Market booths empty but they’re rented, says Jr Agriculture Minister
Kiosks at the newly rebuilt Road Town Market Square that have remained unoccupied for months are reportedly already leased and paid for, Junior Agriculture Minister Dr Karl Dawson has indicated.
“All the booths there are rented. Don’t mind you see some of them not occupied, they’re rented,” Dr Dawson disclosed on the Talking Points radio show yesterday, July 10.
The government opened the revamped market square at a cost of $1.7 million in February of this year, but officials have since struggled to realise full occupancy in the once bustling area.
Among the complaints persons have registered since the reopening are a lack of adequate parking facilities and sufficient shade and space for vendors and patrons alike to be properly accommodated.
Many vendors that previously occupied the location have opted to remain close to the nearby Virgin Islands Fire & Rescue Headquarters, which was previously used as a temporary staging area after they were asked to move to facilitate repairs.
Those vendors in that area are not required to pay a fee to occupy the premises and it was a point that Dr Dawson agreed should be taken into consideration.
While agreeing with the suggestion that booths that remain unused should be taken back from those that leased them, the Junior Agriculture Minister defended tenants that he suggested may have paid to secure the spaces, even in the knowledge that they were not ready to sell produce in the area for the foreseeable future.
“Somebody may be planning a business and say, ‘You know what, rather than wait, I need to put down my money, even though I know I’m not gonna be ready for six months, I need to secure this’, you know? So I don’t think we’ve reached to that point [of reclaiming],” Dr Dawson said.
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Mans just admitted somebody is laundering money through the kios dem… lawwwwwd hamercee
have you read the story of Pinocchio?
To whom? Are there written rental agreements? Can we see evidence of deposits or rent payments?
How many business use their start up cash to rent buildings they plan to occupy at some undetermined point in the future? And, if they did, why would they not brand their spot? That vendors have opted to stay rent-free by the Fire Station suggests these vendors cannot afford the rents charged.
The same people who renting out the Joe’s Hill Apartments. Plus, I thought I saw Casper the friendly ghost the other day, for true.
This was a 1 and a half million dollar mistake by Kye…It need a full scale investigation because ain’t no way in hell those could cost taxpayers 1.6 million dollars
This one look like he is starting to have a problem with the truth already…Well sah!
Most of them are rented to people from the 5th district
Does this man really hold a PHD? Like the Joe’s Hill development, this is another disgraceful representation of poor leadership. It is over priced and to say the least dysfunctional.
The truth never bothered anyone politician from the 1st district.
Dog in the manger situation – Rented but not occupied what nonsense is this . These peopke in charge think the BVI population really foolish . How these men get theses things say . What a disater
Just the other day I was telling somebody look how we really build this thing just for it to stay empty and people still selling their things on the roadside.
Let’s look at the demographics.1960 market place waterfront, people selling there stuff, no fee. 21 century, people selling there stuff. Now they must pay 350 for a space. See why those others opted to stay at the fire station.
Here what is laughable, some one wrote a business plan that says we are going to rent space for uncountable number of days or years and don’t selling anything. This is not a farmer with a farm. Guess what! Yep you guess it.
exactly, full blown lie. People will rent that and dont use it??? like people have money to throw way…struppes
He said what?!?! $1.7 million US DOLLARS for these kiosks? What am I missing here? No windows, no inrwntal finishes that would make each booth cost $80,000/each…so where are the hidden costs and what are they? No man! This needs a thorough investigation and audit by Ms.Webster post haste!!
Kye just exposed more of his incompetency and willful disregard for public funds. I am appalled at the waste in this place daily as all other government infrastructure continues to fail. D5 made a huge mistake voting this ? back in HOA. Abject failure and just a big blunder….
Why have those trading rent-free next to the Fire Station allowed to do so? Why aren’t they moved out?
Why are vendors still allowed to set up road-side in the city (e.g. by Virgin Queen? Why aren’t they moved out?
Where are the benches and seating for customers to take a break?
Where is the noticeboard announcing special events?
