SPTC to make improvements
Residents in the Escalante, DFC, San Pablo, San Marcos, and the San Mateo subdivisions are complaining about the flooded streets after weeks of rain on Ambergris Caye. These roads are difficult to maneuver, and for some students, walking to school becomes a big challenge. As a result, residents are pleading with authorities to improve the streets.
According to Mayor Daniel Guerrero, the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) has been addressing the matter. The SPTC has been taking several steps to prevent rainwater stagnation, including compiling white limestone to pave the roads, but residents are frustrated that they are taking too long.
Mayor Guerrero says that inclement weather has posed a challenge for the SPTC, and causing the delay in fixing the affected streets. "The streets are draining us a lot, and I cannot do much about it. Rain is not helping us right now, and we cannot fight Mother Nature. Every time we try to grade the streets, it rains. We have a lot of materials in certain subdivisions, and we are trying to deal with schools first," said the Mayor.
A parent of a student attending New Horizon Seventh Day Adventist Primary School thinks that the inclement weather is not a valid excuse. "The streets are very swampy, it has a lot of holes, and it is really difficult to walk in. Sometimes the puddles are too big, and kids fall in the water. The SPTC are piling the materials, and they are waiting until it gets dry to fix the streets, but when will that happen? They had more than enough time before rainy season to fix the streets. If they could waste thousands of dollars to do big celebrations, why can't they fix our roads so that students could go to school safely?" said the concerned parent.
A San Pedro High School teacher is also displeased with the progress of the SPTC. "A lot of parents and teachers are complaining about the roads. The poor street conditions are causing a lot of traffic problems, and it's contributing to a lot of tardiness at school. Some of them reach with their uniform dirty because taxis and other vehicles have little consideration for them, and splash the students with water and mud. Students should be the number one priority on this island, and help is urgently needed," said the teacher.
Mayor Guerrero stated that the SPTC is trying, and asks the general public to have patience. He stated that the SPTC will be working rigorously to fix all streets across San Pedro. "We are getting 1,600 square cubic yards of materials from the mainland. We are planning to fix the southern roads first, then go to the DFC and Escalante areas. Then we will work in San Pablo and San Marcos areas. Next, we will be moving towards town, and work in the Esmeralda area. Afterwards, we will go to San Pedrito, the Elliot Subdivision, and the airstrip area. However, before we start there, we are going to fix all the main entrances from the bridge to the roundabout north of town," stated the Mayor.
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