Tonight, Karen Golanche, a resident in the area just off Coney Drive in Belize City, is complaining that Heritage Bank has made a proposal to Belize City Council to turn Golanche Crescent into a one-way street.
This is a public access road which circles near the Belize Family Life Association headquarters and ends near to the Bank's new building. We understand that the street had been blocked off for years, and according to Golanche, it was a major inconvenience for her and her husband, who suffers a disability. But, we understand that the Bank has proposed to the City Council that the portion of the street in front of their building be restricted so that vehicles can't pass there.
Golanche says that she cannot support this proposal, because it sort of blocks her in. Today, she called us to her home to complain that in her opinion, the City Council should not entertain this proposal. Here's her impassioned plea to the Council to dismiss this proposal:
Karen Golanche, Area Resident
"The City Council is planning to do a restriction on the street by putting some cement bolas right at this point here to restrict the flow of traffic from people living in this area. The residents in this area won't be able to pass in front of the bank any at all and they want to turn this whole street into a one way street and that will be even more restriction for the residents in this area and it will affect me more than all the other residents around here because as I mentioned before I have my husband who have a disability and if ambulance or anything need to come around here it won't be able to come through. That's one of our main concerns and also it will create a devaluation of my property and another thing if there is a fire in this area - say there is a fire there at BFLA or at the call center there or at the Habet building - my only outlet will be this way in front of the bank and if there is a fire here at the library or at the bank my next way out will be through that side by BFLA, so that's the reason why with this proposal its nit making much sense to me."
This evening, we spoke via telephone with Albert Vaughan, the City Councillor with responsibility for Works. He insisted that this is just a proposal in its very early stages, and in his opinion, Golanche is being deliberately disingenuous to suggest that it is a done deal. He told us that he and other persons from the City Council have a meeting scheduled later this week with the bank to discuss this proposal.
He also expressed frustration that Golanche continues to complain publicly about this issue because according to him, he and another technical member of the City Council's staff met with her and her husband this morning to listen carefully to their concerns. He said that part of the upcoming meeting with the bank will focus on the Golanche family's resistance to the Bank's proposal.
