Castle Bruce Projects

Sixty-six families from Castle Bruce,

 will move into new apartments by the end of June 2019.

These apartments form part of the Government’s sustainable Housing program, as it moves towards making Dominica the first climate resilient nation in the world.

Parliamentary Representative for the Castle Bruce constituency, Honourable Johnson Drigo stated that the sixty-six families were all severely affected by the passage of Hurricane Maria in 2017.

According to Honourable Drigo the apartments include bathroom, kitchen living area, and range from one to three bedroom. He noted that the families will be assigned to apartments based on the size of their families. 

“I am thankful to the Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit for keeping his word to provide housing for all the persons affected by hurricane Maria. This is a clear demonstration that when this Government says something, they mean it, and they will put it in effect,” Drigo stated. 
He noted that ‘after seeing Maria leave so many people without a place to stay, I am happy to see that these people will once again have their own homes.”

The apartments are moving towards the final stages of completion, with painting and tiling work currently underway.  

Dominica Labour Party Candidate for the Castle Bruce Constituency, Octavia Alfred commended Honourable Drigo on his efforts in bringing the housing program to Castle Bruce. 

She noted that as a family oriented individual, these apartments are appreciated on behalf of the beneficiaries.  

“My thing is family, and anything that can and will make families more comfortable, anything that will make families more at ease, anything that will make life more at ease for children and the elderly, I am all for it,” she stated. 

She went on to say that since Maria some families have been displaced and separated due to lack of space, ‘and once these apartments are finished, we can have families together again.”

Meanwhile, other infrastructure work continues in the village of Castle Bruce.

One such projects is the rehabilitation of the Jalousie Road, which serves as one of the main exits of the village.  

The Jalousie Road project is currently in its third phase with well over four hundred thousand dollars already spent.  

Drigo stated that the village is grateful that the Government was able to source the required funds for the final phase of the project, adding that technology is being used to build the road at a more resilient level.  

“The people living in this area have had some difficulty in traversing this road over the years. We have had contractors over the years dealing with maintenance but we were unable to pave it. However, right now we are using new technology which are more suitable for climate change,” he noted.  

He also added that nearby ravines are being dredged as part of the project. 
Resident of Castle Bruce, Martha Nation expressed her gratitude to the Government and the Minister for the road project, noting that is very important to the community. 
“The road was very small, and it wasn’t in very good condition. So, I am happy to see that the Government is getting it fixed up. It will make it easier for villagers and bus drivers, so thank you to the Government,” Nation noted. 

The Sen House Bridge is also under construction in the village, with a total of three hundred and fifty thousand dollars being spent.  

The bridge was washed away by the passage of hurricane Maria, leaving approximately two hundred residents of the Sen House area affected. 

Honourable Drigo noted that the bridge is set to be completed before the start of the 2019 hurricane season, stating that it is an accomplishment for the community. 

“This project will be completed by the start of June 2019, which is the beginning of the hurricane season. We are pleased with the pace with that the project is moving at, and I can assure you that the entire community is very, very happy about the project, especially our elderly people,” he stated. 
According to the Minister, the bridge is being built very high as they took into consideration the height of the rivers during Hurricane Maria.  

He went on to say that he is impressed with the quality of work of the contractor Victor Roberts and his workers.  

Candidate for the constituency, Mrs. Alfred described the project as important to the community, noting that the new bridge will bring a peace of mind to parents in the community. 

“After this is over, parent won’t be as bothered when rain falls and their children are at school as that was huge worry even before Hurricane Maria. I am happy that they elevated it to combat rising waters during storms and heavy rainfall. It is one of the testimonies of building back better and stronger and more resilient and I commend the government for putting the effort into this project,” Alfred stated.