Belmopan Residents Caught in Political Rift Over Dead End Streets

The 2024 municipal elections are upon us and across the country infrastructure works are being undertaken ahead of March sixth. But, one project in Belmopan is causing a stir among residents. Not only is it revealing how deep the divide has been between the P.U.P. area representative and the P.U.P. city council, there is also the likelihood that due process was not followed. Area Representative Oscar Mira and Mayor Sharon Palacio sat down to discuss upgrades to five streets in the Maya Sites area. In the execution of the project, workers began connecting existing dead-end streets to the George Price Boulevard. Residents in the area say they were not consulted on this and Mayor Palacio says she did not agree to that aspect of the works. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Since its inception, the Maya Site in Belmopan has had five dead-end streets. And now, a decision has been taken to connect those cul-de-sacs to the George Price Boulevard. Residents in the area are pushing back and the mayor says she had no part in that decision.

 

 

Anthony Chanona, Maya Site Resident, Belmopan

“cul de sacs lend to ‘neighborhoodness’. It lends to citizen security. Children can recreate on a street. it allows elderly people to take walks because it limits the flow of traffic. Only the people who live on the street do business on the street. That is the idea of cul de sacs, it helps citizen security and it builds ‘neighborhoodness’.”

 

 

Anthony Chanona, a former Belmopan Mayor, and a resident in the area for twenty-eight years, says the project will increase security risks. He further contends that the proper processes were not undertaken in the execution of the project.

 

Anthony Chanona

“What it does, it opens up our neighborhood to all and sundry. Any motor vehicle can now enter and exit these streets that were the private domains of only the residents. That is what the cul de sacs gave us. And therefore the neighborhood will get nosier. It takes away or citizen security because now we don’t know who is entering and who is leaving. The children on these streets riding their bicycles are now exposed to two way traffic. It doesn’t add anything to what we had. It takes away our rights. And I am saying that you cannot ram this down the throats of the neighborhood and don’t ask us whether we agree.”

The city’s municipal leader says that she objected to the project when Area Representative Oscar Mira first made the proposal during a meeting in her office. She says the only agreement she entered into was to have the streets paved.

Sharon Palacio, Belmopan Mayor
“I decided I don’t have the money but I know the area rep has access to funds. I called him and said I would like for us to partner on the streets. My job was to prepare the streets for paving. So we spent a sum of money to prepare the streets. Recently Mayor Chanona called me upset about the opening of the cul de sacs. He asked me if I gave permission. I said no I did not. I made it categorically clear to the area rep. cause he said around the table, I am going to burst them open. I said, why and he said because it is good for development. I said look, Mayor Palacio is not in agreement with bursting them open.”

 

Mayor Palacio has since issued a cease and desist order to the ongoing works. Today, no further developments were being done in the area. Concrete culverts lay along the George Price Boulevard awaiting a final determination, while at least one intersection has been completed.

 

 

Sharon Palacio

“When my mayor Chanona stood up I said ok this is my time to stand out and make sure that my point is clear. That is where I sent a cease and desist to the company.”

 

Paul Lopez

“How is it that as the mayor these works would have been able to go ahead without your approval, consent, some sort of agreement from you. You are at the municipal level the head of the city.”

 

 

 

Sharon Palacio

“In this case a lot of things have happened in this city by the same persons we are speaking about and I see it as development anyhow and I would have loved to be a part of those works. But when I would pass by and see certain things happening I say ok, it is for the best interest of all of us. So I never reacted I kept quiet. By right all these streets should have come through me. I never sent a cease and desist any at all. This is the first I have sent and I know the parties involved are very unhappy but all I am calling on is speak to the residents.”

 

With the cease and desist order in place, works that were ongoing to pave the streets have also come to a screeching halt.

 

Anthony Chanona

“I was happy to hear that he has conceded to not proceed but they should continue with works on the streets. That was never stopped. So, why did we have to get to this point? Just follow the rule of law and do what you were hired to do.”

 

 

Sharon Palacio

“Right now I am calling on the area representative to go and pave those streets as we agreed. I was there earlier today and that is the reason why I went live because I wanted to see if the paving has started, and it hasn’t.”

 

Reporting for News Five I am Paul Lopez.