Austrie says Petite Savanne relocation project has started; praises Venezuela for assistance

Austrie said a town will be developed in the area
Austrie said a town will be developed in the area

Housing Minister, Reginald Austrie, has revealed the project to relocate residents of Petite Savanne to Bellevue Chopin has commenced while praising Venezuela for assisting Dominica after the passage of Tropical Storm Erika.

Addressing residents of the community on Monday evening, Austrie said the project will be done in two phases. Works on the first phase have already started while the balance will be handled by the MCCE Group, which, he said, will develop “a town” at the location.

“The housing will be basically in two phases,” he explained. “On the lowers slopes we will be putting another 50 Petrocasas. Work on that has started, we have done the foundations, around 12, and works have started on that.”

Austrie pointed out that a number of factors had to be taken into consideration in the project since the area was a forest.

“It was a forest and we had to do the clearing, we had to do the designs, we had to do the surveys, we had to do the layouts…” he noted.

He said that because of Venezuela, the government didn’t have to worry about financing “because not only did they give us the houses but they also provided monies for the labour and the concrete foundation on which these houses are built.”

“So we must thank the Venezuelan government because, in a situation where they have their own challenges, and we all watch our television sets, we all watch the news, we listen to the news, they have tremendous challenges and their challenges did not happen after Erika, the challenges were there before Erika, and yet still they could find 300 Petrocasas, valued at over $30-million to give to the government of Dominica as a gift and the most we can do is to give thanks to that, to appreciate it and to pray for the good fortunes of the Venezuelan people and the Venezuelan government.”

Austrie stated that the balance of the project will be handled by the MCCE Group. The government and the company signed a contract for the relocation project in July 2016.

“That’s a company that is coming in to assist us in developing a town in Bellevue Chopin and the designs and the layout of the community represents a town,” he stated.

He said the company will be constructing two-bedroom units, three-bedroom units, and four-bedroom units for the residents for Petite Savanne.

Furthermore, he stated that provisions are being made for a commercial area at the location.

“For those of you who are worried by employment, 24 of those units will be for commercial areas, for small retail shops, for the barbers, for the hairdressers for the bakeries, for the pharmacies, that will be provided for as part of development,” Austrie noted.

He also spoke of the provision of water to the area.

“Before Erika there was a program by the BNTF to improve the water in Bellevue Chopin by a 30,000-gallon tank,” Austrie explained. “With the coming of new development, the developers, along with DOWASCO, are seeking to develop an additional 100,000 gallons tank that will ensure adequate and sufficient water for the entire community of Bellevue, Petite Savanne as to what now exists and the intention is that water will be pumped from the Pichelin River.”

Petite Savanne was evacuated after Erika after authorities deemed the area unsafe.

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42 Comments

  1. Tell the Facts
    August 31, 2016

    One thing I do know, when the houses are completed they should look beautiful. Imagine living in a house which no one ever lived in; a brand new house with certain amenities. They should be happy.
    The area will look like a new town. I expect the inhabitants will be advised to keep it clean and tidy. It will be to their advantage. They should be proud of their new homes and also keep the surroundings neat.
    There is no doubt they are all looking forward to residing there. Good luck!

  2. 'No Respector of Persons'
    August 31, 2016

    ACE ENGINEERING should have been given this project.

  3. Ossie
    August 31, 2016

    Anthony P. Ismael said it best. This is just an attempt to secure a permanent voting block. But if these houses are sub standard, which is true for all government controlled activities, then it will backfire and LP will lose votes. Government is fundamentally corrupt, inefficient and MANIPULATIVE.

  4. Sout' Rebel
    August 31, 2016

    Another “plastic Ghetto” similar to the one built in Geneva from an administration with no vision.

    • Me
      August 31, 2016

      @Sout’Rebel …..As long as you don’t have better housing to offer the people my suggestion is to keep your comments to yourself. They are still in shelters and you are yet to provide proper housing for them but here you are criticizing. I bet you don’t even have a proper house yourself.

