sPEECH AT THE
LAUNCHING OF
THE ROAD TOWN CHARRETTE
Hon. Chief Minister R.T .O'Neal, Mr. Louis Potter, Chief Town and
Country Planning Officer, other Public Servants, members of the press
ladies and gentlemen, Good Day.
I am delighted and honored to join with the Honorable Chief Minister
today, to announce the Road Town Charrette. For sometime now, the Chief
Minister as chairman of the Road Town Improvement Committee has been
seeking for a comprehensive development plan for Road Town. Since I
attended the first meeting of the Road Town Improvement committee in
September of 1999, I recognized that the honorable Chief Minister was in
search of such a comprehensive plan, one which he can endorse and
present to his colleagues to become a policy programme for the
development of the capital of the British Virgin Islands. The Chief Town
and Country Planning officer was asked by the honorable Chief Minister
to head a subcommittee of the Road Town Improvement Committee, to begin
to chart such a comprehensive programme.
The idea today of a Charrette for the development of Road Town is an
indirect product of the search by this subcommittee to render to the
Chief Minister a comprehensive, inclusive, broad-based, community
participatory, action plan for the long-term development of the capital
of the British Virgin Islands. The format, called a charrette, as
discussed and recommended to me by Tim Peck of the firm Onions Bouchad
and Mucullough, OBM, has been fully embraced by the Chief Minister, the
subcommittee, and the Town and Country
Planning Department.
As a representative of the people of the British Virgin Islands,
everyone knows my deep passion for the improvement of our beautiful
capital, Road Town. The Honorable Chief Minister has pledged his full
commitment to this programme, and I am pleased for the projects, which
he bas funded so far and his continuous commitment to the comprehensive
improvement of greater Road Town.
As the people representative's, my key focus is to ensure that while we
continue to develop a business community in Road Town, that the city
becomes a more pedestrian friendly place. This will allow both residents
and visitors the opportunity to traverse
Road Town, work in Road Town, shop in Road Town and relax in Road Town
in a much more comfortable and pleasant atmosphere. In this regard, my
preference is narrower roads, wider sidewalks, easier crossings, lots
more trees, plants and shrubs, and many more water fountains and other
such pleasantries. Efforts to improve the traffic and the parking
situation in Road Town should receive full attention at the Road Town
Charrette.
I have attended over the past two weeks, a number of interesting pre-charrette
focus meetings, attended by community user groups and individuals,
indicating that there is very keen interest by the community to see the
20/20 vision of Road Town become a reality that is pleasing to the
residents and visitors of the British Virgin Islands. I am looking
forward to hard work and enthusiasm on the 21st through the 25th of
June, from everyone who can make an input into a comprehensive programme
of development for the capital of our beautiful British Virgin Islands.
It is my pledge to encourage the Chief Minister, who is the minister
responsible for the development of Road Town, to ensure that the
document outlining the development programme for Road Town resulting
from this Charrette, receives broad-based support, approval and funding
through the executive and legislative councils of the territory.
I thank you the members of the press for your interest in this subject
and I hope that through your media you will be able to help us to
sensitize the BVI public, as we continue to focus on the Development of
Road Town and indeed the development of the entire British Virgin
Islands. I conclude by repeating our draft vision statement, which will
be finalized and the Charrette.
“By the year 2020, Road Town will emerge as a world class residential,
tourist, commercial, and financial center reflecting the rich human
diversity with pedestrian friendly communities, efficient transport
systems, retaining its culture and heritage while contributing to the
social and economic well-being of the people of the territory.”
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