By: Precious Mills
BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 8th February 2019)- Steve Wrenford, a resident of Old Road and the Opposition St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party’s (SKNLP) fresh candidate for Constituency Four has shared concern over the land reclamation aspect of the government’s proposed $31 million Old Road Rehabilitation Project in light of the community’s history of threat from coastal erosion.
To this end, he is calling on the government to facilitate discussions with residents of Old Road and nearby villages.
“Old Road has a history of threat from coastal erosion. Over the last ten years or so, a number of families in Old Road, Half Way Tree and Verchilds had to be removed from the coast resettled further inland. This threat becomes much greater during hurricanes. I’m seriously disturbed by the lack of consultation and the lack of proper planning that would cause or end up doing serious damage to people’s hard earned property or even threaten people’s lives,” he stated while speaking on the Party-sponsored weekly ‘Issues’ session aired on FreedomFM on Wednesday 6th February.
“Again, I want to stress that this is no small problem. This is a problem of monumental proportion for the people of Old Road, Verchilds, Middle Island, Godwin Ghaut and Half Way Tree. We are calling on the government to come to the table of consultation with the people of the constituency about the matters that have been raised here,” he added.
According to Wrensford: “When I was studying in the Virgin Islands and I was doing my Masters, we were asked to do a project, and one of the things that I learnt (is that) most of the failures of projects throughout the world came about because there was never any consultation with the residents of the area and so where the residents would have certain unique information that would not be readily available by the naked eye but they would have seen it because they live there, and the so-called engineers with all their accolades would not know the residents were never consulted…”
The rehabilitation road design was put together by ADeB Consultants of Jamaica to be undertaken by local contractor Rock & Dirt Ltd.
Public Works Director Cromwell Williams, at last week’s contract signing ceremony, highlighted features for the construction of a new road of approximately 1.2 kilometers long with aseaward displacement of around 30 feet and at an elevated level of about six to eight feet while the entire length of the road would be protected by rock armouring ranging up to 20 tons.
The SKNLP Constituency Four candidate said the people of Old Road learnt about details of the project in the news.
“It was banded about and eventually there was a signing ceremony so the people of Old Road have learnt in the news just like everyone else that the government has awarded [near] 40 million contract to someone to rehabilitate the Old Road Bay.”
He continued: “The People of Old Road were never consulted at the conceptualisation phase of this project and they have not been properly informed or well-positioned to take advantages of any opportunities which may arise from the project but the greater concern for the people of Old Road and the nearby villages is that this reclamation of land in the Old Road area will disperse the power waves that normally hit the bay and this would be further affecting those further down the coast. Once rocks and dirt are dumped in the Old Road Bay, houses further down the coast will be threatened by powerful waves that will now bounce off the new manmade barrier and move down the coast.”
Following the recent contract signing ceremony for the project, a town hall meeting was held for the residents of challengers and surrounding communities the next day (Thursday 31stJanuary) at the Challengers Community Centre.
Wrensford is also of the view that the rehabilitation project would worsen traffic congestion in Old Road.
“Throughout the Federation Old Road is known as a town that never sleeps so indeed there is always something happening in Old Road. Unfortunately because of the economic hub, the narrow streets are unable to take care of the traffic. This affects the people of Old Road significantly and it also affects the travelling public who often spend precious time in traffic in Old Road.”
He is of the view that such traffic concern “is a problem that will be exasperated by the Old Road Reclamation project. It does not to solve the problem. If anything it makes the problem worse.
He said the SKNLP proposes to construct a bypass road from the Stone Fort area down to Brimstone Hill in Sandy Point.
Additionally, he pledged to make that project a reality should he be elected as the next parliamentary representative after the upcoming general election.
“This [bypass road] would reduce the congestion in Old Road and create a highway that gets people to and from their destinations in quick time. This highway would also bring safety and security and bring much needed relief to the people of Old Road and the nearby villages.”