    • giving
      August 31, 2016

      so why don’t you find somewhere better for them

  5. JUSTICE
    August 30, 2016

    :?: As far as I can see, this is an ugly design and not suitable for the people of Petite Savanne. This community design looks too congested, especially for these plastic houses. The people should reject such houses.

    • D/can to bone(F)
      August 31, 2016

      Hope you can offer something better . You people are sick in Dominica . If you can OFFER BETTER LET ME KNOW . yOU MUST BE ONE OF THOSE POLITICAL IDIOT THAT SEE BLUE ONLY. SAME ON YOU AS DOMINICA . You sound stupid .

    • Mercie beaucoup
      August 31, 2016

      Can you offer them something better? or are you just jealous that you are not one of the beneficiaries?

    • Say it
      August 31, 2016

      One would do you good
      Because you do not have one of your own
      Lazy bastard
      Stop criticising and get some work

    • Me
      August 31, 2016

      Justice…when you give them something more suitable, they will reject what they give them. Some of you like to move your fingers without thinking and have nothing to offer. Did you offer any of them shelter at your bungalow? Hope you have one.

    • Tell the Facts
      August 31, 2016

      If you feel can do better, go ahead and build some houses for them which you think will be to your liking.

      • Tell the Facts
        August 31, 2016

        “you can. . .”

  6. August 30, 2016

    sometimes I ask myself what rock some of you crawl from under …..there is a tab on your computer that is labeled enter, before you press it please, please, please read over some over the garbage you write before posting….

  7. Anthony P. Ismael
    August 30, 2016

    Yet another community in the making with two-by-four road design. When …. like Austrie are left in charge of such projects, the end result is predictable. I guess this will be another community with bicycle-traffic only.

  8. DomiChina
    August 30, 2016

    “300 Petrocasas, valued at over $30-million to give to the government of Dominica as a gift and the most we can do is to give thanks to that, to appreciate it and to pray for the good fortunes of the Venezuelan people and the Venezuelan government.”

    • weypapa/mama
      August 31, 2016

      The Venezuela people didn\’t give it. It was given by their Dictator. Same as we have here in Dominica – All help is from SCARE-IT. Not from and of the will of the people. :twisted:

      • Tell the Facts
        August 31, 2016

        Utilize your common sense, if you have any. When a government gives/donates a gift of whatever sort, it is always on behalf of the people, even though it may not have been mentioned. It is never a personal gift of/from the government. It also goes without saying.
        Canada, US, Europe, etc., give gifts. It is never on behalf of solely the governments of these countries. It is always, on behalf of the people. They never ask us. They simply go ahead and donate whatever gift they decide but it is always on behalf of the people, the taxpayers.
        The same as welcoming people/refugees to their country. If you do not know that, learn it.

    • CRIME STOPPERS
      August 31, 2016

      was just thinking the same, 100k per house, what about the people who had 500k homes which normally reflect their standard of living… as opposed to two bedroom plastic houses with limited lot spaces.

      while the place was deemed unfit by a prime minister with no engineering degree. I am guessing that the disaster prone areas could be excavated and made safe for those people…. I think its a bad choice for what was left behind and abandoned….

      • Tell the Facts
        August 31, 2016

        If you feel so, go ahead and excavate it and make it habitable. You could probably live there with other critics.
        Some of you have all the answers as you criticize. Nothing is ever pleasing to you.

  9. Shaka Zulu
    August 30, 2016

    I have just a couple questions. Who is going to own the land eventually? How is government going to transfer land ownership? This is going to be a permanent community and i can see it being there for the next hundred years if erosion from water runoff and new slope load does not affect the land stability. Part of human growth is owning property so they can get loans and be independent. Thier current property in PS is rendered useless. I see a generation of folks in a cycle of land disputes later if these properties are not registered properly. I will also like to ask Reginald if this site was considered under the currently developing land use policy the Gov is talking about? Since it will be newest community, and are there any rivers at the foothills? There are more questions but i will stop here.

