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King At Work, No Truce With Kremandala
posted (August 27, 2015)
If you've been around the Lake Independence constituency, behind the CB Hyde Complex building, you may have noticed street works in an area formerly known as Junesville. It's the work of UDP Area Rep Mark King - who says nearly 100 streets will be getting much needed attention. According to King, about 1.5 million dollars will be spent on the construction upgrades of these streets:

Hon. Mark King, UDP Area Rep. - Lake I
"We are doing the second round of Petrocaribe powered streets. As you know the entire country is doing streets and in this area, we've picked out under the project, streets that really need develop, streets that really needs drainage and streets that really need that extra resurfacing and so we've selected like 30 streets throughout the entire constituency which is going to be brand new streets. Brand new simply meaning up to pave standard. We are going to do everything to it except tar. We are going to put the hardcore material on top of all of them. We are going to come in with the all-in, we are going to compress it and its going to be smooth and then we are going to put culverts and dig out the drains in front of everybody's home and cement it so they can have access to their drive ways. So we are looking at almost one million dollars' worth of streets. On top of that, we are going to be doing remedial work on another 30 streets and then we will be doing patching and so forth on those that aren't too bad and so that brings us to almost 100 streets being fixed between now and October."

"Like I always claim, 40% of the streets in Lake I are either cemented or upgraded and that will move us to almost 60% - 70% thereabout."

Daniel Ortiz
"Was this - you went around the constituency speaking with the people. Was it like that or was it a survey to see which one of the streets are really bad?"

Hon. Mark King
"It's a combination. From the time we have been campaigning in Lake I, we have been fixing streets. However since we have the money now to do major works, the ones that were really gone, that needed that kind of upgrade, we finally can say that we've reached out to it."

As you heard, King and the contractors estimate that 1 million dollars will be spent on 30 streets which will get a complete construction over haul. Another 500 thousand dollars will be spent on the rest which will get varying degrees of repairs.

Viewers may not have caught it, but the street that was in the background of our interview with Mark King was Luis Street. That's where his political opponent, Cordel Hyde, lives and so we had to ask if this is an olive branch to quell the public war of words that has been ongoing between King and Kremandala media empire, headed by Cordel's brother, Evan Mose Hyde, and his father, Evan X Hyde, who the Chairman of the enterprise.

2 Weeks ago, King gave a prepared speech saying that he will be taking on all three personalities. Amandala has responded by calling his words direct threats. So today, we asked if he was making a move to cool things off:

Daniel Ortiz
"Why stage it here?"

Hon. Mark King, UDP Area Rep. - Lake I
"It's not necessarily to stage it here. It's just I would say today is the day that we are fixing this street and at the end of the day we do have other streets that the media can see. This one is being fixed today. We have 2 in the Holy Emmanuel area that are completely done and we started this project like last week. So we are here, yes the former area representative for the PUP lives on this street, but at the end of this day, there is a lot of people that lives on this street that really needs the service of the community, to use the street. Just like when we did Alicia Street to the back here. Everybody though I wouldn't pave it because Cordel Hyde lives around the area. But that is not my concern. The people of Lake I they must benefit totally from these streets."

Daniel Ortiz
"Is this a cease fire so to speak? Because we know you made those harsh or tough comments and you took a bit of backlash from it in the Amandala. They were quite offended and alarmed by your comments. So is this like a let's leave the campaign aside and be person living in Lake I."

Hon. Mark King
"Don't get me wrong. The municipal elections were launched from behind the zinc fence. They have involved themselves publicly known as they are Cordel Hyde supporters, so we know they are with the PUP. They've been bashing the government for years. So they will continue to be my political opponent. That have nothing with me giving the goods and services to the people of my area just because Cordel Hyde lives on this street. No brother, UDPs, PUPs, citizens of this area all live on this street and so that is separated. Whatever KREM ask for they will get. It's as simple as that. It's on with them."

Daniel Ortiz
"You stand by those comments you made?"

Hon. Mark King
"I never back down from my comments, but at the end of the day I will always say that if they get themselves involved in politics, they are no longer an independent media house. They are a political media house and they must stand firm on that ground. They cannot attacked me and expect that they will not be given attention."

According to King, the works should be completed some time in October.

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