Work has finally begun on the construction of the second police barrack complex. The initial plan was to relocate and repair the two houses, which were originally donated to the Belize Coast Guard by the San Pedro Business Association (SPBA) and then given to the San Pedro Police. The houses which sat on a lot in the San Pablo area were in poor condition, so the final decision was made to tear down the buildings and salvage materials for the new construction rather than relocating them.
According to Deputy Mayor Gabriel “Gaby” Nuñez, the relocation and repair of the two houses would have been costly, and the finished project would still not have been up to par. “We didn’t want to simply relocate the house, patch it up and give it to the police officers because that is not efficient. Those houses had too much wear and tear that they were becoming unstable. So what we decided to do is to tear down the two building and salvage the doors, windows and wood that is still sturdy to be used as material for the new construction,” said Nuñez.
The new plans are now for the construction of a two story wooden structure that will house four police officers. The new building will follow the same design and schematics of the eight bedroom building funded by the San Pedro business community. It will be constructed adjacent to the building. “Our aim is for the police barracks to look uniform and this new plan will achieve that. We also want to ensure we give the police officers a proper living space of good quality,” said Nuñez.
$50,000 that was given by the Ministry of National Security on Wednesday, August 13th for the repairs of the two building is being used to cover initial expenses for the foundation and frame of the structure. Even though an estimate has not been given for the complete construction of the building, Nuñez has explained that the project will require more funds. “Right now we are not sure how much it will cost to complete this building. We already have a couple persons helping us out with donations,” said Nuñez. The foundation of the building is scheduled to be laid on Friday, October 10th.
The San Pedro Police Department would like to take the opportunity to thank Castillo’s Hardware, San Pedro Town Council, Daniel Guerrero and family, Honorable Manuel Heredia, Gaby’s Construction, Government of Belize and the Ministry of National Security for their generous donations towards this project. Anyone wanting to make additional donations can contact Deputy Mayor Gabriel Nunez at 605-0976 or Inspector Henry Jemmott at 600-6523.
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