Dominica Govt' continues to invest in Petite Savanne constituency, says Minister Darroux

Dominica: After Tropical Storm Erica's passage in 2015, the Petite Savanne Constituency was given a hard blow. Many residents had to move due to the devastation caused by the tropical storm. Since then, the Government of Dominica has made significant investments in various areas to help rebuild the constituency.

The sports sector is an area that has seen such investments, as Bagatelle residents can now claim new rehabilitated playgrounds and basketball courts.

“We renovated the basketball court a few months ago. We spent a significant amount of money to get the proper surface, good backboard, etc. Also behind the basketball court, you can appreciate the work that has been done on the Bagatelle playing field; Fencing along with revival and other works,” said the Member of Parliament for the Petite Savanne Constitution, Dr Kenneth Darroux.

These events were held last year to facilitate community sports.

Sports Coordinator, Trevor Shillingford, said that there is always room for improvement when it comes to youth participation in community sports. He said that the sports division would organize sports committees within the communities to create a framework to enhance sports across the island. Shillingford said he believed that the games' development would help break down barriers and bring people together.

"In recent times, there has been a lot of emphasis on the development of sports facilities, and I think that will work well for the overall development of our people and our country," Shillingford said.

Meanwhile, work is scheduled to be completed at the new Bagatelle Health and Wellness facility. The government of Dominica has spent more than two million dollars on this project.

The new health center is part of the government's mandate to build a modern, smart, resilient, and robust health system across the country. The government seeks to provide easy access to health care facilities for all sections of the community from the weakest upwards is. The goal is a fully inclusive health care access policy.

“Works are in an advanced stage of the new Bagatelle Health Center. It is part of twelve health centers built by MMCE on a citizenship-based investment program. It is important to note now that this new health center is going to give way to the demolition of the old health center for the construction of new housing units for the residents of Bagatel,” said the MP.

A new health and wellness facility has also been built at Bellevue Chopin.

The Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, says it realizes the growth of primary health care services in Dominica.

“This can also be translated into better care for our citizens and residents. There will be no complaints about the quality of services or the quality of equipment. I am happy about this investment here and we will have a series of openings for such facilities in Dominica in just a few weeks.

The Petite Savanne constituency MP said that one of the government's initiatives is to name health and welfare facilities in the name of a person who has made a medical contribution to that constituency.

The constituency will also see the benefits of a new Bagatelle water supply worth approximately one million dollars. This major project results from collaboration between the government, the Basic Needs Trust Fund Program (BNTF) and Dominica Water and Sewerage Company (DOWASCO).

The new intake will benefit the residents of Bagatelle, Fond Saint-Jean and Pointe Caribe.

The water intake project, which is expected for the last six months, was conceptualized under BNTT-8 and is being funded by the Bank of the Caribbean.

"The intake was actually in a sorry state, at times considered almost unclean. With the passage of the tropical storm Erica and Hurricane Maria, as you can well imagine, the original intake made decades ago Was almost completely destroyed,” MP said.

The Member of Parliament said that he is happy to see the start of his long-awaited project, which involves replacing pipes from all the communities affected who would benefit from the intake.

"So this new upgrade was approved years ago, and I'm delighted to see that it has finally started and continues. So while it seems like a minor project, it's just part of it. The entire project involves the complete relaying and replacement of all pipes in the communities of Bagatelle, Fond Saint-Jean, and Pointe Caribe,” noted Dr Darroux.

A new Bailey Bridge is also running in the Bagatelle constituency. The project, costing over $ 2 million, will benefit the entire constituency upon completion.

“We felt the need to live with a commitment for the residents of that region. So I am very excited, very optimistic, very much relieved about this project,” Dr Darroux said.

Prime Minister Skerrit described the project as a large-scale investment for the residents of Bagatelle.

He said the bridge had been a source of discussion as many residents were relocated after the devastation of previous natural disasters.

“The incompleteness of the bridge was a major sad thing for a large section of the residents of Bagatelle. I know that there are people who have felt that money could have been spent because there were very few houses beyond this bridge and there were many people who felt that we moved residents across the bridge, so the investment Will cost much less. But we understand that when someone is accustomed to their home for so many decades, they do not want to move forward and we respect it. So I am very happy with it and we are waiting for it to be completed.”

A fish landing site in Stowe that was severely damaged by Hurricane Maria's passage in 2017 has since been rehabilitated.

Dominica's government has spent more than six hundred thousand dollars on the project, which on completion will benefit both the Petite Savanne Constitution and the Grand Bay Constituency.

“Fishermen in the region are putting real pressure on me, especially after Maria when this landing site became almost unusable. But we have spent more than six hundred thousand dollars with a Grand Bay contractor to improve the landing site,” MP said.

She said she is satisfied with the contractor's work and is "happy that we can make fishermen's lives easier."

Dr Darroux said he, along with the MP for the Grand Bay constituency, is negotiating with the Government of Japan through Japan's ambassador to move forward with development plans for the area.

Petite Savanne believes that this landing site has the potential to exceed the landing site. He says that this area can serve as an evacuation site during the emergency, and he is satisfied with the work done so far on this project.

These significant events reflect the government's commitment to advance the lives of the vulnerable and all other citizens from all walks of life. By increasing the standard of living for residents and citizens, the government can fulfill its mandate to create a resilient and modern nation.