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$6 million Sunset Boardwalk Project underused

Under the Sustainable Tourism Program (STP) over $6 million was spent on the San Pedro Sunset Boardwalk Project and Water Taxi terminal. Despite vigorous opposition by the locals on the island, officials ignored community objection, preceding its completion on March 14, 2014. Almost one year later, the facility is grossly underused, with no clear indication when it will meet its full potential as originally intended. In fact, the all but deserted facilities are an easy target for vandals and are already showing signs of wear and neglect.

The project was intended to transform the Embarcadero Area from a traditionally used area, to what would be the welcoming site for visitors to our island. It would have seen the lagoon side, customarily used by fishermen to clean their catch, transformed to a concrete sunset boardwalk stretching across 2000 linear feet. It would have been complimented with a small-scale bustling artisanal shopping area. As part of the plan, the development should have incorporated a multipurpose pier, housing international and domestic water taxi terminals. It was also to include a football field with restrooms and changing rooms constructed on reclaimed lagoon-land area. The project was executed to encourage locals and tourists to visit an atmosphere of leisure and relaxation, adding to the tourism product of the island.

The Area Representative, Honorable Manuel Heredia, who spearheaded the project, has come under fire since the introduction of the concept and to date residents are still not satisfied with the project. That is because $6 million was used for a project that, upon completion, still cannot be used to its full capacity. During the consultation stage, residents pointed out that the $6 million would have been better spent on other projects such as improvement to the health services on the island, for the construction of a desperately needed government school or even for the infrastructure development in the deprived San Mateo Area. Stakeholders also opposed the project because not only would it displace traditional fishermen from one of the only remaining landmarks of historic San Pedro, but the lagoon would be too shallow to accommodate large water taxis.

Now that the project has been completed for almost a year, why isn't it in full operation? According to Hon. Heredia, two parts of the project are being partially used. One of the two areas is the Water Taxi Terminal. The terminal was to have served local water taxi runs between San Pedro Town and other destinations in Belize as well. But water taxi owners have maintained that the lagoon is too shallow for their large vessels, especially when they are at maximum capacity.

According to Heredia, that section of the project is currently being used to accommodate international boat runs between San Pedro, Ambergris Caye and Chetumal Quintana Roo, Mexico. When asked why the terminal is not being used to its full potential as being planned, Heredia said that a study has been done to look at the depth of the lagoon. "We have delays with the use by the local runs. We just completed a study and I am yet to be briefed. The study is to determine what needs to be done next, but we are working on it. We want to make sure that the best can be made out of the investment that has [already] been done." Hon Heredia would not go into details, but was asked if the study included the possibility of dynamiting or dredging to accommodate large vessels. He explained that the consultant hired to do the study will look at the changes that are needed to be done for the project to be used in its full capacity.

Click here to read the rest of the article and see more photos in the San Pedro Sun

Sunset Boardwalk plagued with vandalism and garbage; SPTC details new plans for the area

Since the inauguration of the multi-million dollar Sunset Boardwalk project in 2014, there have been several unending issues with it. The bathrooms have been vandalized to the point that it would need major repairs. In addition, the football grounds and general area around the Sunset Boardwalk Welcome vicinity abounds with the unpleasant sight of garbage. The San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) has confirmed however, that with the new plans for the area, repairs will be done and security will be put in place.

Just a casual walk around the area reveals so much garbage floating around from the Hon Louis Sylvestre Football Stadium, commonly referred to as the Saca Chispas football field. The garbage is a result of what is left behind from events as well as the nightly football activities on the field. While it is not an excuse to just dump garbage anywhere, there are no garbage bins installed to ensure that users of the facilities have an option to contain litter. Instead, they leave their garbage behind, creating a most unpleasant sight. The garbage, mostly plastic bottles, Styrofoam plates and plastic bags, is left at the mercy of the wind, which blows all over the area, creating the unsightly mess that has become a concern to nearby businesses.

While the garbage situation is one thing, the other issue has to do with the bathroom facilities that have been completely wrecked. The facilities at the Sunset Board Walk have no night security, making it an easy target for vandals. As such, the doors of the bathroom have been broken for months and all indications are that huge rocks were used to break the urinals to pieces. The toilets and wash basins have equally been vandalized beyond use. "The place is wrecked and the sad part is that nobody is there to watch over the facility. When you go into the bathroom area, the stench of feces that is just left in the toilet bowls is unbearable. The condition is unsanitary, unhealthy and unacceptable," said Elito Arceo.

When questioned about resolving the situation, Mayor Daniel Guerrero said that, the SPTC is in the process of repairing the bathrooms, which will be completed by May 9th. In addition, he indicated that the council is in the process of hiring security staff, two of which will be used permanently for the Sunset Boardwalk Area.

