Government Agrees To Clean Up Canal Area
Mill Creek Road businesses today [Jan 14] announced that they “received a letter from Government on Friday which has indicated that it will clear the canal, floodbox and sluice gate of debris as well as make necessary repairs in the infrastructure that joins the canal and Mill Creek Road by March 31, 2016.”
The group said, “Government advised that it will this week issue a Request for Quotation to contractors to provide quotes to Government within the next three weeks for:
- Removal of trash and debris from floodbox and along canal
- Cutting down vegetation adjoining Mill Creek Road to facilitate assessment of the canal
- Inspection of sluice gate to ensure it is operating properly. Government has indicated that this may need to be dealt with separately if an issue is apparent
- Sealing walls, repairing cracks and building a concrete structure next to the bridge
- Construction of wall at junction of Pitts Bay Road bridge and Mill Creek Road for pedestrian and vehicle protection
Ed Faries, on behalf of the Mill Creek Road businesses, says: “We are delighted that Government is finally moving forward with the upkeep of the canal and would like to thank the Minister of Public Works for making this a priority. We are happy to see that the project started on Tuesday and to seeing its completion before the end of March, as promised.
“We were also pleased to read in Saturday’s The Royal Gazette that Government will set up a small team of enforcement officers to crack down on contractors and land owners who break planning rules. Construction throughout Hamilton has contributed significantly to the canal issues that we face today.
“The Ministry has also advised us that it will meet with the Department of Planning regarding the permitted planning applications that are granted contrary to planning policy.”
Government has also advised that additional works may be necessary as the above project progresses, for which they will aim to allocate funding.
Ed Faries adds: “Moving forward, we hope that appropriate funding will be included in the Ministry’s annual budgets for the ongoing upkeep of the canal. It is important to note that maintaining the canal benefits all flood-prone areas of Pembroke, not just Mill Creek. We look forward to seeing this outlined in next month’s budget debate.”
If they done this on a regular basis, around the island also as some places are badly over grown the wouldn’t have to keep saying we are going to trim trees back.Put it on a schedule its called preventative maintenance. Island looks like S H * T
Gov’t can clean our houses to pot puller if we are willing to pay for it. Gov’t said that Mills Creek is private property – let them clean it up. OBA property mate.
The canal is Government property and thus their responsibility.
Ok if you say, for the canal. What about the rest of the island?
They need to clean up their shady party, Marc has already started.
LMFAO
Could this be an attempt to get all their ducks in a row before calling a snap general election?
No I don’t think it would be in their best interest to call a snap general election. Reason being is that there are still a lot of people suffering even if Bermuda is just coming out of a recession. It would be much better after the America’s Cup when the island is in a better state and they have come closer to achieving their promises they made during their election.
Ya and I have a bridge to sell you.
LMFAO
What does PLP have to sell oh that’s right they sell lies and misinformation just like onion juice who the hell would even buy onion juice maybe someone from PLP.
Put the tarmacking of roads on a schedule too while you’re at it. They’ve got holes everywhere! That’s right…I forgot…Govt. HAS NO MONEY…wonder why!? If someone stole throw them in jail!!!!!!!!!
Can the bill for the work be split between the contractors and land owners in Hamilton who have broken planning rules and whose actions are continuing to contribute to the ongoing flooding issues? That would seem like the ideal punishment in a perfect world. Certainly they should be fined enough to cover the work, the ongoing maintenance and any legal/admin fees associated with their rule breaking. That should also act as a deterrent to such selfish/naïve behavior in future.
I figure it’s still going to flood.
W&E would want to repair the roof of the government building at Port royal tennis courts which is used by dozens of children..
They would would they?
This entire area is one great big peat bog. The sluice gate allows rapid flowing water to escape,- as long as the creek tide is not higher than the canal level. If so, it backflows.
Should never back flow as there is a sluice gate. The gate can get jammed open though with all the debris that never gets cleaned out.
Well done Ed Faries,
So will the wall at the end of the canal be fixed as well??…Water seeps through the plaster and also comes up through the ground along that blue building…have fun trying to stop the ocean.
See point 5 in article: “Sealing walls, repairing cracks and building a concrete structure next to the bridge”