AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye Saca Chispas Project awaiting Nat'l Assembly OK

Since 2009, there have been several debates over the controversial Saca Chispas boardwalk and Water Taxi Terminal project proposed for the fishing dock lagoon side of San Pedro. The project has the full support of the Area Representative and Minister of Tourism Hon Manuel Heredia and several key stakeholders in the tourism industry. Just before the general elections in March 2012, it was announced that the project was scheduled to proceed in April. As it stands now, the project is awaiting ratification from the National Assembly before work starts.

In an exclusive interview with Heredia, he explained to The San Pedro Sun that he hopes that the project can be tabled at the next sitting of the House of Representative and get the nods from the National Assembly. By law, all projects in excess of $5 million need to be ratified by both the Lower and Upper Houses of the National Assembly.

Click here to read the rest of the article in the San Pedro Sun

OH jeez.

Oh Jeez is right. That is way over blown from the last mock up I saw.

Always thought that would be a great spot for weekend market place with local flavor.

More Manhattan than San Pedro

I think we need it.
Maybe this drawing is grandiose, but the fact is that one water-taxi arrival area will go a long way to addressing several important community issues.
1. Police can monitor comings and goings of questionable persons.
2. Port Authority can check boats for safety - hopefully stopping overloading and enforcing the use of passenger manifests.
3. Travelers will have one place to go - they can check schedules and choose a boat without tromping all over town.
4. The big boats won't be plying the waters in front of the island where recreational sports are in progress, vastly decreasing the potential for running over unsuspecting swimmers, kayakers, windsurfers etc.
I think you can safely say that regardless of fancy drawings by outside firms, nothing in San Pedro lacks a touch of the funky charm that is the nature of the island.
We have a proper airport with all the usual things it needs.
Boats are our buses - we need a bus-station. This is the logical place for it, and we may as well build one that is strong enough to last and modern enough to be clean and safe.
I just hope somebody with a modicum of taste oversees it and that it does not become an eyesore of jumbotrons.

And hopefully when they build it they will take into account what that area looked like after Hurricane Keith, that came in from the back of the island.

Gaz

Hon. Manuel Heredia to Break Ground on San Pedro Boardwalk

On Thursday, June 14, Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr, Minister of Tourism and Culture, will officially break ground on the San Pedro Sunset Boardwalk and Water Taxi Terminal. The project was opposed by a few property owners and users of the area upon introduction. However, subsequent consultations led to an all-clear for the project, which includes a waterfront development to be constructed along the 66 feet of public frontage stretching from its intersection with Caribe�a Street southwards towards Buccaneer Street. It also includes the reclamation and rehabilitation of the football field and the introduction of a new International Water Taxi Terminal on the Lagoon. Since a full Environmental Impact Assessment has been completed, there should be no more delays to the project.

Construction will take sixteen months to complete. The project will cost a little more than $5.5 million dollars and it falls under the Sustainable Tourism Program ,which is funded by the Government of Belize through a loan for US$13.322 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Following the Construction Launch and Ground Breaking Ceremony, members of the media will accompany Minister Heredia on a FAM tour of the Bacalar Chico Site, where he will conduct a tour of the visitor center and the existing structures.

The Guardian

They can't find the money to maintain and improve the infrastucture that already exists and is needed, but can spend money on a new project that will require costs to maintain. Brilliant

Ground Breaking Ceremony Of The San Pedro Sunset Board Walk And Water Taxi Terminal

The Sustainable Tourism Program (STP) cordially invites you to the Construction Launch and Ground Breaking Ceremony of the San Pedro Sunset Board Walk and Water Taxi Terminal.

The San Pedro Sunset Board Walk and Water Taxi Terminal project includes a waterfront development to be constructed along the 66ft public frontage stretching from its intersection with Caribe�a Street southwards towards Buccaneer Street; as well as, the reclamation and rehabilitation of the football field and the introduction of a new International Water Taxi Terminal on the Lagoon among other components.

Please remember:
Who: Sustainable Tourism Program (STP), Ministry of Tourism and Culture, San Pedro Town Board and the Belize Tourism Board (BTB)
What: Construction Launch of the San Pedro Sunset Board Walk and Water Taxi Terminal
When: Thursday, June 21st, 2012 at 9:30 a.m.
Where: The Saca Chispas Football Field, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye