Thumbnail views of the new tunnel
under construction
| Press | Archives | Links | Contact | Mar 2004 |
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What will become Montserrat's first ever road tunnel is nearing completion, the Armtech Multiplate Arch Tunnel is being constructed to take the main road to Drummonds, Parcel Piece and the new airport and will actually pass under the airport's runway.
The main airport contractors Lagan International have sub-contracted out this phase of the work to two local enterprises. Galloway & Associates are constructing the concrete foundation for the tunnel and the tunnel itself is being erected by Leroy Bramble Construction.
The 87-metre long tunnel will contain a two-lane highway plus a pedestrian footpath and will be completely illuminated. The estimated cost of the tunnel is in the region of EC$1 million out of a total costing for the new airport of around EC$45 million.
The tunnel will be both fireproof and waterproof and is expected to open in April of this year along with a new stretch of road to give access to the area.
The new road will commence opposite La Collage Restaurant pass under the hill carrying the old road to Drummonds, through the tunnel and come out at a planned roundabout in the vicinity of where the Cockpit Bar now stands. The Cockpit Bar will be demolished and will move into the new Airport Terminal Building which is nearing completion.
Motorists heading for Parcel Piece and Drummonds will turn left off the new roundabout and join the existing road to these areas which is in the process of being upgraded. Anyone heading for the new airport will continue straight into the new facility's carpark.
The old road to Drummonds and the present heliport will be blocked off in the area close to the existing bar along that road and will become a Cul-de-Sac (i.e. a "No Through Road"). The piece of road that passes in front of the present heliport will be bulldozed away to make way for the new runway. Houses in the area have been purchased and are in the process of being demolished also to make way for the runway. Everyone concerned has been successfully re-housed.
Visitors to the area of the new heliport can not help being impressed by the progress the works are making. What was once a scenic country cricket ground, Gerald's Park, is now a hive of activity. The road tunnel, new terminal building as well as a new helipad and airport apron are almost completed and when the tunnel is operational grading for the new runway will commence.
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Thumbnail views of the new tunnel
under construction |
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His Excellency the Governor Mr Anthony J. Longrigg CMG and his wife Jane leave here on Friday 2, April to go on pre-retirement leave. Mr & Mrs Longrigg will return to their native England.
Mr Longrigg came to Montserrat from Britain's Embassy in Moscow where he served on three separate occasions.
Mr Longrigg was sworn in as Governor of Montserrat on 11, May 2001. He is the 11th Governor of Montserrat since the post was changed from that of Administrator to Governor in the early 1970's.
On 1 July last year, it was announced that Her Majesty The Queen had approved the appointment of Mrs Deborah Barnes-Jones as the successor to Mr Longrigg as Governor of Montserrat.
Mrs Barnes-Jones, until recently Britain's Ambassador to Tbilisi, Georgia is expected to arrive in Montserrat to take up her duties in late April.
In the interim period Professor Sir Howard Fergus will act as Governor.
The Economic Diversification Programme Budget (EDPB) of the FCO's
Overseas Territories Dept has awarded a grant of £14,750 (EC$73,000) to
support a dried products initiative for Montserrat's Small Farmers Association.
The purpose of the project is to add value to the selling prices of agricultural produce, extend the life of perishable agricultural produce, develop new markets for farmers and increase farmer's incomes.
The project will assist in the setting up of a solar drying plant for vegetables, the chopping and grating of crops and the packaging and sealing of the finished product.
The project will be operated by the Small Farmer's Association with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture.
At a presentation ceremony in late February, the chopping and grating equipment and associated technical manuals along with a cheque to purchase other equipment were handed over to a group of small farmers by H.E. the Governor, Mr Anthony J. Longrigg.
Accepting the cheque on behalf of the Small Farmers Association was Mr Claude Browne. He said that the project is to allow value added to farmer's produce. The project will allow certain crops to be dried and packaged for supermarket shelves and he cited such things as sorrell and bananas.
A second EDPB project has also been approved in the area of hydroponics.
The National Development Foundation (NDF) recently started its 2004 Skills Training Programme with a two week workshop in Customer Service. The two week training programme called Customer Service Excellence was held at the Government Training Room at Government HQ in Brades and started on 23, February.
