The recent Sod-Turning Ceremony for the St Mark’s Flood Mitigation Project has been hailed as a security and economic lift for the parish.
The US$ 5 million dollar project, expected to last for a year, will also provide much-needed jobs for scores for residents of St Mark.
It was a happy and uplifting occasion for Parliamentary Representative for the area the Hon. Clarice Modeste Curwen.
Several top government officials, including Prime Minister the Hon. Dr. Keith Mitchell, Works Minister the Hon. Gregory Bowen and Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications and Works, Physical Development, Public Utilities and ICT, the Hon. Alvin Dabreo, were among those at the launch.
The Parliamentary Representative described the occasion as a great moment, which will help to uplift the standard of the community.
She is elated because the project, which provides jobs for the community, seeks to secure the St Mark’s River, which has reaped destruction over the years with the fall of heavy rains.
“Some people call it the ‘Great River’, but we do know that it is a sleeping giant, which sometimes wake up and create havoc; so we are extremely grateful for this disaster mitigation measure that is being launched at this time”, she told the gathering.
The St Mark’s Mitigation Project will help tackle the unemployment situation in the parish.
“I am also especially grateful, because it will create jobs, jobs in capital letters. This is what we have all waited for and this is what we promised. I am proud to be part of a government that delivers,” the Minister declared.
“If for every Chinese, you have one Grenadian working that is very good, or if for every Chinese you have two or three Grenadians, that is priceless.”
The project involves the watercourse dredging, slope protection and reconstruction, flood mitigation structure construction and waterfront and road sub grade repairs.
It’s being executed by the China Harbour Engineering Company LTD(CHEC), an outfit that has proved its capability in successfully completing large scale infrastructure projects in Jamaica, the Bahamas, Guyana, Mexico, Panama and Chile.
The Minister told CHEC that people in the parish are excited about the project and are looking to gaining employment.
Minister Modeste Curwen has asked the Chinese company, to not only provide employment for men, but ladies as well.
“Let us not discriminate against the women. I will not be able to stand up in St Mark, if they are only men employed. They too want food to put on the table; and I can assure China Harbour that they are going to work, just as strong as the men, so please let us include women, so they too can earn for their families.”
