During the course of this year, the government of Dominica is set to commence and continue construction of various major projects in the Soufriere constituency.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, along with the parliamentary representative for that constituency, Denise Charles, members of cabinet and government officials, visited the sites of several developments, some ongoing and others about to take off.
The Prime Minister said the government is embarking on housing initiatives in many communities in the south to ensure that the country’s most vulnerable citizens are provided with safe and resilient shelter.
He said new housing developments will begin this year in Scottshead and Point Michelle as well as other projects such as a new community center for Gallion which will also serve as a hurricane shelter.
Reporting on his one-on-one tour during his Annou Pale program Sunday night, Skerrit said the first phase is the Savanne-Scotts Head housing development. This development will comprise 16 homes of which 9 will be three-bedroom stand-alone homes, along with an additional 9 studio apartments.
“That is part of a first phase of a bigger project because 16 plus 9 won’t solve the problem of the housing situation in Scotts Head but it’s an important start. We’ve had to acquire in excess of seven acres for that development and we look forward to the place being advanced in the next weeks or so…to start the construction of these homes,” he added.
Palrep for the consistuency, Hon. Denise Charles expressed her excitement about the plans to build resilient homes within her constituency.
“ For the constituency especially of Scottshead who have been displaced since hurricane Maria, they have been very patient and I’m thankful for that but soon, I hope this year, we will be able to hand the first set of keys,” the prime minister stated. “We planted the master plan for the area because as I said, we acquired four acres of land, so it’s a huge undertaking. So, hopefully in the future, we’ll be able to offer lots to other families who want to build their own homes.”
The next project is said to be the Scotts Head slipway where the fishermen of the village wish to build a fish landing site to facilitate the hauling of their boats during difficult weather.
The prime minister said fishing is the main economic activity in that constituency and has given a commitment to ensure that a slipway is built so that the fisher folks can secure their vessels.
The Soufriere and Scotts Head wall repair is another project that the government is embarking on as Hurricane Maria impacted about 50 meters of the wall.
“We spent in excess of 40 million dollars building two sea walls between Scotts Head and Soufriere which is a major investment in the community, some years ago but of course, with the Hurricane Maria, there was an impact on a section of the wall which was about 50 meters and so this requires some money and we have the designs for that and I’ve given go ahead for us to have this intervention because if we do not do it now, it will cost us a lot more money because there will be further damage,” Skerrit explained.
The new health center in Soufriere is also about to open but one of the challenges is the delay in the arrival of equipment and furniture.
Charles said the project was completed and last year and health center is expected to be commissioned, “hopefully”, during the first quarter of this year. She said she has received assurances from the minister of health and, once the equipment arrives, “we will commission this health center which is greatly needed by the constituency as they are under the Roseau health district.”
The MP said a health center in the community will eliminate the cost to the residents of traveling to Roseau to receive certain health care services.
In addition to housing, Gallion has also been earmarked for a multi-purpose resource center which, according to the prime minister, can be used as a shelter for the residents, a training center for young and senior people and a place where meetings and social gatherings can be held.
“And one of the elements of this is that we intend to use all of the indigenous stones in Gallion because Gallion has skilled people who can cut the stones almost to perfection and we will be utilizing them to harvest, shape and pave the stones so when you look at the building. It will reflect the environment in Gallion and the resources that they have to enhance the aesthetics of the community but also the social life,” he stated.
Charles said the government has already commissioned an architect and a site visit has also been done with the residents who shared their vision.
“The vision is that we will build multi-purpose center with two floors. The first floor to accommodate gatherings, trainings and then the upstairs to have offices and maybe…other forms of training on the second floor and also to provide health services and then an office for administrative work,” the Parlrep revealed.
She said about 1.06 acres of land has already been acquired by the government to build the Center and to make a playing field.
As it relates to the Pointe Michel housing development, the government has committed to build 16 homes in the first phase, but according to the prime minister, more land is needed.
The proposed construction of 16 homes in Pte. Michel is part of a larger intervention in the constituency to house people in Green Valley and the wider Pointe Michel constituency, according to Skerrit.
Pointe Michel was as one of the villages severely impacted by Hurricane Maria and lost over 30 residents during the storm. Charles said, as a result, the government decided that most of the families who resided near ravines had to be relocated.
“We started with a first phase where ten homes were constructed and ten families were relocated to a safer place where they were given resilient homes,” she remarked.
Over 100 families in the constituency are still displaced and Charles asked affected families who have not yet received homes to understanding and patient as the process continues
“We have to give the priority to the families most at risk and are desperately in need of a home,” she said.
DS you 100% correct,most of the houses in Dominica were not built by skerrit.Even if the DLP gave people $250,000 and $300,000 apartment and homes,is IBO and JackA Jones(JJ) saying Skerrit is also paying their utility bills?According to the traffic dept Dominica has 37,000 registered out of a population of under 73,000.The minimum wage has increased by 90%.Fish is in abundance.Fruits and vegetables are in abundance.Ripe bananas vendors,coconut vendors are making money.Hillary one of the UWP attack D is now building a five floor apartment in the middle of Roseau.S-Mart,Do IT CENTER,Burton,Fresh market,Jays and several small business were opened under DLP.Clear Harbour,NEP,yes we care,$300 for 2,700 seniors.More police,teachers,firemen and nurses are employed.No more PIT TOILET as we had under UWP.No more hospital USER FEES as we had under UWP.School bus service we did not have under UWP.UWP abandoned Dominica after hurricane Maria.Dominicans no longer carry water on their heads.
