BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FOLLOWING months of delay, the new waiting area at the Basseterre Ferry Terminal is completed and open to the public, with a price tag that has topped $1M.
At a simple ceremony, witnessed by members of the Federal Cabinet, the Governor General and a number of government officials cut the ribbon to officially open the facility which has been in construction phase since April.
The new facility boasts upgraded amenities, including an x-ray machine, full body scanner, television sets with the daily ferry schedule, and air condition waiting area.
In giving an overview of the project, SCAPA’s Facilities Manager Mervin Lewis explained that after months of planning work at the terminal commenced on April 24.
The initial plan, he sated, was to give the structure a facelift. However, after evaluations were carried out by the Public Works Department and several local contractors, it was determined that a new structure was needed.
“It was on its last stage of corrosion. Therefore, a decision was made to demolish the existing structure and start a fresh construction. The fresh construction or the new design should include a ticket booth accommodating for all ferry operators, washroom facilities, better seating facilities, upgrade to our security guard room, wheelchair ramps for handicap and include an open area for domino, chess and draughts players, a waste water treatment plant to replace our septic and soak-away past systems…”
As the work progress, Lewis noted that it was recommended that the building be constructed with a concrete roof, which would allow further expansion to accommodate offices to house customs and immigration officers in one location.
Against that backdrop, they had eyed having the project completed in time for June’s Music Festival, “however, due to unforeseen circumstances the completion date was protracted”.
A second deadline of Culturama was missed, though the building was about 85 percent complete.
Lewis stated that the project was hit by the passage of the two Category 5 Hurricanes, which further delayed its completion.
Nevertheless, the facility was completed to the sum of $1.4M and it can accommodate 75 people in the waiting area.
Following the ribbon cutting ceremony, Minister of Public Infrastructure, Hon. Ian Liburd stated that the ferry service between St. Kitts and Nevis is very important for businesses, school and personal travel.
“Imagine what travel between St. Kitts and Nevis would have been like without these sorts of operations, because this provides a critical link in inter-island transportation structure which served more than 140,000 passengers annually.”
Previously, passengers travelling to Nevis would have been greeted with a pungent smell as they waited to board the vessels, and at times had to mingle with vagrants at that location.
