Mather flags unfinished D5 E-Zone project highlighted in AG’s report

Territorial At-Large Representative and Deputy Speaker Stacy Mather has raised concerns over the government’s unfinished District 5 Economic Zone (E-Zone) project in Huntum’s Ghut.

The project remains incomplete despite years of delays and additional funding, according to an Auditor General’s report presented to the House of Assembly recently.

During a debate on the government’s $100 million loan resolution, Mather highlighted that the District 5 E-Zone was initially scheduled for completion by May 2021, with a budget of $1,377,500. However, the project, which began in November 2020, has faced multiple delays. “Despite being awarded a variation of $105,648 and extensions on the building structures, which were to be erected under the major contract, [the project] was, at the time of writing—July 2024, incomplete,” Mather stated.

The E-Zone project was intended to provide affordable commercial spaces for small businesses in the District 5 area. Yet, despite initial projections, the structures remain unfinished. Mather drew attention to a line in the report that called the situation “a failure of both transparency and accountability”.

Mather expressed frustration with the ongoing delays, calling for more oversight and transparency in managing public funds. “The government has complained about procurement…civil servants, public officers…who drag their feet, don’t get things done,” Mather said.  “Where’s the management of this loan and the funds and the projects under it? Where is it going?”

Mather argued, “We’re borrowing money to fix things. We have to pay back a loan. Where are the revenue-generating things that we created from this money we’re borrowing?”

The Auditor General’s report further revealed that the Huntum’s Ghut project was not managed under an independent subhead but instead fell under the “Development Projects” and “Road Town Improvement” subheads, a lack of clarity on spending that deepened concerns regarding transparency. According to the report, “The transparency of the project is impaired as no independent subhead was set up to manage spending under this project.”