Today a ground breaking ceremony was held for the new Belize City market formerly known as the Queen Square Market but it will now be renamed the Michael Finnegan Market. The project was launched today and it should take about six months for construction to be completed. The market will cost six hundred and fourteen thousand, three hundred and forty thousand dollars. 7News was at the launch and spoke with both Mayor Zenaida Moya and the Area Representative and Minister of Housing Michael Finnegan. According to Mayor Zenaida Moya the old market had more than just dilapidated buildings hat needed to be torn down.
Zenaida Moya, Mayor of Belize City
“We also I must add did have a lot of rodents and it all had to do with the fact that what was there was not conducive of really protecting the vendors, their produce, and so we it really escalated to a situation whereby we had certain problems, including rodent problems and the people also at any given time were getting wet as they would try to sell their goods which would result in some of their products really being spoiled or whatever it is and the actual clients that they have really needed something so that when they walk along they have something proper and decent to utilize.
We will be putting down a first flat, it should comprise of I believe 22 stalls and we of course, when you hear that you would say there are about 90 current vendors you have. If you will know, not everybody had a stall so to speak. There were many who for example would only utilize a bucket to sell their craboo or peanuts or whatever it is. You also had other individuals who would use their tents. You have other individuals who would be wholesalers and would come in their trucks. And so we will be ensuring that those persons will have market space. As you will see there are already existing stalls that only need some level of renovation, a little bit of upkeep and those will be other stalls that will be utilized for the rest of the vendors.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“Because of all of this improvement taking place, should Belizeans expect
an increase in vegetables and produce they buy from the market?”
Zenaida Moya,
“Well we clearly don’t want the price to be increased as it pertains to vegetables and produce. That is not our intention, what will be charged is simply the amount that will be necessary to maintain the market.”
Hon. Michael Finnegan, Minister of Housing/Mesopotamia Area Rep.
“Do you know Jackie as a boy, young boy, this is where the slaughter house does be and I used to run through yah, hop the fence to go see football games play across there and they used to have a thing they boiled in kerosene pan, all the things from the cows and they had it boiled. If you don’t know what is a kerosene pan, ask your mother what lard used to come in and they called it ‘boil’ and I does hang out in here with those boys as little boys and when time came to eat, I does get my boil because that is the way how I used to get my food and so and now you imagine, 30 to 40 years later this very spot is named after me. That is almost impossible. I couldn’t believe that in my wildest dream that something like that would happen.”
The Michael Finnegan Market Project will be funded by the Caribbean Development Bank through the implementation of the Basic Needs Trust Fund. The project’s contractor is Selvin Jones Building Services. For his distinction, Finnegan is a self-styled politician who had the largest margin of victory of any candidate in the last election. It has been rumoured that when he retires he will give Moya the nod as his successor in the Mesopotamia seat which is considered the UDP’s safest in the country.
