ROADTOWN Tortola BVI, November 24th, 2011 – The Ministry of Communications and Works held a stakeholders meeting with members of the Road Town business community on November 23 ahead of the commencement of the Road Town component of the National Sewerage Project.
The meeting was attended by approximately 30 business owners/mangers who learned about the proposed logistics surrounding construction works associated with Phase I of the project.
At the beginning of the meeting, Minister for Communications and Works Honourable Mark Vanterpool said, “This meeting is necessary. It is very important to us that we involve the stakeholders and provide a forum to inform about the project as well as to answer any questions.”
Acting Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Arlene Smith-Thompson chaired the meeting. Other key ministry officials included a team from the Public Works Department and the Water and Sewerage Department.
A team from CBE Engineering Associates Ltd, the agency responsible for the management, engineering and construction supervision services of the project presented on the works to be completed in the short, medium and long term.
According to CBE, the short-term plans include the replacement of old pumps and pipelines to be completed in 6 to 8 months. The medium-term plan which includes Phase II of pipeline construction will be completed within 6 to 18 months and thereafter the long-term plan will focus on the force mains and the pump station.
The audience were concerned with the state of the pump station and its location.
CBE representatives explained that the Road Town pump station is in serious state of disrepair and according to their plans they hope to retrofit the station with current technology and equipment that would eliminate issues being experienced as a result of its inadequacy.
They added that the pump station could be relocated to two nearby locations, but moving it would be very costly. They further explained that once retrofitted, the pump station would function optimally and would solve problems currently experienced.
The Minister concluded the meeting by expressing his gratitude to the participants for their attendance and he assured them that his ministry would make every effort to keep them in the loop as the project progresses.
“At the end of the day if you are not happy it is not going to happen,” Minster Vanterpool concluded.
In the next few weeks the ministry will be hosting a similar meeting in which the public will be invited to attend and share their views about the project. The Ministry of Communications and Works is committed to ensuring the continued development of the Territory’s public infrastructure.
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