    • Thinking out loud
      August 30, 2016

      Shaka Zulu, the residents are going to receive their Title for their house and land.

    • Stop poisoning our river
      August 30, 2016

      true true true… you make good points and ask good questions.
      that will be the newest community in DA so they should set the stage for success.

      • Shaka Zulu
        August 31, 2016

        The gov said they going build better and stronger. I dont know bout that with those petro carib houses. Additionally i do not see a wind turbine in the concept and i am not hearing about waste disposal/management/recycling. I guess the Devil is in the details. This is the first community to be developed in this mordern era and i would expect to hear of the inclusion of alternative energy (wind/solar) drainage, sewer etc. You get my drift.

    • I am Petite Savanne Strong
      August 31, 2016

      Shaka Zulu, here’s a bit of advice. Try educating yourself on the ‘Strata Titles Act’ and you will sound a lot more intelligent.

      • Shaka Zulu
        August 31, 2016

        Strata title is a form of ownership devised for multi-level apartment blocks and horizontal subdivisions with shared areas. The ‘strata’ part of the term refers to apartments being on different levels, or “strata”.
        With the simple click of a mouse. Dominica does not traditionally have this type of home ownership. So do we even have such an act? This also does not solve the land ownership problem. I am happy to see you said a lot more intelligent. I don’t know it all and will never but i will research when i need to. Hopefully others can do the same and get out of thier ignorance.

      • Shaka Zulu
        August 31, 2016

        As I promised i will search. The commonwealth of Dominica. Strata titles regulations Act of 1971 S.R.O No 15 of 1991. Jenner B M Armour Attorney General. Have not read it all. Hopefully others reading will find the curiosity to be reliably informed.

    • Anthony P. Ismael
      August 31, 2016

      Labor will own the land forever, creating a permanent voting block for the Red Party for decades to come. :-P :-P :-P :-P :-P :-P

    • Tell the Facts
      August 31, 2016

      Once the houses are built and they take up occupancy, I expect they will receive a title for ownership. I do not think it is otherwise.
      About selling it is another matter. There may be conditions that they may not be able to rent it out or sell it.
      The government as also Mr. Austrie could make this clear. I wonder if the government thought of it. It would be interesting to know.

  10. Mamosa
    August 30, 2016

    Okay, lets keep the trees while the People of Petite Savanne remain homeless.

    • shawan
      August 30, 2016

      To those who gave the thumbs down,I think Mamosa was being sarcastic…gosh learn to read beteween the line.

  11. “Housing Minister, Reginald Austrie, has revealed the project to relocate residents of Petite Savanne to Bellevue Chopin has commenced while praising Venezuela for assisting Dominica after the passage of Tropical Storm Erika.”(Austrie).

    Yes, give praise and thanks to Venezuela, which is now a bankrupt country, because you and Skerrit sucked the blood out of Venezuela. Now that people are starving from hunger what have you done to help alleviate starvation in Venezuela?

    As for the picture you presented, it is nothing more that another artist rendition a figment of your imagination. First of all if the street seen is the entrance to the village, is what it will be like, that proves the fairy tail; because it appears there will be no motor traffic in the village. Is this another Cinderella myth!?

    • Thinking out loud
      August 30, 2016

      You know am not a Labourite or UWP. I do not understand why some of you FOOLISH, IDIOTIC, HALF-WITTED, BRAINLESS PEOPLE thrive so much on negativity, Erica passed devastated the country, took homes, took lives but some people still haven\’t come to realize that we have to be thankful for everything. Yes the Venezuelan Government have give a lot of assistance to us, yes their in crisis now. But tell me, \”if your house caught fire today and i give you the cash to rebuild, and tomorrow mine caught fire but i can\’t afford to rebuild\” Would you say you \”SUCKED MY BLOOD OUT\” and that why i can\’t afford to rebuild mine?

