As part of its 45th Anniversary activities, the Dominica Agricultural Industrial and Development Bank (AID Bank) has embarked on an Adopt-A-Road, Tree Planting project.
On Tuesday a number of trees including palm trees and Bwa Kwaib were planted alongside the E.O Leblanc Highway on Goodwill road by staff of the AID Bank.
They were assisted by teachers and students of the Environmental Club of the Goodwill Secondary School, the Goodwill Primary School and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Urban Renewal, Denise Edwards in order to further beautify the area.
“When the Goodwill road highway was constructed by the Ministry of Communication and works the banks saw an opportunity to contribute to the enhancement and beautification of that strip of road between the old Potterville boat house and Ma Boyd’s Bar,” Special Projects/Communication Coordinator at AID Bank, Josephine Dechausay- Titre said while addressing a ceremony on Tuesday.
According to her, the strip of road is within the bank’s immediate environs and on April 25th, 2012 the bank entered into a formal arrangement with the relevant ministry at that time.
“The bank proposed to the Ministry to plant grass in the estimated area, so that is about 31,000 square feet,” Dechausay- Titre explained. “We also requested permission to plant palms along the seawall…we also wanted to erect traffic signs that are deemed necessary by the traffic department.”
Additionally, she stated that the bank wanted to undertake the responsibility for managing the signage along this length of road.
However, she revealed that the Permanent Secretary at the time informed that bank through a letter that the Ministry will be the one responsible for erecting the traffic signs as deemed necessary.
She went on to say that road and highway infrastructure is critical to the quality of life.
“Clearly businesses depend on reliable road networks for the well-organized distribution of their goods and services,” she noted. “For public and private transportation, proper road structures positively impact our livelihood and vehicles.”
Dechausay- Titre added, “Our communities on a whole dependent on transportation and efficient road infrastructure for accessibility to their jobs, healthcare, education, food and clothing, farms, animal movement and personal mobility.”
She pointed out that in this era of climate change road and highway structures are also extremely sensitive, “and the onus is on all of us to positively contribute to sustaining and beautifying our environment.”
She said recently the Bank was very disheartened when an act of vandalism was visited upon the company.
“The top of several of our palms lower down the streets were cut resulting in damage from the entire plant,” Dechausay- Titre remarked.
Meantime; Edwards said the government is trying its best to get Dominica to look clean, green, beautiful and welcoming.
That she mentioned is a very difficult task.
“It is a very difficult task because we are trying to do it from the point of view where the government is trying to do this part, but we need everybody in Dominica to play their park,” Edwards urged. “We need to beautify Dominica first for ourselves and then from the point of view from the Ministry of Tourism, for the visitors that come to our shore, and so every Dominican is responsible for beautifying Dominica, but the Government is taking the lead.”
Edwards invites other organizations/ institutions to join in and to adopt other areas.
yes planting trees are good but when the tourist reach the end of that pavement they are at risk of falling down and tripping because from pottersville to the city there are no side walk so while we are planting trees
make side walk even is on one side because motor cycles overtaking on any side and god forbid one day
a tourist will get knock down then we will be so sorry we did not put a side walk on goodwill road.
What kind of men would stand by and watch a lady plant a tree? Nadira is right Dominica is lacking good men, the woman should be watching you all plant the tree.
Don’t be sexist. A woman can plant a tree as well as any man, maybe even better.
What is needed is more trees in Roseau to cut down on the heat in the city.
They are cutting down the huge mimosa trees in front of the prime minister’s house next to forte young that look so majestic, and so beautiful when in bloom , and yet they are planting trees which will take another fifty years to reach the many that they cut, what kind of nonsense is that? during the world 2016 Olympic games Brazil gave each country a tree to plant in the Olympic garden to cut down on global warming , and Dominican are cutting there trees wright in front of the prime minister” house what a shame we are thinking backward that’s why they call us Dom-inicans.
I have no time for the President or our P.M. but that tree was sick brother, so it had to come down for the sake of safely. I only hope they plant another one there because that old tree looked so majestic.
Shame on Corbette watching a young lady plant a tree.
why you think the lady cannot a shovel because she have a dress?
Corbette is a senior citizen, excuse the man.
Avery nice and welcome initiative. thank you. Can we do something similar for the denuded stretch of road at Lallay Coco? That looks so dilapidated , strewn with all kinds of rubbish now and is no advert for a nature isle.