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October 28, 2011 - 09:40

Constuction of Town Clock Becomes Hot Topic

It will sit in the middle of the intersection of Barrier Reef Drive and Ambergris Street – the new clock tower that the San Pedro Town Council has already started working on. But what did not sit well with the residents of San Pedro was the fact that the clock tower is smack in the middle of front street!

What people thought was work on drainage or underground wires turned out to be the construction of the new clock tower; but nobody expected it there. Now that the news broke on the Reef Radio’s morning show, residents have started expressing their discontent with the location of the clock tower.

Ambergris Today consulted with Mayor Paz to get some more information on the matter.

*The construction of the project is final; work will continue as planned and the town clock will be done in a period of six weeks.

* It was the idea of the San Pedro Town Council to have the town clock placed in the middle of the street for two main reasons: (1) to alleviate speeding and (2) to stop heavy vehicles from passing on Barrier Reef Drive.

*The street measures 30 feet in width and the town clock base will measure 7ft x 7ft which will be located in the middle of the street leaving 11 ½ feet on both sides for vehicular flow.

*In regards to having made decisions without a public consultation Mayor Paz commented that, since it is a donation (from Ramon’s Village) and not a project funded by the San Pedro Town Council, no public consultation is needed.

*Mayor Paz told Ambergris Today that one of the conditions for the donation was to have it in the center of the street, if it is to be placed elsewhere then it would not be donated.

*The billboard display will be available for advertisements for town activities such as Costa Maya Festival Activities, September Celebration Schedule, etc. free of cost. If any other business would like to advertise on the billboard there will be advertising fees which would be paid to Ramon’s Village and not the Town Council.

*Ramon’s Village will be in charge of the maintenance of the Town Clock and of the electricity bill of the billboard. The San Pedro Town Council will pay the electricity bill of the clock.

*Utility companies have agreed to allow the town clock in the middle of the street and BWS has agreed to move their pipe lines and work around the town clock.

Construction started on Monday, October 24, 2011, with Graniel’s Construction setting ground work for the clock. The estimated completion time is six weeks, in which a town clock measuring seven square feet at the base and standing 21 feet 8 inches tall and elevated two feet shall be erected in the middle of the street.

And this is what does not sit well with residents. Here are some of the comments from them:

*Why in the middle of the street, they ask? Are we not trying to relief traffic congestion on our narrow streets already?
*What about access to the Fire Truck in case of emergencies?
*One taxi association is already congesting the park area and the clock does not seem to be in the proper place.
*The park is so big, why not somewhere in the park, like where the ‘fountain’ should have been?
*There will be some crazy driver crashing into it sometime or the other.

During the period of construction the street section from the Alijua building to Jaguars Temple will be blocked. With so much uproar from the community, only time will tell if Mayor Paz and the Town Council back off and reconsider the erection of a town clock in the middle of Barrier Reef Drive; we shall see what develops and keep our readers updated.

Click here for more news on Ambergris Today Online

View the discussion thread.

Comments

December 19, 2011 - 13:27

Action requires knoweldge, and now I can act!

October 31, 2011 - 18:26

Suggested this to Town Council over and over even sent some sckematics to convert in a boardwalk integrated with a park, this would benefit everyone including the poor vendors who had just been removed..

This would be very benficial for everyone and create a real tourist venter in town...

LEL aia

October 31, 2011 - 13:31

Well, can't wait to see this when i come to visit in December. strange place for such a thing, ummmmm......maybe better in the park or well, somewhere else, instead of a traffic speed bump. I will make sure to sit close by and spectate while coke wagons and garbage trucks, electric company boom trucks try to maneuver around the clock. when i read the other comments it saddens me to see such infighting. three words.....constructive criticism and Karma.

October 31, 2011 - 09:43

Hmmm......Somehow you people are not that smart since you surely do think that San Pedro will remain with the same features of an small island with old wooden buildings and hammacks everywhere....Get Real....Our population is growing and so the changes will appear rather faster than usual...Look at all the Condos and houses with styles of 2012 already in existence....you dont see someone building a new home and making it of thatch .....

October 30, 2011 - 21:49

This is an excellent project. It would be even better if the area was turned into a pedestrian-only zone and get rid of those smelly vehicles, cazy golf carts and motor cycles littering the streets of San Pedro.

- JLZ

October 30, 2011 - 19:43

I am prepared to chip in for a law suit.

October 30, 2011 - 18:22

Susan Edwards:

i have been a LOYAL tourist to the island for over 7 years, twice a year! I have sent friends, accaintances and strangers we have bet diving elsewhere to this island paradise, because it WAS so quaint, majical and the people are amazing! the origianl owner or Ramons, was an island original that wanted to share the majic of the island with others, to show there was still an untouched piece of paradise within our minds and reach......palm trees, white sand beaches, amazing small local family owned businesses, restuarants with nothing but three walls, made of palm trees, and sand floors, and food to die for! there was VERY LITTLE signage other than home made signs, and the odd proffessional painted one, no gaudy stuff.....just a little island that seemed as if time had forgotten,,,, what they still write about in books, that all of us dream of finding and spending time on!
THEN CAME HEDRICKS! the new owners of Ramons, and the quaint island is now being turned into a mini vegas....or god i hate to say it....A mini replica of CANCUN! agghhh...just what we were all trying to get away from...... sorry to say i will not be sending any more people the way of the island....i will keep my pictures and memories well guarded in my heart, my computer and my brain......and when i want to go to the paradise of my dreams, where so many of my friends live, and meet every oct and feb...i will now have to close my eyes and rememebr how things USED TO BE...........

October 30, 2011 - 00:12

Fighting progress will get you run over...this time we can run over progress.

October 29, 2011 - 15:51

what the hell who you think you are now the owner of the island... hey elsa why dont you build the clock on your yard i bet it look much better.....

October 29, 2011 - 15:21

Whether something is done for the Island or not the people never gets satisfied....... If they see that the townboard doesn't do anything they talk and if they do they still talk! I believe that the people doesn't have anything else to do than to talk..... They should start to appreciate what is done for the Island and not only see the negative side but also the Positive as well. There are some stupid comments like if the clock goes up they are going to relocate in Panama...... What a Stupidity!!!! :S

All these comments posted here are the same one's not having some kind of moral values! Really and truly people in the Island need to GROW! What a shame!!!