{"id":255394,"date":"2020-09-07T11:51:15","date_gmt":"2020-09-07T15:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/?p=255394"},"modified":"2020-09-07T11:59:12","modified_gmt":"2020-09-07T15:59:12","slug":"residents-continue-efforts-to-restore-delices-petite-savanne-road-with-some-govt-assistance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/homepage\/news\/residents-continue-efforts-to-restore-delices-petite-savanne-road-with-some-govt-assistance\/","title":{"rendered":"Residents continue efforts to restore Delices-Petite Savanne Road with some govt assistance"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Villagers at work restoring Delices-Petite Savanne Rd<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Attorney, Singoala Blomvqist Williams, who spearheaded efforts to restore the Delices-Petite Savanne Road, has welcomed Government’s decision to provide some assistance, however, she says more money will be needed to complete the project.<\/p>\n

The road, which connected several communities on the south-east of Dominica, was severely damaged due to the passage of Tropical Storm (TS) Erika in 2015 and was further affected by the passage of Hurricane Maria in 2017.<\/p>\n

Built in 1996 by the United Workers Party (UWP), this road was built to benefit farmers and people from Petite Savanne, Delices and other villages as far north as La Plaine, creating opportunities for internal trade among the villages. It was also viewed as an experiment in community agroforestry stimulus development on the island.<\/p>\n

As a direct beneficiary of the road, Blomvqist Williams, who resides at Pointe Mulatre, with the assistance of villagers, spearheaded a project to clear the area at a time when it appeared to be forsaken.<\/p>\n

Following an announcement by Minister for Public Works, Senator Cassani Laville, that the government was prepared to assist with the project, Blomvqist Williams and the minister met on September 2, 2020, to discuss the way forward for the completion of the road.<\/p>\n

According to Blomvqist, the government has only promised to build a bridge and a culvert as part of the works and expects that the residents will complete the project. However, with over\u00a0 $100,000 of her money already invested in the works, the attorney says more money will be needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat road is our lifeline. As you know, Delices is very far from Roseau and without a road infrastructure, you cannot really develop,” Blomqvist-Williams told\u00a0 Dominica News Online. “When the road was built, we saw a lot of developments taking place. We had hotels, guest houses and it was just a booming community. You could have interactions between the neighboring villages and it was just good for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said another benefit was the ease of travel as\u00a0 \u201cit would take me 35-40 minutes to get to town on the \u2018Back Road\u2019 but nearly 1 hour and 30 minutes through La Plaine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blomqvist-Williams said that in a project that has not been without its challenges, the assistance by other villagers has been \u201cinvaluable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started in 2015 but after Maria we had to abandon and I had my personal issues and I could not face both at a time but this year we regrouped and then we restarted,\u201d she stated. \u201cI have a lot of support from the communities of both Delices and Petite Savanne because they have started clearing the road on their side. The sweat equity they have put in is invaluable. My people are very, very community-minded and that came to bear for that project.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though she welcomed the government’s pledge of support, Blomvqist admitted the project is costly and said more assistance would have been welcomed.<\/p>\n

\u201cInitially I thought they were going to take over the project but the Minister has promised to do these two things for us. I have two machines there, I have to pay an operator, I have to pay to clear, pay for diesel and it is expensive but you have to do what you have to do,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

Senator Laville has publicly commended the efforts of the communities to make the road motorable but noted that there are areas in which the government must intervene.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are areas for us to get involved and give advice, particularly on the technical front because this activity is not just clearing. Road safety is of tremendous concern for us and it is a priority for us and that is part of the reason why the government has not endeavoured to clear this road as yet,\u201d he stated while conducting a walkthrough of the area.<\/p>\n

Laville also indicated that based on geotechnical reports, the government had been advised that the land was unstable a few years back hence, the decision to not get involved sooner.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut right now we have been reassessing and based on what we are seeing along that road network, we are safer to allow the road to be cleared and to embark on this venture right now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Minister further cautioned that the clearance of this road does not make it permissible for the individuals to resettle in the Petite Savanne area as it is still deemed unsafe.<\/p>\n

He is\u00a0 hopeful that the\u00a0 attitude of residents of the Southeast will resonate throughout the country where citizens take action rather than \u201cbeing dependent on the government.\u201d<\/p>\n