It was Anthony Boots Martinez’s birthday today but he didn’t spend it kicking back at the cayes or rolling around in his executive ride – he spent it in political combat! Not against the PUP, mind you, his fight was with a disgruntled constituent who says the contractor that Minister Boots sent to fix her home under the Southside Poverty Alleviation Project made a mess of her home and left it unfinished. But as always, there are two sides to a story and I got both, first hand, and up close. Here’s the story.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
Since 1989 and up until almost one year ago this is the wooden house where fifty five year old Madeline Chavez and her family resided at 7225 Reggae Street.
Madeline Chavez, Homeowner
“After a while the house, because I had steps, I had six steps and from we constant the throw in stuffings to fill the yard because the house was going down so I only had three steps.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“So the house was built on swamp and it was sinking.”
Madeline Chavez,
“Yes.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“So they had to fill the land.”
Madeline Chavez,
“Yes and after a while the house just get rotten and thing I tried fix it the best way I could. I started from that side when the rain came it lashed against the wall and so it was plywood I had their first and I changed it into wood, I changed it in lumber.”
But the house continued to deteriorate and Madeline Chavez was overwhelmed
by the poor living conditions and too financially strapped to do any more self repairs. The wooden structure was then put on a long list of houses to be repaired under the OPEC funded southside poverty alleviation project. Almost one year after the work commenced this is a picture of what the house looks like today but this morning when we visited with Madeline Chavez she was visibly upset when she told us that while she is pleased with the help she received she is not happy with the work that she says is incomplete and regrets that she was not at home at the time of the repairs but at her place of employment.
Madeline Chavez,
“For example right behind the TV if you push the plycem, it goes straight outside and I asked them if they would raise the house little more for me, even if it was only one or two cement blocks and they said yes. All through Christmas my house was like this. I don’t have no step.
I only bring it to the light of the media that whenever people come to them and they want to fix their house, they better be there and ask them questions. It is not like me who couldn’t ask them questions at all because you will take the pictures of all the things I will show you because I don’t like how they left my house because when it rains we have to be setting buckets. Right now a bucket is up there. See a bucket. My granddaughter will have to climb up and get the bucket to throw away the water.
Over there you can see that a plastic is right there. My house isn’t on no post at all. No post. The other day when the earthquake, I would have wanted you to feel how my house was going. I was having problems with the things after a while because you know why, to me they just want to come to do any kind
of little thing which they can hurry do and they have to go somewhere else. One man can’t serve two masters.”
Madeline Chavez says she was also promised a bathroom but the family continues to use this outhouse at the rear of the property.
Madeline Chavez,
“I had one or two things in my house which were to repair. Slowly I would have done it. I don’t want to sound ungrateful you the understand me because I was grateful for the help because me one was struggling, me one. So for the help I appreciate it but I don’t like how they left the house. Because when it rains, cause I asthmatic, as you could see I have arthritis, my fingers twist up and my knees twist up. They have sometimes when it hurts me bad and at night I have to dodge from water.”
And while a tour of the house did reveal that some work was left undone there are always two sides to a story and that became very clear when following our interview with Madeline Chavez, Area Representative Anthony Boots Martinez arrived at the residence. Things became real interesting and at one point almost confrontational when Martinez claims a part of the work included an extension to a back bedroom but Chavez says there was no new addition, the room which was in a very bad condition was only refurbished with new materials.
[Back and forth between Boots Martinez and Madeline Chavez]
It was finally established that no new addition was done to the home but what needed to be repaired was completed. According to Anthony Boots Martinez under the Southside Poverty Alleviation Project, the homeowner has been provided with more than what was originally estimated.
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez, Minister of Works
“First of all we try to ensure the basic home repairs under the Southside project is that nothing is coming through and through your house, you are not
getting wet, and you could do your private business in peace. The others we say that with the amount of people who need help, people can do but we go over and beyond the call of duty.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“Why does the family need to use cement blocks in order to get into their house?”
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“Well because that wasn’t the scope of work that was there. Again I explained to you the program is geared for the basic thing, for living for people. It is not a new home. When it is a new home it is another thing and I am saying to you upfront and straightforward that this house has superseded the original estimate. I had to apply back to the Ministry for additional funding only to do the scope of work because of the difficulty we found when we were repairing the house.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“What work was done?”
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“The sills were changed, the restructure of the whole wall including putting up new plycem, the ceiling joist were changed, and they put on zinc on half of the roof.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“Clearly though the work is unfinished because the family is getting wet when it rains. Why?”
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“Well we haven’t know why and like I rightfully said, we ask all the contractors, not only one all, that work on the southside project, like how it is the rainy season, could you please go and check back, especially where you change a roof to see if there is any difficulty because remember when you change a roof it is a sunny day. But you can’t be allowed to go and check, I the tell you the lady drive the country so how could they go back and even check.”
Today contractor Derwin Middleton was on hand and ready to see what repairs need to completed but first he had to be let inside the home and that turned out to be a challenge
Madeline Chavez to Contractor: “You nuh go and you do any kind of work and ask that person to accept it.”
[Back and Forth with intervention from Jacqueline Godwin.’]
Jacqueline Godwin: “So the contractor is outside right now. Would you allow the contractor to come inside and take note of what need to be finished in the scope of work that should have been done so that you don’t get wet.”
Madeline Chavez: “I don’t mind they do that.”
So following an assessment by the contractor the only repairs that Area Representative Anthony Boots Martinez says he will agree to is to seal the areas where water gets into the home.
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“As far as I understand it that we are asking our contractors to go back, especially where we repair roofs and where we repair roof if there is leaking roof we ask them to fix it. Nothing is written in stone.”
But what about the bathroom that was supposed to have been built inside the home?
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“Everything was set and you rightfully point out that the bathroom facility should be in that piece there that we replaced and put a piece on and apart from that everything was here for them to hook up the bathroom and the lady said to take it from here or I will bruk it up, we will stone you, I am telling you straightforward.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“As the Area Rep. and you have certainly done a lot in helping the homeowner here but something needs to be completed. So what are you willing to do to bring an end to this thing?”
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“As far as I know, the only work that we might need to look on is if there is any leakage on the roof. Apart from that the bathroom facilities, I am saying that I am not fighting for. If everything was here, sewerage, shower stall, and you said to take it what should I do? Fight with you to give it to you?”
Madeline Chavez did admit that when the fixtures arrived she did not accept it because she does not want the bathroom to be put into her son’s back bedroom which from what we saw had enough space to be divided for such a facility.
According to Martinez, to date in excess of two hundred houses have been repaired under the southside poverty alleviation project.
