Penn confronts Works Minister over market square spaces
Eighth District Representative Marlon Penn took issue with the government’s Market Square space and questioned the Communications and Works Minister, Kye Rymer, over what he felt were some of the site’s shortcomings and its purpose.
The $1.7 million facility debuted in February and was outfitted with sixteen kiosks, but has seen a very low occupancy rate since the government first announced its opening, despite the affordable spaces touted by the government.
Rymer said even though the spaces were all allotted initially, some vendors previously assigned have not fulfilled the requirements to utilise the kiosks. As a result, there are now five kiosks available for long-term rental.
One of the issues raised by residents about the inadequacies at the kiosks was the lack of proper awnings for vendors and patrons.
But Rymer said there is a bid currently out for shutters to be installed to outfit the kiosks and monies set aside for the construction of a bus shelter.
Penn accused the government of building a business centre instead of a farmers’ market and suggested that the kiosks appear to cost taxpayers some $90,000 per unit.
“Is it a farmers’ market that we have there or do we have an economic zone?” Penn asked. “I hear a lot of things, but I don’t hear much farmers. I hear mostly fried food and all kind of thing, and slushy.”
Penn continued to question Rymer over whether the space was really set aside to be a market square or a farmers’ market to accommodate farmers and fishermen of the territory.
“It’s amazing. The farmers are struggling to get water. They can’t get water at Paraquita Bay or anywhere around the place. They can’t get seedlings, so they can plant their farm and we’re here making levity on a space that should be a space designated for the hardworking farmers of this community, in this territory,” Penn argued.
He further accused the government of commingling the farmers with all and sundry at the Market Square space, which was intended just for farmers and fishermen as it had been initially.
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Residents suffering too. Living in my house since 1986, appealed to every government since then and still can’t get public water.
Can’t even grow wild tommon on my property much less fruits and vegetables for self sufficiency.
I too cannot get a grasp of what that so-called market square really is. It cost way too much for what is on the ground and the minister said it will cost even more because of poor planning. Everything government touches Nowadays cost over a $1M. Why is that???
90,000 (ninety thousand UNITED STATES DOLLARS) per booth?
I guess the COI did not impress any of the politicians..
Wow 90 grand per unit. I’m in the wrong field of qork and need be a contractor or politician cause that easy money to pocket.
You ask why everything costs $1M+?
Simple. Any less and there isn’t enough room for decent kickbacks etc. Gotta think big girl lol
And Myron in trouble for the High School Wall!!!!!
about 10k in labour and materials. What exactly is the other 80k for?
Those are 2,000 dollar booths.
Why should they be free? People are operating businesses to make money. The majority import and sell. Kudos to those who took up a spot. I support them whenever I can.
That is not a market place, that is a open stall market. It would have made better sense to build a large indoor market. My goodness, as much as you guys travel, haven’t you seen or been in a market place outside of the BVI? You all need to stop building SUB PAR BS. Waste of money and not having the ability to think.
I wonder how long some of yall going to hem and haw about the 1 million dollar wall. Dr Smith throw away 7 million on plane, Head coach throw away 8 million on lawyer for a COI that HE asked for; He also throw away 2 million renting barge. Is like yall more vex over this 1 million dollars than the tens of millions what get throw away.
$90,000.00USD per booth
Break that down for the public and show some transparency.
At least post the contractors invoice in the papers for us to see how our money is really spent.
$90,000.00 is an insult and a slap in the face.
No vision … How can tou build … such cattle sheds . For heaven sake where is the protection from the daiky elements of nature
The bread basket millions in grant to farmers and fishermen… where is the accommodation for them
Where is the results ? Where is the fruits of these momey
We are tramautized in the BvI millions of money and wasted
Agree with your comment 100%. That is not a market, it is nothing more than an open flea market. Who is the wise guy/guys that is making these stupid decisions and carrying them out? Stop throwing the people a bunch of crock and nuts. That flea market is not up to proper standards. All I see is a bunch of sheds lined up. I agree, one big indoor market would have been much better, indoor markets one can shop when the weather is bad on the outside. One heavy gust of wind or some heavy rainfall, poof!!, the sheds is gone.
Ask the minister!!! When he push up he face in HOA to answer questions and his response is always the same; ask him. Ask him also about HIS ‘Economic Zone’ up the ghut competing against private interests. If the laws of a country continue to allow this gross abuse of public office in 2023 and beyond; we are truly and utterly screwed.
