Last week, we brought you news coverage of the controversy that continues to play out in the village of Seine Bight, on the Placencia Peninsula.
As we told you, the management of Publics, the local supermarket chain, is in the process of expanding business in the village. They already have a supermarket there, and the developers are now building a gas station, which has already provoked outrage from some residents of the community.
9 days ago, a resident published footage on Facebook, which showed a surge of muddy water being diverted from the construction site of the gas station into the sea at the village's beachfront. There were immediate howls of protests from residents who insisted that the company was engaging in water pollution. The developers insisted that this water was safe to release into the environment because it contained no chemicals. They say that it came from the water table, while they were excavating to install their underground fuel storage tanks.
Some residents continue to strongly oppose the construction of the gas station, and so, when the fuel storage tanks were brought in for installation this morning, it caused a commotion in the village.
Our news team arrived shortly after a small stand-off between some impromptu protesters and police. Daniel Ortiz has that story:
Residents of Seine Bight have had a week to mull over the defense which the gas station owners gave to us. The developers said that the muddy brown water, which was released into the sea last week, had absolutely no chemicals in it.
Some villagers told us that they didn't buy that explanation because it didn't come with documentary proof.
Arthur Roy Williams - Seine Bight Resident
"I believe that the water is contaminated, but not with chemicals. It is contaminated with perhaps something from the ground and it's not natural H2O, otherwise they would have drunk the water. But I was against the water going to the sea, because of the soil erosion that its causing. Even today we see mother nature and due to global warming, we are seeing major flood erosion, so with that pipe going to the sea it just add."
Becky Arzu - Seine Bight Resident/Village Councillor
"As you could have seen on the video how the water was digging up into our sand and causing erosion already and how can you tell us that this water is safe water? If you didn't even take a minute out of your day to even test this to prove to us that you actually really care about us."
Those misgivings bring us this morning when we saw the early stages in the next phase of construction for the gas station.
The fuel storage tanks, which will be placed underground, were ready to be installed inside their concrete vault.
Armis Hernandez Jr - Ops. Manager, Petroleum Equipment Services Ltd.
"We're looking at 2-3 months to have the service station completed."
Some villagers continue to maintain strong opposition to the gas station, which inches nearer to completion every week. In fact, just today, the contractor had to call the police in to maintain the peace. Reports were that some residents were actively preventing the employees from doing their jobs, allegedly by throwing projectiles at the workers.
Armis Hernandez Jr
"Today, while the equipment was being offloaded, we were thrown projectiles in the sense of pint bottles that we can see in those areas, about 3-4 of them actually did put fear to us and I felt that it was a little bit unfair, because we just doing a job for someone and hence the reason we got a little bit concerned and we requested that at least we have police presence here to avoid any incident. We don't want any incident with my people or I don't want any incident with the villagers. We ask the police department to assist us in safeguarding the safety of my employees, my collaborators and as well the community. We didn't want any confrontation with anyone. They told us to wait, we waited, when the authorities came by, they took over the situation and they advise us how to maneuver the installation of these tanks."
Arthur Roy Williams - Seine Bight Resident
"The police made a decision to come with firearms and began to engage as though we were hostile. I heard some bangs against the wall, but I didn't see any stones throwing, but I did heard loud bangs as if somebody was banging on the cement zinc. That was when the police came out with their firearms. If someone is banging a wall here and there for police to come out with firearms. They are not hostile and are not causing any threat to anybody, so that was uncalled for by the police to come with firearms on these youngsters who are just trying to fight for their own rights. We are peaceful. We are not arrogant people. Had we been arrogant, that project wouldn't be where it is today, because we see them working everyday."
Alexander Williams - Resident, Seine Bight
"The police officers came in, they supposed to be peace officers, but guns were cocked out here this morning. That's how people are frustrated and why, because of this development."
Even though the gas station is basically a done deal, the developers will have to accept that they simply cannot win back the favor of some of the residents. Its location is likely to be a sore point of contention, long after the community begrudgingly accepts it.
Alexander Williams
"I still do object the development even though it is this far. I still am objecting to the development. As a past community leader, as a resident, my house is less than 25 foot away from this development and its a gas station for crying out loud. If you noticed all the gas stations on this peninsula; M&M Gas Station, we have a Thunderbird gas station, we have Roberts Groove gas station - all are close to the lagoon side. It's not in developed area and I cannot see why Mr. Martin Alegria, or members of the department of the environment from the get-go give these people permits for clearance to erect a gas station in the heart of this community."
Becky Arzu
"We don't need another gas station in this area, 1) It's in the middle of a residential area, 2) its directly in front of the Daweiba which is where we do our ceremonial practices for our ancestors as Garifuna people. This is disruption to our culture, this is disrespect to our people, this is Garinagu land. This is Garifuna land that our ancestors left for us and today when they are putting in that tank, for me, it is like emitting poison into our ground, while we have to stand almost helplessly and watch this happen."
Macaria Arzu - Seine Bight Resident
"Many of us that live in this area are people that are suffering from cancer, asthma. Almost everybody in this surrounding has a medical issue, myself as an asthmatic patient, so I think that the gas station we accept the development, but the gas station should have been in the lagoon area as the rest of the gas stations that are on the peninsula."
Floyd Anthony Palacio - Seine Bight Resident
"The investors of this project are individuals who are only here for their own self-interest and benefit, so I will continue to oppose this project, I will always oppose this project, but let me say this, I am personally disappointed. I have to call out the people, I will straight into the camera and then I will call out the people of Seine Bight for being so complacent. There is this strong opposition to this project, but it continues to go unheard, the people they continue to railroad, they continue to do what they do, but one of the reasons is the complacency of the people of Seine Bight. The reality is a lot of us here only talk."
The residents pledge that since their objections are being ignored, they will take their fight to the Supreme Court.
Arthur Roy Williams - Resident
"I am of the belief that they are fully ahead with this project and undermining the legal process that's taking place. It is a matter before the courts and I call the attorney this morning and I would have expect that he would have been here by now, but because he had some difficulty, that's the reason he is not here, but he is still coming."
Alexander Williams
"The only other avenue for is to to go to court and get a judicial review of the process, because the legal size of the land is not even conducive for a gas station. Where the tank is to the main road here, that tank should be 300 feet away from the main road and 300 feet away from the property line where that concrete fence is. They have not met that and Mr. Alegria and all the members of the department of environment knows this. That has been told to them."
Becky Arzu
"Even though the project is continuing we will not stop screaming on the top of our voice about this project and many other projects that are being happening in our community and this is not only a Seine Bight or a Garifuna problem, this is a peninsula problem."
