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One other key component is the mother of all eyesores in the downtown area, and that's the Commercial Center. In 2014, the City Council had a major launch to announce its renovation as part of the project, but today it is shuttered and shabbier than ever. The City Council has had to shut it down and rent private space for its offices. Today the Mayor told us that it's because the council has been unable to find its portion of the counterpart funding to match the Taiwanese:..

Darrell Bradley - Mayor, Belize City
"The problem with moving ahead with that project is that the City Council has been unable to source of doing the project. We've only gotten $800,000 roughly from the House of Culture and Downtown Redevelopment Project for the renovation of the commercial center. We needed to source the additional funding. The project overall would have cost roughly about 2.8 million dollars. We've been working with Heritage Bank on getting a facility to cover that remaining cost, but that has taken off a period going on now to 2 years and that's really the delay."

"One of the thing is of serious concern with us is because we have not been able to do that building. Now we are paying rent. We actually are renting now the lower flat of the Sagicor building and we are renting the Mona Lisa building right adjacent the commercial center, because we have had accidents in the commercial center. The bathrooms, when I did the last inspection were facilities that I wouldn't use myself, so I don't expect my staff to use the facility. So that it's actually costing us now, because we have to rent temporary space."

Jules Vasquez, 7News
"So what now is the status of the commercial center, is it wasting?"

Darrell Bradley - Mayor, Belize City
"Well it is wasting. I will accept responsibility as the mayor for that. I am the mayor of the city, I actually made that a signature project of this municipality. But again the delay with that project, the buck has to stop with me as the mayor, because I really made it a signature project and we have not been able to secure our part of the financing."

Jules Vasquez, 7News
"Your term ends in 9-10 months. It won't happen. Not in this term of office."

Darrell Bradley - Mayor, Belize City
"Well I'm hopeful. I think you cannot be a politician and not be hopeful."

Jules Vasquez, 7News
"It's a blight, it's an eyesore at the center of the city and you are responsible for it."

Darrell Bradley - Mayor, Belize City
"Yes I fully accept one hundred percent for that. I won't shark any of the responsibility. The fact that it is not done is my responsibility, but nonetheless we are trying to get it done. We have not secured the financing for it."

Jules Vasquez, 7News
"However, even if you were to secure the financing the larger project is in trouble, because of failings on the government's part."

Darrell Bradley - Mayor, Belize City
"The fact that as a government and I include myself in that government, the fact that we have been unable to secure passage of the legislation and that we have been unable to satisfy the investors and the people who have really been partners in the development of this project is really something that we have to accept responsibility for. It's a good project and it is things that are necessary for the preservation of the cultural heritage of Belize City."

Jules Vasquez, 7News
"Will this project happen for Belize City?"

Darrell Bradley - Mayor, Belize City
"Well again I can't say. One of the things that I would want to challenge through the media airways is that those people who have responsibility for specific components of the project, that those people awaken in themselves a certain energy and motivation, because one of the things that I am concerned about is that we are fighting for the very survival of our city."

"All I am saying to you is that the success of this project is on the governmental entities to really try to make sure that it works, to try to make sure that if 2018 comes, we have in place what needs to be in place to ensure that we can access those funds and we can get the project finish, including the commercial center."

Jules Vasquez, 7News
"But at the same time you are criticizing them. At the same time you can't get money for the commercial center. They proposed that they would build a building at Paslow building. But you have leased that out. You can't break the lease, so the city council itself is a non-cooperating component."

Darrell Bradley - Mayor, Belize City
"Well I wouldn't say first of all that we have been critical. I have the utmost respect for the persons who are in charge of this project. I think that they have been leaders and innovators in getting the project off the ground in putting together the project documents in creating a lot of energy and excitement about the project itself, but I am agreeing with you to the extent that yes, we cannot and we have not been able to get the commercial center project off the ground."

As we said at the top, there is now some urgency as the Heritage Preservation Legislation is going to the House tomorrow. Government would then foreseeably, have to ask for an extension to project.