Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Ministry of VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake, on Thursday evening met with the Pointe Blanche Community Council (PBCC) to discuss issues of mutual concern.
The Minister was introduced to the board members before they delved into several issues such as the draft Zoning Plan for Pointe Blanche; building code for the community; no public transportation or bus stops in the area; crime in Pointe Blanche; street lighting and pot holes.
In the meeting it was decided that PBCC will work closely with the Community Police Officer for Pointe Blanche with respect to crime concerns and other matters.
PBCC also wanted an update with respect to the Back Bay street lights and several outages of lights in parts of the community.
PBCC is also in search of an area to build a Community Center where they can have meetings and activities.
“It was a very important and productive discussion that I had with the board of PBCC. Two key areas for the board are having a Hurricane Shelter in Pointe Blanche and an alternative exit access route out of the residential area in the event the current road into the district becomes impassable.
“Another area of concern for the PBCC board is having a meeting with the Office of Disaster Management with respect to their plan of action in the event of a tsunami. The board was of the opinion that they don’t need to re-invent the wheel because the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands has a good plan on what residents would need to do.
“I will be following up on the various points discussed in the meeting with the board. It is very important that the various issues are addressed within the shortest time possible, and those that fall within the parameters of my Ministry will be addressed right away.
“It is very important to engage the community councils, because I feel they can play an essential role in their communities. Many of them have been doing this and I commend them all for taking the initiative and most importantly, it is the people who join and become members who navigate the process for their neighbourhood and I commend them on this.
“This is what my back to basics approach is all about, engaging the people, the community councils and other interested entities in order for our communities to progress and improve the quality of life for all,” Minister Hon. Maurice Lake said on Sunday.