The course, sponsored by the Caribbean Programme for Economic Competitiveness(CPEC) trained over 75 persons in all. During the first week some 47 employees of MONLEC, Cable & Wireless, The Montserrat Port Authority, Vue Pointe Hotel, Tropical Mansions Suites, Social Security, M.S. Osborne Ltd, Montserrat Stationery Centre, Customs Department and the Heliport took part and during the second week some thirty nurses, care givers and health service providers received the training.
CPEC is a human resource programme and they contracted Mrs Elizabeth Andrew Rose, a hospitality specialist from St Lucia, to facilitate the training.
During March 2004, a further two training programmes are planned by the NDF. The Cavalla Hill Training Centre will be the venue for a 12 week course in plumbing maintenance and pipe fitting and the Business Centre housed in the Plymouth Primary School will be the venue for a course in Quickbooks, an accounting package for computer users.
2004 is the 100th anniversary of the signing of the 'Entente Cordiale' between Britain and France. This was the name given to the agreement between the two countries to finally put an end to the various colonial disputes between them. It was signed on 8, April 1904. Montserrat typified the problems that had existed between the two countries as it changed hands between them several times in its early colonial history.
However, all that has been behind the two neighbouring countries for a hundred years and to celebrate this there is to be a whole series of events and cultural exchanges to celebrate the centenary. These include pop concerts in Europe, major sporting events, Royal visits, cross channel sailing events, the twinning of English & French towns, and a 'Europe Day' on 9, May.
Montserrat and Guadeloupe as close neighbours in the Caribbean are also taking part in the celebrations. Two leading cultural groups in the islands are planning exchanges which will see each performing in the neighbouring island.
A leading Guadeloupe Dance Theatre is being hosted by the Emerald Community Singers in Montserrat over the Easter weekend and in reverse over the Whit weekend. Planning for these exchanges is at an advanced stage.
There is an Entente Cordiale logo and a webpage www.entente-cordiale.org and the centenary will be an oportunity to demonstrate and celebrate the depth of links between the two countries at all levels.
The Royal Montserrat Police Force (RMPF) honoured three retiring stalwarts of the force at a ceremony at Police HQ in early February.
The three, Supt. Paul Morris, Inspector Emmanuel Greer and Sgt Cornelius Pierre all retired from the Force since the end of last year. One, Supt Morris has returned to the London Met Force in England after four years of service in Montserrat.
The ceremony, chaired by Sgt Joseph Chambers, saw the Commissioner of Police Mr John Douglas review the careers of the three officers in the RMPF. Between the three officers, they had put in over 60 years of service to the force.
There were also presentations from representatives of CID, Immigration, Marine Unit, Beat & Patrol, Community Beat Officers, the Salem Police Station and the Montserrat Fire & Rescue Service. His Excellency the Governor, Mr Anthony J. Longrigg also made a few brief remarks.
All three officers were presented with tokens of appreciation for their service and all responded with thanks.
Following the ceremony, refreshments were served and music provided by the RMPF band with vocals coming from Fire Office Silvena Malone the current Calypso Monarch of Montserrat.
Evaluating the Risks Levels of Borrowers
Have you ever wondered why two persons may go to the bank for what appears to be almost identical loans but are given different rates? Chances are that the different levels of risk posed by the two individuals were the distinguishing factors.
Different types of borrowers represent different levels of risk to lenders. In each case, the lender evaluates the borrower, using what is commonly called the "Four C's" of Character, Capital, Collateral and Capacity. These C's represent the past, present and future assessment of the borrower.
CHARACTER represents the borrower's history with previous loans. A history of defaults on loans, repossessions, consistent lateness or missed payments, and court judgments may indicate a higher risk potential for the lender.
CAPITAL represents current financial condition. Is the borrower currently debt-free, or relatively so in comparison with assets? This may indicate an individual with good money management habits who can take on additional debt without imposing an undue burden on other assets.
COLLATERAL represents the security position of the individual to the lending institution. This can take the form of tangible assets such as property or cash deposits that may be used to secure or cover an outstanding liability.
CAPACITY represents the future ability to service the loan, i.e. make principal and interest payments. The individual's income and job stability are among some of the indications that the lender will consider.
It is therefore advisable that as a prospective borrower you self-assess your character, capital, collateral and capacity before approaching a prospective creditor be it a bank, credit union or another lending institution. This self-assessment should highlight the areas that you may need to improve to enhance your chances of obtaining credit at the best price possible.