      • If you are referring to me and my comment about Skerrit and Austrie sucked the blood out of Venezuela, I shall reiterate ‘what has Austrie, and Skerrit done to help alleviate the hunger in Venezuela, where people are starved for even the mere necessities of life such as toilet paper!’

        Nothing; and you know why?

        A nation which operates on begging for handouts, and the sale of the nations passports will never have enough to help itself, never mind contribute to a bankrupt neighbors in this case Venezuela.

        For you information idiot, all gifts are not valuable gifts I would rather not give anything to someone, and giving them something with very little value. A home is something that someone live in comfortably, if it is something that will cause as much discomfort as the people are suffering now, as some said they are made out of plastic, whatever that is by all means they should be rejected!

        Government of Trinidad offered some houses to Eugenia after a storm they were…

      • The Government of Trinidad & Tobago offered some houses to Eugenia Charles after a storm, in Dominica, they were substandard, she refused them, she informed the Prime Minister of Trinidad at the time, if they are substandard as people in Trinidad refused to live in them; if they are not good enough for your people, they are not good enough for Dominicans!

        People like you are no accustom to anything superior in your life, so anything will do as long as it is tagged “free” you grovel in the dirt like a chicken to pick it up and sallow.

    • rabidpoliticalanimal
      August 30, 2016

      Garzon ou sot!!

  12. Frelance
    August 30, 2016

    what about the volcanic zone and the advise from the so called specialist that development should not be encouraged in the South; on that basis couldn’t they have found somewhere else. So when the volcano in the area start acting up they will look for another place. By the way I thought it would be thanks to the Canadian firm with our passport money who was on DNO the other day they said sign contract and how ACE and other local contractors will be on board . Those fellars confusing themselves muchless us the population.

    • anon
      August 31, 2016

      so true i remember that certain banks refused loans to people who wanted to purchase land at bellevue because of volcanic activity and now bellevue is deemed fit for housing and petite savan is unsafe….tell me where in d.a is truly safe from rain water and wind nowhere is safe .my two cents is that the people of PS should be made to stay at bellevue while PS is made safe again.i see so many houses still standing at PS yes a few went but the people should be given a choice whether they want to purchase at bellevue or go back homw.who is to say BV is more safe than PS.instead of forcing the peoples hand to stay at BV by not puting light and water is malicious to say the least.also i want to know what the gov’t plans to to with PS now that they have declared it unsafe.although the PS ppl are still paying their mortgages ….what sense does that make i cant go back but still pay my mortgage seriously!ok so lets say its unsafe for living but the ppl still own the land so they can use

      • anon
        August 31, 2016

        ….continued…. so they can use THEIR land to farm.thy can access their land anytime they want to do their farming and their bayleaf which is what they are known for…..i dnt want to hear that they cant go bacck its unsafe blahh blaah blah and in time to come you hear the gov’t using THOSE people lands yes THEIRS for their own use idk.so the people of PS should make wise decisions when choosing to live at BV or PS .i think most of the homes are owned by the parents the kids should relocate to BV and the parents yes they can live at BV or visit but they should continue with their farming and bayleaf at PS put the titles for the land at BV on the kids name.remember the land is still yours!!!! never ever forget that it is yours to do as you please.so what they dont restore light and water collect rain water do your farming dont give up on that NEP jobs can only take one so far think of your livelihood never give that UP!!!

  13. DomiChina
    August 30, 2016

    You mean the same Venezuela that has the food and starvation problems
    or is there another Vene-zuela on the map that I don’t know about.

  14. Juan
    August 30, 2016

    Is it wise to strip the hillside of forest when the trees roots prevent erosion when it rains heavily? Could they not find a more suitable location. Plus the removal of forests harm the environment and ecosystem. If they keep cutting down the trees they will wind up with the problems they now have in the Brazil amazon jungle. JMHO.

    • weypapa/mama
      August 31, 2016

      This odd-ministration knows nothing about the ecosystem and tree root helping to prevent soil erosion. They don\’t even have a clue. They only know how to line their deep pockets.

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