Ambergris Caye Caye Caulker HELP! Visitor Center Businesses
BelizeNews.com BelizeSearch.com BelizePhotographs.com Lodging


Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 2 of 5 1 2 3 4 5
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Offline
The Caye Caulker Municipal Airstrip has been closed for repairs. The new investment will see a remarkable improvement with an elevated, longer and HMA-surfaced runway complete with international standards markings. The renovated Caye Caulker Municipal Airport will be a state of the art facility, which will facilitate the transportation of tourists and Belizeans in a safe and pleasant environment.

[Linked Image]

Joined: May 2010
Posts: 353
N
Offline
N
Marty, are these your thoughts or are you quoting someone?

Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Offline
Hi Noelle, that is from the Belize Airports Authority

Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Offline

Airlines Await Paving Of Caye Caulker Runway

And while Saldivar says Mena and the UDP will get over their social media squabble, the 3 dents on the Caye Caulker airstrip won't can't be glossed over so easily. As we told you, Tropic Air and Maya Island took a joint position to postpone all scheduled flights to Caye Caulker on October 1st. to try and force the Civil Aviation Department to act.

Well the $7 million dollar runway renovation project should start this week.

But while that is about to get underway, there are reports that the road leading to the municipal airstrip could be having some sinking problems. While we have seen water pooling on some parts of the road, today President of Tropic Air John Greif says the runway at the Municipal is in perfect shape. We also got a comment from Minister of Tourism Manuel Heredia Jr. about the Caye Caulker runway project.

John Greif, President - Tropic Air
"Well I am based in San Pedro, but we get reports from our pilots and I haven't had any direct reports on anything happening that would affect safety of flight. What we have to remember is this was all swamp, so the engineers said we need to have it settled. It settled for a long time, but even as we are seeing in Caye Caulker, you can't predict Mother Nature. So if there is sinking, I am sure it's minimal and I am sure it's going to be addressed by the government. But I personally have no knowledge of it."

Reporter
"Sir, just to confirm, flights have been postponed to Caye Caulker since October 1st right?"

John Greif, President - Tropic Air
"There you have sinking and undulations on the run way and you also have deterioration of the chip and seal system that they used. So its two things in one, but as far as I know, that's being addressed by the government as well."

Courtney Weatherburne, reporter
"That situation in Caye Caulker is not happening here? That's not the report you're getting?"

John Greif, President - Tropic Air
"That's correct, I am not getting that report."

Hon. Manuel Heredia, Minister of Tourism
"Caye Caulker Airstrip, anything that we do as I mentioned, we want to do it well and as perfect as possible. Today I must assure you that we have advanced monies to the contractor Mr. Hernandez for that airstrip to commence and as early as tomorrow you will see material and equipment moving to Caye Caulker to give commencement to this airstrip which will be wider, higher and we have to redo all over again. The foundation has to be completely redone and hence the reason it would be an expensive airstrip again. Again, for the safety of commuters and tourists we have decide to hot mix it. Hot mixing is much more expensive than chip and seal, but nonetheless we are talking about the future, the safety of passengers and a perfect job."

Other plans for the Caye Caulker airstrip include the construction of a terminal and fencing. Again, Imer Hernandez was awarded the contract for this project and he was also awarded the contract for the renovation of the Municipal airstrip in November 2016.

Channel 7


The Government's Choice: Imer Hernandez Paid 7 Mil for Hot Mixed Caye Caulker Airstrip

Another multi-million dollar contract has been granted to the government's choice contractor, Imer Hernandez, the nephew of the former Deputy Prime Minister Gapi Vega. As recent as last week, Hernandez was granted the controversial eight-million-dollar contract for the one mile stretch of Faber's Road, which Prime Minister Dean Barrow staunchly defended on Wednesday. Minister of Tourism Manuel Heredia confirmed to News Five today that Hernandez's company was also awarded a seven-million-dollar contract to build a new Caye Caulker airstrip. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation through the Belize Airports Authority negotiated with the Social Security Board to acquire financing to renovate and uplift the Caye Caulker airstrip. It is the third most trafficked aerodrome in the country, and on October first, flights were suspended to that island because of the deplorable condition of the strip. Heredia explains the scope of works.

Manuel Heredia Jr., Minister of Aviation

"Almost from a few months after it was resurfaced, it has about three dents which is unsafe for aircrafts; nonetheless, they continued using that airstrip until it came to a point where they said they can no longer be taking chances with that. Myself and my board, being responsible people also said that yes, let's close it and in the meantime, we were working to securing funding and making the plans so that we can be able that as soon as they close we can more into it. Today I must assure you that we have advanced monies to the contractor Mister Hernandez for that airstrip to commence and as early as tomorrow you will see material and equipment moving to Caye Caulker to give commencement to this airstrip which will be wider, higher and we have to redo all over again; the foundation has to be completely redone and hence the reason it will be an expensive airstrip. Again, for the safety of commuters and tourist, we have decided to hot mix it also. Hot mixing is much more expensive than chip and seal."

