On Tuesday there was great fanfare by the Belize City Council when
paving commenced on Orange Street between Euphrates Avenue and West Street.
But the truth is that while the Belize City Council might want to take credit,
the project is a Ministry of Works imitative. It is funded with emergency funds
provided from central government and all the employees working on Orange Street
are Ministry of Works employees. Minister of Works Anthony Boots Martinez told
us today that what matters is that work gets done.
Keith Swift Reporting,
Orange Street has already been graded and this weekend it will be paved. Minister
of Works Boots Martinez says that a major part of the project is proper drainage.
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez, Minister of Works
“We have been out here yesterday whole day until twelve in the night
from in the morning working with the Fire Department to make sure we clean out
the drainage and we still have not finished yet. We still have until about midnight
tonight because also that is very important for the setting of the street.
We are making sure the drains are all clean and then they will start back 
to make sure that Orange Street, this portion of Orange Street or Cemetery Road
as it may be called, from its junction with Euphrates Avenue to West Street
is paved.”
More than 50 Ministry of Works employees are working on the project and that
is because according to Minister Martinez, it is a Ministry of Works project.
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“It is the Ministry of Works who is doing the work. Yes in collaboration
with the Belize City Council but the Ministry of Works takes the main lead.
The finances is coming from central government in terms of the rejuvenation
project and a special emergency project that was approved by Cabinet.”
Keith Swift,
“This is really the City Council’s job to fix the streets in the
city. Why did you guys decide to jump in?”
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“Well two things. We have to apart from the City Council’s job,
we are in central government and a lot of us who are in Cabinet are from the
city so we live in the city and so what happens is that any additional help,
and we have to wear our political hat, we are from the city and at the end of
the day we are here to help Belize City Council.”
And that will extend to wrecked streets near you.
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“We are doing West Street, that should be completed by next week to
paving standard. We will be doing New Road, we will be doing some work in the
Collet Division at Pelican Street Extension, Iguana Street, and Raccoon Street
Extension. But that is not paved work but proper drainage with hard core almost
bringing it to paving standard. And then we continue on with other streets.
I think we want to tackle Seashore Drive, Lizarraga Avenue, and so forth. I
think the main focus is not who gets the credit, the main focus is to deliver
the basic services to the residents of Belize City.”
The paving of Orange Street between West Street and Euphrates Avenue
will cost approximately $70,000. The emergency funds allocated by government
for repair of streets in the city is $380,000.
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