7 News Belize

Did CITCO Sanction Seawall Travesty
posted (February 27, 2019)
And Diab has been known to develop at least one of his other properties by creating sea frontage. In this case, he has signed a 13 year lease with the council - basically to take over a sidewalk, a public parking lot and the seawall. The council gets back the property with the structure after 13 years - or it can choose to renew. It's part of the council's vision to develop the seafront area. The mayor explained and took the tough questions:...

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"What's the city's perspective of this from a business angle?"

Bernard Wagner- Mayor, Belize City
"From a business angle we came in on a platform of ensuring that we create jobs. We can't hire everybody at the council, so certainly you want to develop partnerships with business owners. Risk-taker Mr. Haisam is certainly a risk-taker from the mere fact you would risk an opportunity here to build a facility. You don't know if they would be successful, but he is willing to take the risk and the council was right beside him ensuring that we give him the necessary support."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Now, I know you are a banker, so you assess risk. It no risk at all if you are getting seafront property which you cannot get otherwise which is no longer available in the city, so it is not that he has taken a risk, it's that you have given him a gift."

Bernard Wagner- Mayor, Belize City
"How will it be a gift Jules? No man. This individual has invested substantial funds into this project here and its a 13 year lease. In the event - supposed the business failed within 1-2 years, he does not get back what he has invested in this business. So certainly there is a risk component there."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"You have a structure of abutting a seawall. You already taken the beach reserve 66 feet, good, illegal continue, but you have taken up a public seawall and now it is abutted by a fence. The seawall is now a structure for the fence. So you have sanctioned an illegal act."

Bernard Wagner- Mayor, Belize City
"Jules look right to my right. you see the kids enjoying that beautiful facility over there. We are a child friendly municipality and I don't knock anyone for wanting to use the seawall to exercise. That's good, but at the end of the day we have to begin to any venture we go into, or any projects we undertake has to have a child friendly component and there on my right clearly justify everything for the council."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"But it's a pay to play system. You must be patron. It's not like you build a playground, its pay to play system."

Bernard Wagner- Mayor, Belize City
"But at the end of the day Jules, the kids. We have to begin to think about our kids and clearly if our kids have a facility to recreate, families have a facility to recreate, the end justify the means."

Later on we'll press the mayor to expand on his vision for monetizing the seafront public spaces which the council is responsible for.

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