Belmopan Mayor: We Didn’t Get Request to Save School Land

On Friday, we showed documents detailing the transfer of just over an acre of land in the Las Flores area to a resident by the Belmopan City Council. Amy Anabella Chen of a Hummingbird Highway address sought transfer of Block twenty, parcel number eight-seven-one-three in February and the transaction was completed a week ago for fifty thousand dollars. An accompanying map shows that the parcel is located right next to Saint Michael R.C. Pre-School and Primary School. Residents we spoke to say that the parcel was intended to be used for further expansion of the school and that the Council denied their request. But while in Belmopan on Sunday we approached Mayor Khalid Belisle who said he didn’t get any word of such a request and that the transfer is closed unless residents can make their case to him at a planned community meeting.

Khalid Belisle

Khalid Belisle, Mayor of Belmopan

“In terms of anybody having approached this sitting Council about acquiring that land for future school expansion, that was non-existent on our part. And I would appreciate if anyone has facts to the contrary, them bringing those forward; because maybe it happened under former mayor Lopez or former mayor Chanona, but it has never happened under this council. The council did have this asset and we did agree to the sale of that land; I believe it’s roughly just over an acre in size, and the sale price was as confirmed, fifty thousand dollars. There was a meeting with residents of that area last night, we have another one scheduled for this coming Saturday, I’m told; at which the area representative and myself should be present to be able to continue that dialogue in terms of that land and its use in the Las Flores area.”

Reporter

“Will you make a decision at some point to cancel the transfer if there is enough opposition?”

Khalid Belisle

“That is something that we would have to look at very closely. The transfer is complete as far as we are concerned; whether or not we can approach the purchaser at this point in time to see if they would be willing to revisit that transaction is something that we would have to look at; but at this point in time it is a completed transfer.”