BELMOPAN Belize, February 24th, 2012 -- On Wednesday, February 22, the Belize Tourism Board broke ground on the Fort Point Pedestrian Walk project. The project is the third of four that will be executed under the Sustainable Tourism Project, which is financed by the Government of Belize through an IDB loan.
Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr., Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Culture, delivered the keynote address at the launching. Minister Heredia said that the project will cost $5.47 million and will take approximately 16 months to complete. The project will include the rehabilitation of Memorial Park and infrastructural development of the tourism zone.
According to Christine Maestre, STP Director, “Memorial Park will be transformed into a multi-functional public space for special events, recreation and leisure activities.” It will include the renovation of the war memorial and inclusion of plaques of honour and ceremonial features. The landscape will be improved with 1 acre of green space.
The bandstand will be renovated and a shaded walkway will be constructed around the park. 15 day-vending structures will be constructed along with 30 permanent vending structures. Public restrooms will be implemented for male, female and handicapped users.
An amphitheater will be constructed with a stage and seating for 200 people plus a spectators’ lawn. The facility will have space for tour operators and residential parking. The Memorial Park will also house the largest Belize flag in the country.
Infrastructural development in the area will include drainage, sidewalk and street rehabilitation. 5,000 linear feet of street (from Bel-Can Bridge to Tourism Zone Terminal 1) will be cobblestone paved. It will look like the stretch near the Tourism Zone Terminal 1.
Park, Cork and Fort Streets will be rehabilitated as well. 10,000 linear feet of sidewalk will be constructed. Street furniture will be provided along with street lighting, signage and planters. Two primary gateways and Tourism Police Unit boots will be constructed at key entrance points. Three vending clusters will be constructed to house 39 units. Traffic flow and security will improve significantly because of this project.
Many of the ideas for the project came from public consultations. The first public consultation was held in December of 2009. Six priority areas were identified for the development of the tourism zone. The first was poor traffic control, which caused congestion and conflicts. The second was disorganized street vending, lack of standardized structures, blocked walkways and poor pedestrian flow.
Third was poor quality and limited pedestrian access because of potholes, lack of sidewalks and vehicular traffic. Fourth was lack of security. Fifth was the disturbing image of unkempt drains and the poor drainage in the area. Sixth was the lack of public amenities.
The Sustainable Tourism Project committee was selected to address those issues. Most were improved with the launching of the Fort Street Tourism Zone and the Fort Point Pedestrian Walk project is a permanent solution.
It is also the commencement of a plan to feature Belize City more as a tourist destination than a transit point. It is one step closer to connecting tourism attractions of the Northside of the city like the Baron Bliss Grave/Lighthouse to attractions on the Southside like St. John’s Cathedral and the Government House.
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