Letter from George Parham:


Major Jones, BELIZE PORT AUTHORITY

Mr. Martin Alegria, DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Mr. Craig Moore, GEOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Mr. Wilbur Sabido, FORESTRY DEPARTMENT

Honourable Elsa Paz, MAYORESS, SAN PEDRO TOWN

Honourable Manuel Heredia, Jr., AREA REPRESENTATIVE



Distinguished Public Officials:



The word came as a shock. There's going to be a new, privately-owned Port in San Pedro Town. It's going to be built in a residential area on the south side of the Island. The road that the trucks with their containers will have to travel past homes within 30 or 40 feet of the road. Stretches of the road are virtually impassable during the rainy season, now. The same roads are "dust bowls" from normal traffic during the dry season. When the new cobblestone road is completed from the water plant northward, we will see unprecedented use by the ever-present incredibly large dump trucks and now we're going to add 20 foot and 40 foot containers with their tractors to the mix? Surely, the powers that have reportedly approved this project have little or no expertise in this type of engineering or little or no regard for the residents, the environment and the future of Ambergris Caye…or we would not be faced with a situation with "disaster" written all over it.



Let's look at the situation as it is, right now. Work has proceeded and critical mangrove has already been cut from the road to the sea. Was a permit obtained? We don't know but we trust one of you can tell us. A rock roadway has been started to allow a large mechanical shovel to operate. WILL THE REEF, HOL CHAN AND SHARK RAY ALLEY BE AFFECTED BY THE EBB AND FLOW OF THE CURRENTS AND THE POTENTIAL SILTING THAT IS BOUND TO OCCUR IN THE COMING YEARS? THIS PROPERTY FACES THESE VALUABLE AND PROTECTED SITES. ARE THEY REALLY GOING TO BE PROTECTED FROM POTENTIAL ACCIDENTAL OIL OR CHEMICAL SPILLS FROM BARGES CARRYING A VAST ARRAY OF ITEMS FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MANY INDUSTRIES?



Aside from the multiple environmental issues, we have a thriving tourism industry that supports thousands of people on this island. Do we think that a working port with the potential for many barges to be in the process of unloading or loading on our beachfront is the sight we want to greet our guests? Most destinations work very hard at locating their ports and industrial buildings "out of sight". Will literally thousands of residents and guests be awakened to the sounds of large trucks passing their homes or rooms at 5:00 a.m. or 11:00 p.m.? Or, will the barge industry suddenly enact rigid schedules for their loading, unloading and trucking for this new site? They haven't seen fit to do this at the current piers being utilized.



The Government of Belize (and by extension, the citizens of this country) built a new marina/port on the back side of the island at substantial expense. There have been up to 4 barges there at one time but we hear cries that with that many you can't turn one around. Has anyone ever heard of scheduling? This location also is accessed by a road to the back that bypasses many, but not all, residential areas but it won't have to travel a substantial amount of the new cobblestone road. While the people have had to bear the cost of this marina/port, we will now have to bear the many additional costs associated with the need for better roads and maintenance if the new port proceeds. For a country with too little income and a multitude of needs, this looks like the wrong project at the wrong time and for all the wrong reasons.



We look forward to the opportunity to speak with you about this ill-conceived project and participate in a search for a solution that not only contributes to the protection of all our natural beauty and resources, but also is both citizen and visitor friendly. There is little or no doubt that win-win solutions are usually the best solutions for all.



Respectfully,
South Ambergris Caye Neighborhood Watch
Ambergris Caye Chamber of Commerce.