Click here to read the rest of the article and see more photos in the San Pedro Sun

SPTC details updates on the Sunset Boardwalk Boulevard

The facility remained underused since it was inaugurated in March of 2014, but the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) has announced that the development will soon be fully operational. There are plans of dredging for the allocation of boats and the street adjacent to the boardwalk will be officially opened to alleviate traffic conditions on the island. Furthermore, all the artisan street vendors from the Central Park will be relocated to the Sunset Boardwalk. The relocation is expected to happen within the next three months, as plans for the re-opening of the Sunset Boardwalk are already underway.

According to Mayor Daniel Guerrero, everyone who uses the docks at this area will be required to pay a fee, and the artisan street vendors from the Central Park will be provided with booths along the Boardwalk. These booths will be painted with tropical colors.

Next, will be the dredging, which will be done by the STDP in order to open the boat terminal. "All boats will be mandated to move via the boat terminal at the facility at Sunset Boardwalk. All the docks at the new boat terminal will be thoroughly checked and what has to be replaced from the previous works will have to come down.

In the upcoming weeks the Mayor, along with the Officer Commanding Coastal Executive Unit Assistant Superintendent Henry Jemmott, will be working on the boat manifest to get a report and have all details confirmed prior to the grand reopening of the facility.

Click here to read the rest of the article and see more photos in the San Pedro Sun

It would be very nice if they could get a decent computer system that could even make print outs. The current manual system is s=o==s=l=o=w
Where's John MacAfee when he's needed. (laughing up my sleeve)

He's where he needs to be. Far away from here...

Project Director Mastry explains why Sunset Boardwalk is not functional yet

Since the completion of the project, the facility has been underused, with no indication when it will be fully operational as originally intended. However, the reasons as to why the infrastructure has not been put to proper use for almost two years now may finally give people a better understanding of what is really happening.

According to Christy Mastry, Projector Director at Belize Infrastructure Limited (BIL) the issue is more of an operational management and legislative one, especially when it comes to the relocation of the boats from the east side of the island. "In this project, all of the piers were allocated through the pier owners. It is up to the municipal authorities to start setting up plans to start collecting revenues. The issue with the terminal is mainly legislation, whether they move the boats from the front of the island or not. However, the boat owners do not want to move their boats again, like I said that is a legislative issue. They claim that they need more depth in the water around the Sunset Boardwalk area, however, at the place where they dock in Belize City is far shallower than the Sunset Boardwalk. So it's all about coming together and having the will to relocate them; the municipality and the ministerial level have to make a decision. But the project is completed and ready to operate," stated Mastry. She remarked that the installations are very spacious, in great condition and with all the necessary facilities to be fully operational. In the future there will be additional investments to make the terminal better accessible by taxis, but before this is done, the legislative issue with the boat owners needs to be solved.

Mastry also indicated that she believes the idea of having so much boat traffic in front of the island is not safe, and gets more dangerous every time. Another concern she pointed out is the speed of the boats. "You need to consider that once you come in the vicinity of the shore, they need to go slower and that's why there is a no wake zone in every other country for a reason," ended Mastry.

When the Sunset Boardwalk becomes fully operational, it will be complimented with a small-scale bustling artisanal shopping area, a multipurpose pier and housing international and domestic water taxi terminals. The project was executed to encourage locals and tourists to visit an atmosphere of leisure and relaxation, adding to the tourism product of the island.

Click here to read the rest of the article and see more photos in the San Pedro Sun

SPTC takes responsibility for Sunset Boardwalk

According to Mayor Daniel Guerrero since they are now in charge of the Sunset Boardwalk they will start addressing the issues affecting the facilities. "We will have to hire someone to be in charge of that area. I managed to inspect the area and notice its conditions, especially the walkway which is beginning to cave in. The Town Board is dealing with a lot of problems, but we are doing our share. One of the first things we will do at the Sunset Boardwalk is the building of jetties from which we will collect fees in order to be able to pump more funds for the maintenance of the Sunset Boardwalk," said Guerrero. He admitted that the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) has not put an emphasis on the project; however that will change as of this new year. "We will focus on the Sunset Boardwalk and stay put with the maintenance, even though it has been functional, we want to do things differently and well administered with more regulations for everyone," stated Guerrero. He added the project has been criticized since it was not built as promised due to changes while it was being constructed. However, the SPTC had no involvement in its construction and has inherited the project with said problems.

Guerrero pointed out the issues with the bathrooms and docking facilities of the terminal, and the many repairs the facility needs. "We will start to work on fixing what needs to be fixed as the facilities are deteriorating fast. I would say it is due to poor construction, but you have to realize that it was also an area reclaimed when the construction started, and now you have the constant setting: there is a setting happening onsite due to the fact that when they were building it, the proper material was not used for the filling and that's why everything is settling in and going down, causing the caving in of the walkways," ended Guerrero. He indicated that the terminal will be put to good use this year by maintaining it and putting extra work on the Sunset Boardwalk. He reiterated that the Town Board's responsibility is to maintain it and ensure it is fully functional.

Click here for the rest of the story and more pictures in the San Pedro Sun