Government member Lorna Smith has raised concerns about the unsightly condition of sections of Road Town, where trailers, containers, boats and old vehicles have accumulated.
Speaking in the House of Assembly on July 10, Smith said she counted more than 24 trailers, containers and boats in Lower Road Town that morning, excluding the old vehicles in the area.
“Mr. Speaker, this is our town,” said Smith, who is the Junior Minister for Financial Services, Economic Development and Digital Transformation.
She said the situation was made worse by the sight of Customs Department representatives clearing cargo from containers which she claimed were occupying government property without permission.
“What added insult to injury for me was to see that the representatives of the Customs Department are now clearing cargo from within those containers that are trespassing on government property. It is wrong,” Smith stated.
She said the condition of the area does not reflect the beauty promoted in the Territorial Song, “Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands”, and called for greater pride in the capital.
“I am not trying to get in the way of people in terms of their livelihood, but we must do it better,” she said. “We must find a place to put our cargo, our containers and so on, so that Road Town looks like how Road Town should look.”
Smith also expressed concern about the impression being left on cruise visitors, noting that a ship was in port the previous day and two others had visited on Wednesday.
“This is the sight that they are seeing. It is not right,” she said.
Smith called on those responsible for creating the unsightly conditions to take immediate action.
“I’m calling on the people who are responsible for creating this unsightly look in our country to stop, to take some pride in the British Virgin Islands,” she stated.
Responding, Luce Hodge-Smith, Representative for the Fourth District which includes Road Town, indicated that plans are afoot to have the capital cleaned up in time for the Festival celebrations slated for later this month.
Hodge-Smith, who is also the Junior Minister for Culture and Tourism, said officials are working closely with the City Manager.
Speaking in the House of Assembly on July 10, Smith said she counted more than 24 trailers, containers and boats in Lower Road Town that morning, excluding the old vehicles in the area.
“Mr. Speaker, this is our town,” said Smith, who is the Junior Minister for Financial Services, Economic Development and Digital Transformation.
She said the situation was made worse by the sight of Customs Department representatives clearing cargo from containers which she claimed were occupying government property without permission.
“What added insult to injury for me was to see that the representatives of the Customs Department are now clearing cargo from within those containers that are trespassing on government property. It is wrong,” Smith stated.
She said the condition of the area does not reflect the beauty promoted in the Territorial Song, “Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands”, and called for greater pride in the capital.
“I am not trying to get in the way of people in terms of their livelihood, but we must do it better,” she said. “We must find a place to put our cargo, our containers and so on, so that Road Town looks like how Road Town should look.”
Smith also expressed concern about the impression being left on cruise visitors, noting that a ship was in port the previous day and two others had visited on Wednesday.
“This is the sight that they are seeing. It is not right,” she said.
Smith called on those responsible for creating the unsightly conditions to take immediate action.
“I’m calling on the people who are responsible for creating this unsightly look in our country to stop, to take some pride in the British Virgin Islands,” she stated.
Responding, Luce Hodge-Smith, Representative for the Fourth District which includes Road Town, indicated that plans are afoot to have the capital cleaned up in time for the Festival celebrations slated for later this month.
Hodge-Smith, who is also the Junior Minister for Culture and Tourism, said officials are working closely with the City Manager.
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It’s not only Lower Main Street — just look across the lot from Tortola Pier Park. People simply abandon old cars, trailers, and other junk on property that doesn’t belong to them, without permission. And if you try to secure or fence off your land, suddenly there’s an uproar about where visitors to TPP are supposed to park.
But the real tragedy is the lack of pride in our surroundings, and how we allow — even encourage — those who come to live among us to follow the same pattern of neglect and contribute to the defacing of our communities.