Government eyes salt pond in Cane Garden Bay

The government has allocated funds to purchase a small salt pond in Cane Garden Bay as part of efforts to tackle flooding and preserve beaches in the area, District Two Representative Mitch Turnbull said during a Monday evening meeting at the village’s community centre. 

At the event, which was part of a series of community meetings in the district, Mr. Turnbull and Communications and Works Minister Kye Rymer also fielded questions from nearly 30 residents and explained other efforts to boost the village. 

Mr. Turnbull said that after two years of attempts, he was able to lobby Deputy Premier Julian Fraser — the minister of environment, natural resources and climate change — during the Standing Finance Committee process last November for funds to purchase a small salt pond for sale at Cannon Point. 

The status of the purchase, as well as plans to build a filtration system, are still in development, said Mr. Turnbull, who serves on the opposition in the House of Assembly. 

“We’ve been in contact with the Hodge family — Mr. Albion Hodge at the time; [now] Mr. Melvin Hodge and Bernie Hodge,” he said. “Those negotiations may now go from me to the minister and see what is going to be; what all is entailed.” 

He added that the project — which will include a plan to “reestablish” some of the pond — will be designed to help alleviate run-off. 

Water cutoffs 

Also during the meeting, residents aired various concerns about life in the district. 

Topping the list for some attendees was the area’s inconsistent water service. 

Mr. Turnbull acknowledged that the problem has affected much of the district, with Jost Van Dyke residents struggling to get clean water on a daily basis for the past two months. 

“Water continues to be an issue throughout the district, and water is a right to have,” he said. “Water is our priority.” 

To address the issue in Cane Garden, he said, the BVI Electricity Corporation has acquired new transformers to power the pumps carrying water from the Cappoons Bay desalination plant, which also serves West End and Carrot Bay. 

Flooding 

Other residents complained about flooding in areas including the front of the Ivan Dawson Primary School and the Cane Garden Bay Baptist Church. 

Mr. Turnbull said efforts are under way to address that situation too, describing discussions about channelling floodwater to the park area where there are drains out to the sea. Currently, though, those drains are blocked, he acknowledged. Some residents urged him to tackle the issue as soon as possible. 

“I have had a problem for a long time,” one woman said. “Right by the Methodist church, there is constantly water going there, going in my driveway. Sometimes it has a bad smell. I want to know if it can be fixed. It’s taking forever. Please get it correct.” 

Congestion, maintenance 

Other residents complained about issues ranging from traffic congestion to the inconsistent maintenance of trees and grass. 

“There’s no place to put people,” one man said. “So the overall plan from my understanding is the importance of our tourism product, the community that we live in. But right now, everything falls to the government and its systems to get those things done.” 

Mr. Turnbull responded that he has been trying to address such issues. 

“One of the things that we have to — and that I continue to — push on the premier as minister of finance and tourism is that we have to ensure that our district fits what we’re selling,” he said. 

He added that he wrote to the communications and works minister last August to request the installation of speedbumps in five areas in the district, with at least three in Cane Garden Bay. Those speed bumps, he said, should be raised prior to the repaving of any roads, given recent talk of major roadwork to be done in the territory. 

RATED programme 

Mr. Turnbull also reassured residents concerned about the appearance of the neighbourhood. 

Larger communities including Cane Garden Bay, he said, have been assigned two teams from the RATED employment programme tasked with landscaping and maintenance beginning next month. 

He went on to explain how keeping the grass trimmed in the area proves difficult given how quickly it can grow even without rain. 

Problem areas, he said, include strips along guard rails and at the base of fruit trees and flower beds. 

Community centre 

Mr. Turnbull also spoke about the neighbourhood’s community centre, which he described as dramatically underutilised. 

“I have ideas, but I need your help and your involvement in terms of how we can make this space accessible for the community,” he said. “We can use this centre to be better for the community.” 

To that end, he added, teachers and students from the district’s six schools have been approached about possible uses for the space. 

Last year, a survey was launched to assess the feasibility of options including music and language programmes, Mr. Turnbull said. 

Other issues

Questions toward the end of the meeting ranged from tourists’ dinghy-dock access to streetlighting. 

Carmen Walker, a Windy Hill resident, bemoaned government’s slow pace in installing lights on her road. 

“I wanted to ask for streetlights on the secondary roads,” she said. “I know you’re dealing with the primary roads, but the secondary roads, mine in particular, need to be repaired. It’s so dark coming from the main road walking over to the community. … There needs to be a process to streamline these requests, which should not take two years. It doesn’t take that long to get to it.”