Why aren’t there special events? What about a night market during Festival week? What about local kids putting on some free music or dance or spoken word events?
Where is the City Manager in all of this and should that role not just be made redundant because frankly they do NOTHING?
Not fit for purpose. Need to be revisited.
What is a lil 1.7 million… this the same country what done throw away 7 mill on plane and 8 mill on lawyer that we have nothing to show for. I say at least we have a market for the 1.7 mill even though it still seem like a ripoff it’s there you can see them and touch them lol
$ 1.7 million for a few shacks each about 10×12? Works out to be around $ 800 to $ 1,200 per square foot, or about the cost of a finished quality home with doors, windows, bathrooms, kitchens, electrical and plumbing system, cisterns, tile floors, nice finishes. All I see is some T-11, 6×6, ply, 2x4s, a tin roof, half a door, and varnished counters
Four competent carpenters should be able to finish each in 5 days, but it’s the BVIs, so call it 15 days, for a total of 60 labor days. Pay each $ 300 a day. Comes out to $18,000 in labor. Materials for each probably $ 2,500-$ 3,000. Allow $4,000 profit each. So, each should stand should have cost around $25k finished. Could have built 60 or 70 of them for the price the govt paid.
So, what’s the explanation for this bit of pork barrel? Architectural and engineering fees? Or, a nice windfall for well connected people, who’d have to be Belongers?
No kinda controls. The place look like a shanty town because they’re allowing any and everybody to seek anything there. You passing in the middle of town and clothes flying in the wind making the place look so ghetto.
Sad it was not ever in there thoughts to have a complete enclose building with public utilities restroom etc and multilevel for small rental space for stores that accommodate
different products than just farm items for such monies that border on $2 million usd for booths below the quality of the shanty town booths of the carnival village. I think the ministers are anxious to make their mark that they preside over some project as an elected rep, hubris. What sweet in goat mouth sour in it’s bam bam. it shall haunt your future as minister of works and V.I.P overall.
This is what obtains when you have a set of people that are hell bent on victimizing and oppressing others are given a little power. There is no shame in the game that is being played in these islands. It’s a pity they don’t realize time is running out.
Classic example of why
Why you all care what the people do with their booth, they are paying every month are they not ?
Then it should not be of any of your concern what they are doing, once you don’t see any illegal activities going on leave the people alone let them pay for the empty booth, Jah, AYO need to learn to mind AYO business in this place.
PS. I don’t own any, can barely afford my rent every month, Premier, please raise the minimum wage, we begging.
What you post here is read worldwide. While BVi is being promoted at tax payers’s expense annually, we are busy using our poisonous comments to destroy her image. The records of contracts for the market is there for everyone to see. Where foul play is suspected the house of assembly can order an audit. Only a fool will steal from government coffers at this time. Let such audit speak for itself instead of spewing venons in the media everyday. By the way, why the denigrating comments on Dawson? He wasnt in government when the project was executed. All he did in this report is to assure the public that the rent income to the governmen on the project is runing. One of the commentators insinuated that those who rented the kisks are money launderers. This is dangerous bad mind. How much is the monthly rent? What we need at this time is constructive and not destructive criticism. The commentator must be well informed and must profer solution. Dont sit by and watch things happen only to turn around to criticise when remedy is not longer possible. To move this country forward, lets all be part of the solution and not the problem. On the part of the government, lets stop the practice of re-inventing the wheel in the attempt to showcase an invention. Kiosks like ours can be seen all are all over North America. I saw one with the beautiful concepts in Mexico years back. You can’t have such kiosk without shelter for ccustomers. One would need to have truck to operate the kiosk since inventory and equipments are to be removed from the kiosks daily but I doubt if the businesses you targeted in this project can do so. A four sided shutters would have made a whole world of difference. This may have required some sort of subsidy which wouldnt have been out of place considering that the project is intended to get some locals, gainfully employed and possibly, generate employment. It appears we did not do a thorough job on the design concept. The shutters can stil be introduced. Can we live in the same house we are pulled down? No! except there is another house somewhere else