The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE first phase of a potable water project in West Grand Bahama is nearly complete and residents will soon no longer have to install their own individual pump and well at their property.

Minister for Grand Bahama Dr Michael Darville on Monday viewed the progress of the work taking place in the Holmes Rock community. Waugh Construction is the contractor carrying out the work, which is being done in three phases.

Phase one, which also includes installation of two fire hydrants, is expected to be complete by the end of June.

The undertaking involves the Ministry for Grand Bahama, member of Parliament for West Grand Bahama Obie Wilchcombe, Urban Renewal, the Ministry of Works, the Water and Sewerage Corporation and the Grand Bahama Utility Company.

A similar project is also underway in East Grand Bahama, according to Minister Darville.

“This project is a project that is taking place in Grand Bahama to provide residents of East and West Grand Bahama with potable water who have been waiting for many years,” he said.

Residents in these areas have been petitioning successive governments for potable water for the last 30 years.

Dr Darville said government is committed to ensuring the project is completed as soon as possible and that the necessary funding is in place.

Work in the area, where there are homes to 102 families, started two and a half weeks ago.

Dr Darville said this is a major accomplishment for the residents of Holmes Rock because for years each individual home had their own pump and well.

The new infrastructure, he said, will allow new, young families who want to build their homes in the area to have access to the basic necessities.

“We are quite pleased with the work that the construction company is doing and the speed in which he is doing it,” said Dr Darville.

Brenda Bullard Colebrooke, administrator for the West Grand Bahama District, said residents of West Grand Bahama are pleased to see the work in progress.

“The residents of this area now will have the option of connecting to the city water and will be able to enjoy the benefits of water that is of a quality that they can now drink and that will assist them in providing better healthcare for themselves,” she said.

Work in East Grand Bahama is expected to begin in June.