Grenville Market Project on stream

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Parent Category: Nov 2011

Category: Week ending Nov 26th, 2011

Published on Tuesday, 29 November 2011 18:18

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The three-year old Government of Prime Minister Tillman Thomas is confident that completion of work on the market of the Greater Grenville Project is on schedule. Speaking on the weekly radio programme, “NDC Heartbeat,”

Sen. Modeste spoke of making an onsite visit of the project together with the Chief Technical Officer (CTO) Cecil Harris last week and is impressed with what he has seen. He said the foundation has already been laid and work is progressing smoothly with the building.

“I am pleased that the people will have modern facilities in conditions that are fitting for the times we live in,” he said. Sen. Modeste who took over as Works Minister following a mini cabinet reshuffle two months ago spoke of his ministry currently focusing on a number of projects for which funding has been secured.

Foremost among the projects is phase two of the multi-million dollar farm roads project that has received funding from the Kuwaiti Fund. Sen. Modeste said government is currently at the pre-tendering stage of the project. He spoke of Cabinet having approved a consulting firm to prepare the tendering documents.

Government was forced to place the project out for retendering after negotiations with the Kuwaiti-based Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) to execute the project broke down. The Works Minister said eight companies including CCC are prequalified for the project of $54 million.

“I think it would make a substantial difference on the ground in terms of employment generation,” he said. Efforts are also on for refurbishment work to be done on the athletics stadium that was damaged by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004.

Sen. Modeste announced that a proposal that has been submitted to government by the Chinese Government has been accepted by the Cabinet. He said recently Minister of Youth Empowerment and Sports Patrick Simmons went on a site visit with the CTO and officials from the Chinese Government.

Sen. Modeste also disclosed that work will soon commence on the St. Patrick’s road network. He said the ministry already has the preliminary designs from the Caribbean Development Bank. That work will start from Duquense in St. Mark’s and involves widening of the road and a number of bridges throughout the Parish of St. Patrick’s.

Phase two of the schools’ rehabilitation project of a number of schools is also carded to come on stream soon. Sen. Modeste announced that close to two thousand persons have found short-term employment on the debushing programme which is expected to run up until the Christmas Season. Cabinet has approved $2.6 million for that programme.

Word is out that Sen. Modeste is tipped to be the candidate for the Constituency of St. Mark’s for the ruling National Democratic Congress for the next general elections that are constitutionally due in 2013. He used the occasion to outline a number of projects that are air-marked for that Parish. One of those projects is the poultry farm for which he said funding has already been secured.

Sen. Modeste said the Parish is eagerly awaiting the commencement of that project to provide employment for the people there. He said since the closure of the nutmeg receiving station at Victoria seven years ago, a large number of parishioners have been unemployed.

“The poultry project will make a substantial difference in terms of employment generation in the parish,” he said. Another project on stream for the Parish of St. Mark’s is the chocolate factory. Sen. Modeste said government has already been delivering by providing funds for the project.

He said he has been assured by Agriculture Minister Denis Lett that by the end of December work on the project should commence. The Works Minister also said work which was stalled on one of the day care centre about three years ago is due to recommence. He said government is expected to spend about $400,000.00 on the project.

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