I want to know who are all these holding cameras and what are they camera Ing? If they are reporters, are they from Dominica and from what news organization. None has the balls to question the King of Lies on issues that are of vital to the people.
Why don’t you quit your ranting, you have been given a forum put forth your questions to The PM, express an informed opinion and yes you could write an open letter to the PM on this forum. What are the lies on issues that trouble you that are not being dealt with, be brave enough just say it.
the cameras are to snap your rass when you are caught talking nonsense and to send you a citation in the mail to pay just as is done with speed cameras, to send you a citation for exceeding the speed limit. You are exceeding your nonsense so look out for a ticket in the mail ASAP.
“This development will comprise 16 homes of which 9 will be three-bedroom stand-alone homes, along with 9 studio apartments.”
DNO there is a mathematical error here – 16 – 9 + 7. So what is correct 7 three-bedroom standalone homes and 9 studio apartments or vice versa – 9 3-bedroom and 7 studio? Please clarify.
Thanks
ADMIN: Thank you for taking the time to point that out. We have since corrected the line.
The government has access to many billions of dollars compliment of the CBI program. Once you have money, any government can build houses, roads, health centres, et cetera. All these things stated are important.
What is most important is the living standard of the masses. There will always be poor among us. However, in a progressive, well managed country, the percentage of destitute citizens should be miniscule.
The best indicator to judge the success of any government is the Standard of Living of the population. Do most of the citizens and residents have financial security? Can they purchase the necessities of life and other essentials to maintain a healthy lifestyle (shelter, food, clohes, healthcare, utilities without depending on handouts)?
Today, even the vast majority of civil servants who have been employed for decades are living from hand to mouth. They are one salary away from hunger and starvation. This is an objective fact. Skerrit should GO NOW!
Ibo France. Why mix matters? You ask pertinent questions which I agree with but you too political and your seem to not like the PM. Ease up on the man and do the objective criticism and suggestions. Politics kay chway zort! Too much. You were sensible until …..
@TTT…What’s there to like about Skerrit?
Why do you write such nonsense again, The opening paragraph of your comment displays such ignorance, you just rush to say things without any thinking, as long as the narrative suits your political agenda. Put aside your imaginary billions that the Government has. Do you think money comes from the Sky to the coffers of the CBI. Do you know the hard work that the Agents, The Government and The PM do behind the scenes to convince potential investors to choose Dominica CBI program from the many other Countries competing for the bottom line, revenue to help build their Country.
When will you remove that BOX from your head and stop the nonsensical narrative which does nothing to advance the agenda you want to accomplish.
The rest of your comment regarding your opinion on the economic and social well-being of people and your indicators is somewhat a fantasy of a materialistic mind, ignoring so many factors. Skerrit should GO NOW! By your silly narratives, lol
DNO has reduced itself mainly as a conduit for Roosevelt Skerrit and his despotic regime’s self-promotion.
No one likes to see photos and videos of himself as Skerrit. So he stages these photo-opts to get favourable publicity from GIS, DBS, Kairi and DNO for certain. He (Skerrit) knows that if he picks up a piece of paper off the street of Roseau, DNO and the other three blind mice would praise him as a devout environmentalist.
At this very moment:
*the economy has descended to the abyss – No mention
*many people’s water and electricity services have been disconnected – Not a word
*agriculture and manufacturing are under water – Mouth tightly shut, pen out of ink
*pubic servants get starvation wages, government ministers overly obese salaries – Dropped pin silent
*corruption omnipresent in Dominica – Hush!Hush!
DNO, Kairi, GIS and DBS have turned a blind eye to all infraction and anomalies of the absolute WORST ruling administration in the Eastern Caribbean.
IBO France, get a life. You are not happy that the people of Grandbay rejected Handbag? I was at the supermarket weekend past, bought some groceries and bought a handbag to put them in. Once I got home and unloaded the handbag, I trashed the handbag in the dumpster. No good. That is the way Grandbay people felt.
@Ibo France You are doing a brilliant job by calling out the crooks ( whoever they be) for getting in bed with a dictator. But everything is for a time. Keep up the good work. I know it takes much of your time but you do so because you love your country and you don’t seek favors from anyone. Every local business owner in Dominica seems to be bought by Skerrit. They have no morals, no spine and no BALLS. But change is coming. Stay the course, Sir. Much respect to you.
Happy to read about the ongoing projects for the Soufriere Constituency which includes Pointe Michel, Soufriere, Scotts-Head and Gallion. I would also like to hear some talk about building the road from Brooklyn, Soufriere to Tete-Morne, Grandbay. For years people in the Grandbay area would walk that dirt road from Tete-Morne to Soufriere to sell their produce to the residents of Soufriere and Scotts-Head. The road is there. It just needs to be widened and paved and made motorable just as was done some years ago to the Soufriere-Gallion road. Also take a look at the Brooklyn playing field in Brooklyn, Soufriere and see if it needs to be rehabilitated and brought up to club standard. Thanks. For too long the Soufriere Constituency had been neglected by previous governments.
Yay, godking and crew in the place. People must be excited. Wish we were focused more on the commonwealth of dominica and our youth than we are on what government doing. The whole nation united working to take dominica further.
tt, get a life. You are irrelevant. Why don’t you educate the youth and find something meaningful for them to do. Like you so care about the youth. What a joke.
Early campaign
These developments will be close to completion by de next general election.
Every cycle it’s the same…..no vision really.
Cheap poorly constructed houses for unwavering loyalty to the Skerrit labor party.
I recently visited Bellevue Chopin housing area and I was not amused.
Who expecting anything dramatic?
Health centers……closed because of staffing issues.
dissident, you are irrelevant.