by Kevon Browne
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN) – Several capital projects in St. Kitts have not seen much progress since their initial announcement, namely the Basseterre High School, The new hospital, road repairs for the St. Peter’s area, etc.
Prime Minister, Hon. Dr Trrance Drew, during the July 21 broadcast of The Roundtable, shared that the government is getting ready to roll out the capital projects.
“We are getting ready to roll them out now. It took us some time; I must have been people. We have the St. Peter’s Road, which is out for tender, [and] the Basseterre High School, which is out to tender. The funding for the hospital, the agreement which we finalised today (July 21), is at least a US$50 million project. We are doing about a $20 million project for roads in communities – that’s separate from the main road and separate from the hospital separate from the school. Our housing program [to be kicked] off. So we have a number of serious capital projects to get started.”
Dr Drew explained that a reason for the delayed start of the projects was a matter of procurement practices currently being perfected.
“Some people say we should have gotten faster. Part of the issue is the procurement board and process that we have gone through that we are now perfecting – we will see the Conaree playfield as well – So you will see a number of projects being rolled out over the next few weeks and to get the economy going in terms of infrastructure development – that is going to drive the economy as well. There has been, I must admit, some delay in some areas, but it’s because also we are putting infrastructure in place to make sure that we get things right and make sure that it’s sustainable and it is going to be sustainable.”
Other infrastructure work continues in the Federation, including the fibre optic high-speed internet connections and water infrastructure initiatives. The Prime Minister said securing a stable, 24-hour supply of electricity, water, and internet is essential for any nation.
“People should have water in St. Kitts 24/7, and people should have electricity 24/7, and people should have high-speed internet. If you are providing those three things for your people, you’re not going too far. Those are very basic things in terms of having a progressive and sustainable country right now.”
For water, which continues to be a growing concern as the Federation grapples with drought, well-drilling projects are in the pipeline, starting with Cayon, then Shadwell and beyond to secure more potable water. Additionally, the government is working on the build-out of the Marriott Desalination plant and the building of the Public Desalination plant, which would be a public company open for the people of St. Kitts and Nevis to stake a claim to in the purchasing of shares when the plant comes to fruition.
Specific dates were not provided for the rollout of the various capital projects. However, Dr Drew said there should be some progression in the coming weeks.
