of Creative Arts

“In the morning, we have, of course, the official ceremonies at Government House at nine a.m.  I think everybody looks forward to this because a big part of that is the installation of the Queen of the Bay.  And then after that, we have festivities right back at Memorial Park and Lord Rhaburn Plaza, we go back out there for bram, hosted by the Belize City Council.”

 

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