Channel 5


Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,461
K
Offline
K
It will sink again. None of these people qualified to pour my driveway, let alone highways, roads and landing strips. All UDP ras, we pay for it. One can only assume Min Heredia is benefiting from this scam as well as at the Municipal airstrip, where that road is now sinking. Lone dumb ras.

Last edited by Katie Valk; 10/20/17 06:53 AM.

Belize based travel specialist
www.belize-trips.com
[email protected]
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 47
D
Offline
D
Are the planning to extend electricity to the south before airstrip construction?

Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 6,267
Offline
The lack of airstrip is a health issue - no emergency evacuations by air possible for people in crisis.

Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 1,446
Offline
So true hot mix on top of bad substrate will just continue to sink. Has to be dug uo, a good solid base installed and compacted then tar and chip. The last job failed and so will this and the ministers pockets get more! Belizeans get poorer!

Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Offline

Briceno Tells SSB Don't Lend BAA 7M For Caye Caulker Airstrip

For weeks now, we've been reporting on the problems with the Caye Caulker airstrip. Both Tropic Air and Maya Island Air have suspended flights to that destination because of the condition of the runway. They say the Belize Airports Authority has to fix it urgently - and every day they don't tourists are inconvenienced and the airlines lose money. Well, the BAA has been trying to source funding for this multi-million dollar venture, but without much success. Today the leader of the opposition pounced on a confidential report that the opposition got its hands on. It says that the amount of funding for the runway refurbishment that the BAA is trying to get from Social Security is 7 million dollars. Opposition leader John Briceno noted with pleasure that the Prime Minster said in the House of Representatives on Friday that it was four million dollars:...

Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"Today I got a copy of a confidential memorandum from the investment services unit of the Social Security Board and this report is pointing out that the Belize Airport Authority was in deed applying for 7 million dollars. Now, the Prime Minister was either being completely dishonest to me and the Belizean people when he said it was not 7 million but 4 million, or he is being incompetent because he does not know what is happening in his government."

"The point we are making is that we are finding out that the Belize Airport Authority has already borrowed 16.5 million dollars. They want to borrow another 7 million dollars. That would make it 23.5 million dollars. And according to this report, this very same report I am talking about, this report is saying that the BAA (Belize Airport Authority) is going to have major problems in making their loan payments."

"They are pointing out that the BAA revenues, the projections they are making they are too optimistic. The investment services unit made an analysis of the revenues collected from 2011 to 2017 and they found out that in average of every dollar they claim that they are going to collect, they only collect 75 cents."

"In effect, the investment services unit is telling the Social Security management and board that it is a bad loan. It is a bad investment that they should make."

"So I am putting on record, I am saying that the Belize Social Security Board should not lend them. Not 7 million, not 4 million. They should not give them any more money because then they are going to be over exposed."

"I want all the members of the Belize Social Security Board to know that my party will hold them personally accountable and responsible for all the questionable loans that they have given, including this one should they approve it."

"And secondly, just by looking at what the investment services unit, the recommendations that they have made that they should reject the 7 million dollar loan. Not a 4 million dollar loan, not another dollar should be loan to the Belize Airport Authority."

As we understand it, the Social Security Investment Committee has rejected the loan application. Our sources say that the BAA is now trying to trim it down and re-package it for three or four million dollars. They will then ask Social Security to reconsider it.

But, opposition leader Briceno took a look through his Aviator glasses and said that they only need one or two million dollars:...

Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Oposition
"We don't need 7 million. We don't need 4 million to fix the runway. But what is happening is that they are taking advantage of fixing the runway for the hustle to happen. So now they are expanding and put all kinds of bells and whistles when what we really need to address right now is the runway and if this government would stop thinking about the hustling, I am sure that we could find that million or 2 million to be able to address that issue."

"If they can spend almost one hundred million dollars through BIL and they could flip and say okay 3 million dollars lose okay we have to go and find the money to fix it. Why is it that they can't fix the Caye Caulker Airstrip that is an integral part of our tourism industry?"

Reports say that the local airlines lose revenue of over 200 thousand dollars monthly while the Caye Caulker Airstrip is closed.

Channel 7


Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 18
S
Offline
S
And I thought we had crooked government in California......!
At least some day we'll have a high speed train to nowhere.

Last edited by SailingWaldo; 10/28/17 03:24 PM.
Page 2 of 5 1 2 3 4 5

Link Copied to Clipboard
March
S M T W T F S
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
Cayo Espanto
Click for Cayo Espanto, and have your own private island
More Links
Click for exciting and adventurous tours of Belize with Katie Valk!
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 290 guests, and 0 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Forum Statistics
Forums44
Topics79,199
Posts500,011
Members20,460
Most Online7,413
Nov 7th, 2021

AmbergrisCaye.com CayeCaulker.org HELP! Visitor Center Goods & Services San Pedro Town
BelizeSearch.com Message Board Lodging Diving Fishing Things to Do History
BelizeNews.com Maps Phonebook Belize Business Directory
BelizeCards.com Picture of the Day

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5