The judiciary and others are resoundingly deaf and dumb. The covert ops. still going on all the while the Infrastructure is in tatters. Mehson….. ayo!
only one person would do that , it’s that canary with this wig from the yello site , HE just love drama , anyone who’s writing did blogging to what he wrote & blogging to whatever he bloggs and now he is using other people’s to blogg under, rmthat is weird ▪︎ and ai said it before , they should of built a 3 story building there , the ground floor for the farmers market culturally designed and the other 2 floors for government offices , but as you see the kind of games these guys playing with taxpayers money , we don’t know who is who
These are the things that happens when you put a set of bushmen in charge.
That market design will never be functional because it was designed like a tourist shopping centre. Local markets don’t look like or function like that. A waste of space and money
Britain knows. Britain has the evidence, They should have taken over the place put things in order fix the place, yet they allow these corruption…So, let them be, let them continue to rob the treasury since the one who has the power to stop them isn’t doing it..
No sir. Those suited & tie folk are not bushman. Anyone else would have knocked them up for $15k a booth at better quality including SHADE MFERs
Who came up with the concept to design and build something that ugly and stupid? MARKET? That is more like animal sheds where you tie up animals for the night to sleep. Then got the NERVES!!!!! To charge the vendors to sell their products from a animal shed. This is the best y’all can do? Stop wasting the peoples money and then want to throw them SLOP. This is absolutely insane. Someone needs to take the heat for this embarrassment. LOL, MARKET? That is no way a market.
They look pretty nice to me from the picture. Farmers and fisher folk etc need to make a profit so the units should not be rented for too much money. In the Farmers Markets that I have been to in the US, the stalls are temporary structures set up every Saturday morning and taken down by 1:00pm. So people should be happy with their cute sheds. These markets in the US are bustling and fun places with tons of vegetables and fruits and some cooked food and sometimes music. Create some magic and draw people in.
If this was gear toward tourism, it was a complete failure. This is not the type of market place that draw in the tourist business. One big fully functional indoor market would have been the way to go, it is not rocket science. A survey should have been put in place and let the people have an input in the project. You may be in charge of a project but your idea, concept or way of thinking may not be the best way or final word. The peoples money were used, was it not fair for the people to have a input or say so as to what their monies were spent on? You all keep screaming about slave this and slave that, that is a part of slavery against your own people sans the slaves did not have any input in the decisions that were made.
I’m sorry for what you are going through with the water problems you are facing for all those years and present. I am thankful to the Universe that I choose to eat sardines on toast and lime aide almost every day to have been able to Build a cistern and septic tank on my property.And you all know cisterns and septic tanks is not cheap. At least I have access to water. What’s the use of building a home and you don’t have access to water in your home that you struggle and put in hard work to build.
K![[ um VIP K![[ um.
This is exactly what they voted you all in back to back for. They talking about $1m wall and $7m plane which the Gov won the case for. But by the time we have the full accounts on what the VIP give away ayo head will spin.
K![[ um.
Do you truly believe the British will walk into Tortola and fix any thing in favor of the country?
Do you believe that they, the British, would fix things to favor for Black BVIslanders?
If so, you are living in a truly fantasy world.
Do you know the history of the Brits and Europeans, their innate personal and racist views and opinions and relationships with regards to Black people?
Try reading their historic history.
Good for all of you who voted them back in office. You are getting just what your hands called for. Deal and live with the ghetto third world country market that was thrown in your faces. Hope they don’t F up the ferry terminal down West. Who want to get vex can go right ahead and marinate on what I am going to say, maybe it is time for KYE to change those rowboat ugly shoes that he is always wearing, seems like the rowboat ugly shoes is blocking his way of thinking. TIME TO CHANGE THE SHOES KYE, UPGRADE TO SOME WINGTIPS.
You will need bank records to show any possible substantial cash withdrawals and security camera footage to see who was might have been outside the bank to collect said cash.
If you want to bring this subject up, how about the fact that the Pier Park is a FAKE village that is set up so that tourists don’t actually go out and spend money in the REAL BVI towns! Shiny objects are always getting in the way of these fool politicians.
The BVI government knows nothing about tourism. The fact that the focus is on Cruise Ships shows all the ignorance (Cruise Ship tourists spend $10 when they land Vs. the Bare Boat Cruisers who drop $10,000 in a BVI week).
The charter boats have opened up bases in the USVI for the first time. The BVI keep raising fees and taxs on these people. You are killing the goose that laid the golden egg! Please STOP
Focus on fixing the roads, the hospitals and the schools. This will do more to help tourism than any of this Pier Park nonsense.
Best them had make one big open shed in the area. I welcome the bus shed as one is needed especially for east people as their bus park supposed to be right there.
The booths they build for festival in a couple of day are more suitable because they shelter the workers and so much more customers during the August rain and none of them costs over a thousand dollars.
God help us.
But yet it’s actually our vip government that has us where we are. Correct?
Skirt up and the ministry of works helped make that decision.