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Fire-hit vendors wait for repairs go-ahead

DAMAGE after the major fire at Potter’s Cay dock.

DAMAGE after the major fire at Potter’s Cay dock.

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE association representing vendors at Potter’s Cay said stakeholders are awaiting officials from the Ministry of Works to sign off on plans to reconstruct stalls that were destroyed by fire earlier this year.

Ormanique Bowe, President of the Potter’s Cay Dock Fish, Fruit, and Vegetables Vendors Association, said there was a recent meeting with an official at the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources about the matter.

“They’re still waiting on the final signing off of the plan from the Ministry of Works,” she said. “As long as they get that final signature, the plans would be completed and ready to go for construction. They have two hold ups and the hold ups are the infrastructure by BPL and…Water and Sewerage.

“As soon as they get the okay from the Ministry of Works, BPL and Water and Sewerage then they would have another meeting with us. What they’re trying to do is try to have meetings every two weeks to bring us up to date on what is going on.”

She also said: “The government, I suggested that they go ahead and they contracted out (the works) so all the stalls could be up and ready at the same time – completed to their satisfaction.”

She said the government wants to help the vendors that were affected by the April blaze that left six stalls completely burned to the ground and two others with damage.

“Actually, those stalls are not owned by the government—the property is owned by the government. The plot of cement that was left standing, that is the government property. “Vendors built those stalls themselves. It’s a disadvantage to the vendors because they could not get insurance because those stalls are labelled as hazardous,” she explained.

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