City Admin Says CitCo Will Find $1.6 Million to Fix Streets

For the past couple of weeks, relentless rains have really taken a toll on many of Belize City’s streets and the main entrances to the city. The Ministry of Infrastructure Development & Housing had crews near Belize Mills at the northern entrance, working on a section of the Philip Goldson Highway that was already in rough shape before the rains made it worse. While the ministry is handling the city entrances, the Belize City Council did its own damage assessment of the city streets. They found that one hundred and forty-seven streets need repairs, which will cost about one point six million dollars. But where will that money come from? The council doesn’t have that kind of cash lying around, so they’ll need help from the central government or other sources. Today, City Administrator Albert Vaughan told News Five that the council will find the funds and start the repairs as soon as the rain lets up.

 

Albert Vaughan, City Administrator

“That money will come because it’s a part of a disaster program, just as I said, in any other ministries where, where  Or, or the weather do damages, they do their own assessment and then that goes on to the ministry. So we have a excellent relationship with the, with the local government. Right. We have a excellent relationship with the, with MIDH as well. And of course, you know, we have our, our different partner that we work with. We have an extens with the Ministry of Finance. The Prime Minister have always looked at our council in a positive light so that I have no fear that money will come. In fact, this morning we started already to be out there with the little resources that we have. We are spreading it. We are trying to get those all full, at least temporary until we can get something that that is more standard nuh. We prioritized those streets because you’re right, we can’t do all of them. And so what we’re looking at, we’re looking at the main thoroughfare that, that is used, um, by the public system, the buses and people getting their kids to schools. St Thomas Street is a different street. I think just before just before the rain came down, we were finalizing St Thomas Street  last Friday, we have signed a contract for that street. So, that is not in this notice that that is not in this list. Because we have already got money for that. That is on this, what is holding up in Thomas Street now is rain. As soon as we get full dry, the street will be mixed from one end to the next end. But what what contribute to those um it is a dream plugin.Why did you include the dream club? Because many, many yards don’t even have a trash can. So, that trash is still right there in the dream. That is what blocking it up. The city council do clean the drain but there’s a rotation so you may miss that rotation the rain comes and and that contribute to the street because when that water wants to get away it can’t.’