FLOOD MITIGATION PROJECT

Treasure Beach Forum: TB Runnin's: FLOOD MITIGATION PROJECT
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Earl on Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 10:33 am: Edit Post

As most persons visiting this website would know by now, J$16 million has been allocated for work on fixing the flooding problem in Treasure Beach. That has been a while now and questions are being asked as to why work has not yet started on the project. After all, the next hurricane season is approaching!

I did an interview with on Wednesday evening (Power 106FM) with Stephen Shaw, the Communication and Customer Service Manager at the National Works Agency (NWA) to find out what’s going on. We also spoke about the much anticipated road repairs, which will be done as a separate project. Below are excerpts from that interview:




RE: FLOOD MITIGATION

EM: What’s holding up the start of this project?

SS: We need to find the owner of a property between the roadway and the sea before we can commence the work. We have been trying to get the assistance of persons in the community to find the person. The latest information that I received just today was that someone has been identified who lives in Miami, and a resident has promised to contact that person between this evening (Wednesday) and tomorrow morning (Thursday) for us to get a definitive answer as to how to proceed. Failing that we might have to go the route of compulsory acquisition, which is a little bit lengthy. We don’t really want to go in that direction. We would love to start the work today or tomorrow, if possible. Once we get the permission of the owner of this property to go through… to cut the drain to take the water out to sea, there shouldn’t be a problem.

EM: How much longer will you wait to finally settle the matter with this person, if this person can be found?

SS: We are hoping that the matter can be settled, one way or the other before the middle of March. If we are able to find this individual and there is no objection to us going through… we will start the work soon thereafter.

EM: So, if you were to be able to make contact with this land owner tomorrow and get that person’s cooperation, you would be able to begin the work by when?

SS: The next step would be to have the contractor mobilized and he would have a couple of weeks within which to do so. The contractor is actually there and is ready and rearing to go so I don’t think that the company will take the two weeks allowed. I suspect that they would be there before the end of next week.

EM: So, the middle of March is the outer limit, but if all goes well, work could actually start as early as next week?

SS: Yes.

EM: Now, how long is this project expected to last?
SS: It should last three to four weeks, given the nature of the work that we have to do down there.

RE THE ROAD WORK

SS: The roadwork will including the main road from the police station (I think it also involves the piece from Pedro Cross to the police station – EM) leading down into Treasure Beach, including the section that leads into Great Bay.

EM: Describe the scope of that work.

SS: It will include improvement in drainage, which is a major issue, especially the area just below the police station and we are looking at various options to correct that problem.

EM: There was a suggestion sometime ago to abandon that deep curve below the police station and take the road through an adjoining property so that you would avoid part of the problem around that deep corner.

SS: Well, the amount of money that we contemplate spending down there would not take that particular suggestion into consideration because that would be something that would be costly.

EM: As far as the drainage situation is concerned, what exactly will be done?

SS: My understanding is that we may have to construct a few metres of u-drains to keep the water from running onto the roadway… There shouldn’t be a problem keeping the water off the roadway and taking it across the road where it needs to go across the road via a culvert and taking it out to sea.

EM: And does the work on the road also have to await your finding this property owner (close to the Great Pond) or will you proceed with the work on the road in the meantime?

SS: We may have to tackle the work on the road before we go down to the Great Pond, but the Great Pond is really our main concern.








Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By TBNet on Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 10:41 am: Edit Post

Thanks for that update, Earl. And it sounds promising. Let's hope its a true soon come thing.

It sounds like there are two projects:
One for improving the water flow on the road just below the police station.
And one for draining the flood plain in Treasure Beach.
Correct?

-TBNet


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Earl on Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 11:28 am: Edit Post

That's correct, TBNet. The $16million mentioned is just for the flood mitigation project.

The road project is separate and includes work, not just to fix the water flow below the police station, but the entire road surface.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Frenchman /Canada on Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 12:35 pm: Edit Post

Earl, I think if we can get the name of the person that owns this piece of land published on this site I am sure someone might be able to get in contact with them.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Earl on Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 02:53 pm: Edit Post

Frenchman/ Canada,
I understand that some progress is being made towards finding that person.
The property, I believe, is part of the Olde Wharf sub-division. There are probably persons closer to the situation who might be able to help, in the event that the NWA does not succeed in its own efforts.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Soji O on Friday, February 24, 2006 - 12:51 am: Edit Post

I am glad and grateful that some of the recurrent problems of drainage, pothole, flooding and street washout is been addressed.
I am flabbergasted by the suggestion that landowner are been sorted. Whatever happened to land registrar in Kingston, where all land titles, conveyances, survey and the abstract are registered and kept, if taxes are been paid on these lands, won't someone know where the tax notices are been sent?. The more reason while redundancy is important in all government paper, why can't duplicate of all titles and the likes be kept at the Parish level, in Black River. Centralized government is sometimes a disaster.
Kingston houses everything. It is a shame that to get a travelling passport, Kingston, to register a piece of land Kingston, register a survey Kingston. In this age of computers and information technology.
It is about time decentralization takes hold and improve the lives of some of the people living in the Parishes and in the country.
Are there any engineering studies or drawings that supports and dictates this road works that is been started, how can we be sure that, this not one of those contracted job that has to be done now and to be repeated in six month, when the hurricane gets here. How good is the Contractor, has he or she ever done road works and how good, and how long have they lasted?. Publish this some where so that all can see and know who is/are the Contractor/s.
I hope and pray they hire some hands around town, this way some the economic impact at least filters down to residents and citizen of Treasure Beach and vicinities
If by know, no one know exactly where the drain ages, piping, and the path of the construction is going through, are we buying a pig in a poke?. Buying the land and pay the wrong owner's. I hope not.
Whatever happened to eminent domain, with fair and just compensation. If the project starts in March, I will imagine the land should have been purchased and in the hands of the authorities concern by now.
Please let do this right the first time and maitanin the same.
Thanks to all concern


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rebecca on Friday, February 24, 2006 - 02:34 pm: Edit Post

I saw surveyors around Old Wharf Rd. today. I take that as a sign the project is moving forward.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Earl on Friday, February 24, 2006 - 08:49 pm: Edit Post

Encouraging news, Rebecca.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bowl on Wednesday, March 01, 2006 - 09:48 pm: Edit Post

Hi Rebecca
Please convey this message to the relevant autorities to contact me, Hursley Moxam(Bowl)re the land in question. My number is 3788717/9650792.
Thank you.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rebecca on Thursday, March 02, 2006 - 05:58 pm: Edit Post

Thanks so much Bowl. I've been offline for two days as my phone line was down, so I just delivered the msg.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By blair on Tuesday, March 07, 2006 - 08:41 pm: Edit Post

In america There is such a thing as eminent domain,
basically it is the power of the government to aquire property for the good of the many as opposed to the good of the few or one, generaly the only question is how much you will be paid for it, which you can always argue in court. i know this is not america, Thank God!! but in this
particular case, i am reasonably sure that most people will agree with me, take what is needed and
get the project completed asap, and worry about the owner later.