Under the Sustainable Tourism Program, over $6 million Bze of IDB funding, will be invested in a boardwalk stretching 2000 linear feet along the water–front and transforming the back lagoon area of San Pedro Town. The development will incorporate a multipurpose pier housing international and domestic water taxi terminals and small scale shopping. A destination for tourists and locals, the boardwalk will be designed to promote an atmosphere of leisure and relaxation; maintaining the identity of San Pedro Town, while revitalizing the surrounding area.

Local architectural firm International Environments Ltd. based in Belize City was awarded the contract for the feasibility, planning, and design of the Sunset Pier and Boardwalk based on the strength of their technical and price proposals. Today Principal Daniel Arguelles signed off on the $ 482,500 Bz agreement with the Ministry of Tourism and the Belize Tourism Board. IE was one of 12 firms from the local and international arena who expressed an interest in this challenging under–taking. Their experienced, professionals have stated a strong commitment to developing a driver of future economic growth for San Pedro Town, creating further commercial and tourism opportunities and encouraging local ownership of the development.

IE's team will carry out detailed marine and geotechnical investigations, social environmental studies and economic analysis, contributing to the final blueprints. A manual will also be developed to guide sustainable operations thus ensuring an efficient an successful public amenity for the future. The planning phase will span five months, setting the stage for construction to begin early next year.

Funding for the US$15million Sustainable Tourism Program is provided by the Government of Belize through an IDB loan, and from the Belize Tourism Board. For more information about the program please contact the Project Coordinating Unit at info@sustainabletourismbz.org

Residents at a San Pablo home got a pretty big scare in the morning of Friday, July 23, as a fire broke out on the second floor of a concrete home. According to official reports tenants on the ground floor of the building called the San Pedro Police Department as the smell of smoke filled their apartments. The San Pedro Fire Department was called by the Police department at around 8:24 a.m. and quickly left to the scene.

Melisa and Emir Marin, owners of the building and who reside in the second floor, had already left their home and nobody was there at the time of the fire. According to police officers at the scene, the fire was caused by a window AC unit which ignited a bed in one of the rooms.

The quick response of the fire department prevented a major catastrophe. The fire was completely extinguished in 15 minutes. The concrete building mostly suffered smoke and water damage but the room where the fire started was totally damaged. The building was insured at RFG Insurance and a total of $90,000 worth of damaged was reported.

The San Pedro Fire Department would like to remind residents to call 226-2372 to report a fire and not 911.

Nicole Yaret Hawit
Age: 22 years
Height: 5' 5"
Occupation: Bachelor in Tourism
Eye color: Brown
Hair color: Brown
Measurements: 34" - 25" - 34"
Hobbies: Exercising

BilBao Show for Sunday at Costa Maya Festival

“The craziest show in Mexico” is how the Bilbao Show is described and it is coming to Costa Maya Festival 2010. The spectacular comedic show has been confirmed by the Festival Committee to take stage on Sunday, August 8, 2010, Family Night at the Costa Maya Festival. It’s a show suitable for all ages.

The Bilbao show is an artistic concept consisting of four singers, comedians and impersonators on stage, accompanied by three live musicians and an assistant, eight people in total. With a history of more than 25 years, the Bilbao show has traveled throughout Mexico as well as some U.S. cities and some South American countries.

The dynamics of the show consists of comedy sketches and imitations of international artists such as Vicente Fernandez, Juan Gabriel, Emmanuel, Gloria Trevi, Luis Miguel, Il. Divo, among many others. They have promised the Costa Maya Festival audience close to a two hour show for the closing of the festival.

Also scheduled for Sunday are performances by KTV Latino Karaoke finalists Desmond Berry, Oneida Shaw and Natalie Arceo. They are sure to have great performances for all to enjoy.

Making headline news all over the internet is Billionaire Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Greene for leaving unpaid fines of $1.87 million to Belize after his yacht, Summerwind, tore up the coral reef.

Making the news more recently were the Westerhaven, the Great Escape and the Azteca were three notable vessels that ran aground on Belize’s Barrier Beef. Five years ago, Summerwind, also damaged the reef but its owner is now claiming that his vessel never ran aground on Belize’s reef, despite irrefutable evidence.

United States Billionaire Jeff Greene’s three story and 145 foot luxury yacht left a 50 by 200 foot path of destruction in 2005 near San Pedro. Greene is running for a senate seat, and according to his representatives, the grounding on Belize’s Barrier Reef never happened.

The article stated that Summerwind dropped anchor in Belize and plunged into controversy over severe damage to a coral reef system officially recognized by the United Nations as one of the world's most magnificent and irreplaceable treasures.

"The guys from the area told me they were beside the boat before it dropped anchor, and they were yelling and waving their hands, shouting, 'No! No, don't drop here,' '' recounted Melanie McField, a marine scientist with the Smithsonian Institution who surveyed the Central American reef shortly after the incident. "It was bad. There was a lot of damage."

According to reports, Greene was not aboard the boat at the time. And, oddly, Greene today says the incident never happened, despite extensive publicity about it at the time (including statements from his representatives), eyewitness accounts, scientific surveys of the damage and an extensive case file at Belize’s Department of Environment.

"Jeff Greene doesn't take a penny of special interest money, so career politicians are attacking him with ridiculous stories about something that didn't even happen five years ago on a boat he wasn't even on,'' said Greene’s campaign spokesman Luis Vizcaino.

In Belize, the chief environmental officer of the Department of Environment, Martin Alegria, thumbed through a two-volume file on the Summerwind case in response to questions from the St. Petersburg Times. The case remains officially open, Alegria said in a phone interview, and if Greene or the Summerwind's then-captain returns to Belize they face fines of up to $1.87 million, given the amount of reef damage caused.

Belize became much tougher on those who harm or pollute the 175-mile reef after the Summerwind incident occurred in March 2005, Alegria said, but at the time local authorities failed to seize passports or press charges before Summerwind left.

Billy Leslie, president of the San Pedro Tourist Guide Council in Belize, said he saw the damage soon after the incident and closely followed the investigation. Summerwind's anchor caused a 50-by-200-foot swath of destruction on the living reef, he said. "It was a very big deal at the time, but the police made mistakes in that they didn't apprehend anyone soon enough,'' he said. "They (Summerwind representatives) were very clear they were willing to pay to get this resolved, but by the time the order finally came to apprehend someone, they had taken off and never paid a penny." News accounts at the time said the yacht's captain was interrogated but after several days passed without further action, Summerwind took off.

Alegria, Belize's chief environmental enforcement officer, said he may take a closer look at the case now that it has been brought to his attention, but in 2005 the matter effectively ended when Greene's yacht left. "It's still an open case, but it was a lost cause after they left Belize,'' said Alegria.

In the other cases, a multimillion dollar judgment was made against the owners of the Westerhaven in the Supreme Court. Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego, the owner of the Azteca, accepted responsibility and was allowed to leave Belize. However, the owner of the Great Escape, the 85 foot luxury yacht, is yet to be charged with committing any offense. The owner of that vessel faked a heart attack and was allowed to leave the country before settling the matter.