On March 3rd after 4-year-old Oscar Velasquez was killed in the Antelope Street Extension Area of southside Belize City, government announced the formation of a committee to deal with the special needs of southside Belize City to improve the lives of residents in Collet and Port Loyola. 8 weeks after that on April 26 government signed onto a study that is to assess the needs, formulate decisions and recommend technical and environmental priorities for Collet, Port Loyola and the Lake Independence Area. We are not sure under which of these the following story will fall under but one thing is for sure, there is something already happening in the Collet area as we today visited the antelope street extension area to find bulldozers working feverishly to put in new roads. Thing is, we aren't sure who is doing it or with what plan as one of the roads is clearly cutting across a man's lot, and he's none too happy about it.
Alfonso Noble Reporting, Email: [alfnoble@yahoo.com]
Residents of the Antelope Street Extension area were visibly happy today as new streets were being pushed into the area. Some even got the benefit of some much needed filling to get rid of existing London Bridges. But while for most it was satisfying to see the bulldozers at work in this long neglected area, there were some who were not as lucky. One septic tank fell in the bulldozer's path and had to be pushed aside while the house where Maria Sanchez the mother of 4-year-old murder victim Oscar Velasquez once lived was reduced to rubble. But while there is no complaint there, one man, Kevin Mutrie is complaining because one of the streets will cut right across his already surveyed piece of land.
Kevin Mutrie,
"I heard Mr. Dickie is in charge of what is happening here and he is pushing it straight through my lot.
That wasn't supposed to happen because they already have plans where the streets should go and I don't know what he is doing, if he is doing this to please people back here or what. But I am a Belizean and I deserve that land because I have spent too much there. I have moved so many times and then I put it where it is now so what he is doing, I don't know.He hasn't even consulted with me to tell me what is going on. Things are just happening here and things shouldn't happen like that. I have a plan which I got from Belmopan where they gave me permission to survey the lot."
Alfonso Noble,
The street will cut right across your land?
Kevin Mutrie,
"It is going straight through my land. I heard it was first going a little more between mines and another but I guess to please somebody I heard it will come straight direct into mine and I don't know why."
And even though he may not know why, work proceeded apace on another road while Mutrie's father in law showed us where the land markers fall. And presently these markers are the only things that are stopping the bulldozers from continuing their work at pushing the road across Mutrie's lot.
Kevin Mutrie,
"The plan has that there is to be no street. Mr. Mckay, another survey man, made another plan and it look like they are not paying him any mind so I don't know what is going on."
Alfonso Noble,
Your lot has pegs?
Kevin Mutrie,
"It has pegs because the survey man just surveyed back here, he made the plan and everything, because we pay for him to survey it. We were waiting so long for them to survey it and now after they have surveyed it, this is what is happening back here. They are just coming and changing everything and that is not right. We need that back here (the street). We need it. We need that but it just can't come and bring down somebody just to please somebody else. You have to try and help everybody together. That is what should happen; work together not one against the next."
Alfonso Noble,
What will you do now?
Kevin Mutrie,
"Well now I am trying to wait for him because I have my truck there to hold back everything until he comes and talks to me and tell me what is happening."
Alfonso Noble,
How long can you keep your truck there? You can't keep it there forever.
Kevin Mutrie,
"I know that but I want to talk to the man. I want to talk to the man personally, not no message, man to man."
And he may get that as this evening Mutrie visited us to say he has a meeting scheduled to meet with the person responsible for the new development taking place in the Antelope Street Extension area.
We were assured that the person in charge of the development in the area whom we understand to be Richard "Dickie" Bradley is meeting with Mutrie to find a resolution to his problem.
