Twin Towns Gifted New Park and Boardwalk

The twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena are striving to stay on top of tourist activity with the addition of new park and boardwalk near the Macal River. Today, a double groundbreaking ceremony was held by the Belize Tourism Board to introduce phase one of the project. News Five’s Britney Gordon attended the ceremonies today to learn more about the initiatives. Here’s that story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

The twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena are well-known for their luscious foliage and the shining waters of the Macal River separating the two towns. These assets have always been able to attract tourist and locals to the area, but with the addition of a boardwalk and park, the Belize Tourism Board is confident that the area is set to be bustling with activity within the next year.  Today, two groundbreaking ceremonies were held on the banks of the Macal River to set into motion, phase one of these endeavors. We caught up with Minister of Tourism & Diaspora Relations, Anthony Mahler in San Ignacio, who spoke with us about the El Cayo Boardwalk.

 

Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism & Diaspora Relations

“Pretty much it’s just a groundbreaking for the development of this area. I think this is a beautiful era for people to gather and to enjoy the natural assets that Belize has. And we will continue to roll out these projects all across the country. Like I said, in another fifteen or twenty minutes we go over to the other side and do one on Santa Elena. And then on Friday we do in Succotz.”

 

 

Mahler explained that the boardwalk project, which he anticipates will be completed within the next eight months, will cost about nine hundred thousand dollars and is to be filled with various amenities for entertainment and leisure.

 

 

 

 

Anthony Mahler

“I always believe that any project that we do of this nature should create an environment where people could come in and generate a living. So it has to have some kiosks where people can sell their products. Whatever it is, it has to have some area for entertainment. And it has to have some of the basic facilities like bathroom and that type of thing and those are the infrastructural needs that a project like this would come with.”

 

 

Partnering in the project was Minister of Sustainable Development, Orlando Habet, who expressed his excitement for the potential of the boardwalk

 

Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change & Disaster Risk Management

“As a project I think it is very beneficial to our community because it will bring some economic activity, but also some entertainment. And it also provides a space for our people to come out, view the river be able to witness sort of on a grand stand, a larger landscape scale whatever is happening on the river, whether it’s sporting events, canoeing, the Ruta Maya and also we plan to have during celebrations, for example, the twenty-first September celebrations, we have our fireworks. We can do the fireworks on a platform in the river where people will be able to view not only the lights up in the sky, but also the reflection on the water and making it so beautiful.”

 

According to Cayo Central Area Representative, Alex Balona, this park project has been in the works for many years and will be a token of pride for residents of Santa Elena, especially.

 

Alex Balona, Area Representative, Cayo Central

“For many years we have wanted to create something along the riverbank of the Macal, on the Santa Elena side. So today, our groundbreaking ceremony for the Santa Elena River Park, marks one of the things that we have in our manifesto. When I visited the people in Cayo Central, this, one of the things they ask for something where they can go and spend time, especially with their families. This here is something that will add to the attractions, the tourist attractions for Santa Elena, and also in the second phase of the project is where we will be creating these booths and stalls where people, small entrepreneurs who are engaged in handicraft can come display their products and sell them to the visitors to our town.”

 

Balona stated that this project, which costs around seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars, is set to be completed within a year and aims to be as environmentally sustainable as possible.

Alex Balona

“The first phase shouldn’t take long because its basically addressing, creating the walk along the river here, having a wall retainer, everything, I want to stress that it is natural the sand, we might be importing some white sand, but the retainer wall, everything is natural because we want as much as create something that is attractive to our tourists, we want to ensure that it is eco friendly as well.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.