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RE: roads
According to the Government of Belize "there is no road on the north end of the island."
What we have are right of ways through our properties. Just like the beach is called the queens way and people must be given permission to pass through - the size of an ox cart and a man, so can people pass through then main path. The town, nor the central government, will do anything to fix these.
Many of us who live up here try to keep our area patched up. Our anger arises out of our frustration. Until recently all building supplies, yeah all supplies, were delivered by boat. The golf cart path was little used except by bicycles. Electric golf carts were not very practical as you could not make a good round trip on a charge. Then gas golf carts were brought in. Next came ATV, then motor scooters, then motorcycles and now pickup trucks!
Yes, pickup trucks are now crossing the bridge in spite of the fact that we were promised that this would never happen.
Big developments have brought in BIG pieces of machinery and have supplies barged to neighboring landings. Heck - they don't want the beach in front of their soon to be open resort torn up. Now these enormous vehicles run up and down the cart path destroying it where ever the ground is soft. This creates not potholes but virtual lakes.
This is what happened in front of Reef Village and I named it Lake Pierce.
Contrary to what has been posted here Chris Barenfanger and Bob Kjorlein have never run their deliveries on the common cart path. Chris used the right away right behind my bedroom window for all his deliveries and Bob's place is just up the beach from the barge landing.
Reef Village did an incredible marketing job and (so I've been told) many people in the states bought sight un-seen. Hey - the price was right. The web page made it look like the property across the cart path and seaside lots were part of Reef Village. I have heard rumors that they have been purchased by Jeff Pierce. Many units and villas have been sold and it was in the best interest of those people that got the cart path in front of Reef Village improved.
Hopefully many of you will care enough to see the direction this mangrove destroying practice is taking and will care enough to join us who live here full time in calling for a stop to it. South Beach is next! Abuse of our natural resources must be addressed

Not in my back yard (NIMBY) is a common human foible. I know better than to complain about anyone blocking my view and I try not to indulge in it. I slipped when I said I missed my view of the birds on the lagoon. Sorry - I'm very human.

I give up. All I wanted was people to work towards a resolution instead of this chronic complaining. Force in numbers. Guess it's not going to work, so I give up.
Sorry things are the way they are. Sorry it's so difficult to create change. Life sucks sometimes.

Perhaps the resolution is to not allow the same developer to do the proposed South Beach development.I live on the south end, and am well aware of the the Reef Village fiasco. If you think the Reef Village is butt ugly, check this one out. S&S I think you are seeing the frustration of many full time residents, residents who do indeed care for the responsible development of the island. You own a condo at Reef Village, I believe, obviously you wish to protect your investment, but you are in fact dead wrong that this has not been an enviromental disaster.

"you are in fact dead wrong that this has not been an environmental disaster."

excerpt from a P E T I T I O N TO THE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE :

INCREASED COASTAL DEVELOPMENT/TOURISM
a. Poor Land Use Practices

In addition to overfishing, aquaculture problems, and climate phenomena, the GEF/World Bank Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System Initiative identified problems in Belize with excessive and/or inappropriate coastal/island developments, inland resource use, land use, industrial development, port management, shipping, and navigation practices. Studies of the reef indicate that "it will be necessary to implement sound management to improve water
quality by controlling coastal developments."
93
Removal of mangroves for housing and tourist development projects has resulted in declines in fisheries including lobster, reduced
protection from storms and hurricanes, reduced natural pollution mitigation, sediment runoff, and degradation of coral reef ecosystems and associated endangered species and marine
life.
94
Other recognized problems in the area include alteration of habitat by hotel and marine construction, erosion of the shoreline by removal of seagrasses, mangroves, and
vegetation, and siltation problems on coral reefs from dredging and sand mining.
95
Poor land-use practices have amplified the impacts of hurricanes on the reef as well by causing massive amount of sediments to flow into the coastal waters. The added sedimentation increases the stress on corals during extreme ENSO events. Sedimentation
is hazardous to reef-building corals because it interferes with their feeding ability, decreases their access to the light, and may carry pathogens or absorbed chemicals.
[i][/i]

I don't think I disagree that it has been problematic at the least, disastrous at most. Of course I want to protect my investment, but I'd never do so at the expense of the environment. You are all missing my point here. I give up. My hope was to channel this into a productive effort. It's not going to happen, so I give up. Good luck. I do hope the island survives. And, I hope the efforts you all are putting forth in this ends up doing some good.

no, i heard you. i posted this info hoping that some folks thinking of purchasing in the future might read this should they google reef village, south beach belize, or any other developments in question, and think BEFORE they lay down pre-construction dollars, funding the continued devastation.

Same old, same old . . killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

The goose is the environment and the reef. When that is destroyed, there is no reason for tourists to come here except to drink and they do that a lot cheaper in Mexico. The only way to keep the tourist industry healthy is by maintaining a strong grip on healthy growth. Devastation of mangroves and lagoons, next to the aguafur (sp?) i.e the fresh water table, is really economically stupid as well as environmentally insane.

Marty was able to add a picture to my last post. I couldn't do it. You might want to back up and take a look.

As a relative newcomer (7 years) it seems to me the island, and the country, is riding for a fall. So many current policies are unsustainable in the long term. Seashell is absolutely right - the goose is already struggling for life. But it's not too late, so long as serious action is taken now, by the present government.