A scheme to provide compensation to workers in Britain's coal mines who have suffered lung damage as a result of their mining activities is to close at midnight on 31, March 2004.
Over 250,000 miners and their families have claimed over £840 million under the scheme so far.
If Montserratians their fathers and grandfathers, living or dead, have ever worked in British coal mines since 1954 (1949 in the case of Scotland) and suffered ill health as a result they should make a claim immediately. Widows and children of deceased miners who suffered from such lung diseases can also claim on behalf of the deceased miner.
Further information on the scheme can be obtained from: www.dti.gov.uk/coalhealth/.
The DfID Small Grants Scheme, administered by the Governor's Office, has made donations to six more worthy projects since the start of 2004.
The island's bee-keeping industry will benefit from a grant to purchase new hives, equipment and fresh stocks of bees to improve productivity.
Meanwhile, the Fishermen's Co-operative will receive a stock of tools to facilitate marine engine repair. The specialist tools are on order in the USA and will be presented to the fishermen when they arrive on island.
The Montserrat Secondary School (MSS) Debating Society received a small grant to assist with airfares in sending the school tream to the Leeward Islands Debating Competition held this year in Nevis in late February.
The Small Grants Scheme has also donated prizes for the upcoming Agricultural Show and the Montserrat National Trust has received funding to video tape Montserrat's elderly people and their stories to preserve these memories for future generations.
The Early Childhood Association has also received funds to assist it in it's start up costs. Altogether, funding for these six grants exceeds £18,000 (EC$90,000).
Monday 1 March saw the official opening of the new Red Cross Headquarters in Brades. The EC$ 1 million building was constructed by L&M Construction and designed by Cassell & Associates.
The opening ceremony, attended by H.E. the Governor Mr Anthony Longrigg amongst others saw a feature address from the Hon Idabelle Meade the Minister of Education, Health & Community Services who congratulated the Montserrat Red Cross for its sterling service to the community. Mrs Meade also declared the building officially opened.
Local Red Cross President, Mrs Lystra Osborne MBE, presented a brief history of the branch from its inception to the present and bringing greetings from the Antigua & Barbuda Red Cross Society was it's Director General Mr Gerry Price.
The evening, which was well attended culminated with a cocktail party with music from Mr Harold Irish (the One Man Band).
The Red Cross building in Brades also houses the Royal Bank of Canada who lease the lower two floors of the property. Income from this services the building loan and provides monies for local Red Cross projects.
The lives of many of my generation were profoundly changed by a world war fought in the name of freedom. I have often reflected with pride on the huge contribution made by the peoples of the Commonwealth to that cause of liberty in which millions perished.
In the years following the war, a succession of countries emerging into independence chose to join the Commonwealth as free and equal members. As a result, the Commonwealth became rooted in all parts of the world and developed into the modern organisation we know today.
Democracy, national self-determination, individual liberty and human rights - all these are fundamental to that which binds the Commonwealth together.
The importance of these principles was clearly on the minds of Commonwealth leaders during their discussions at last year's summit in Abuja, Nigeria. Living up to principles is never easy. It can involve difficult and painful decisions. But the affirmation of those values provides common ground for the Commonwealth as a whole to grow stronger.
The Abuja meeting also made the crucial link between democracy and development. Democracy is important to sustained development - and underdevelopment can be democracy's greatest threat.
Nowhere is freedom perfectly realised - and its enemies are not only those who terrorise and torture. They are also hunger, poverty, disease and ignorance. That is why it is important for the Commonwealth to do all it can to tackle theses challenges directly, whether in alleviating poverty or in promoting education and health. It is also essential to strengthen the rule of law, protect democratic freedoms and build strong civil societies.
I firmly believe that if the Commonwealth is to increase its role as a force for good in the world, strengthening democratic freedoms must remain at the heart of its purposes.
Elizabeth R.
8, March 2004.
The Primary School Sports season is with us once again. During the first two weeks of March all three primary schools on island will be having individual sports meets - all
this leading up to the Inter Island Primary Schools Sports Day later in the term.
The first school to start their sports was the Lookout Primary School who had their meet at Salem Park on Tuesday 2 March and this was followed on the next day by St Augustine RC Primary School. Brades School chose Monday 8 March for their meet.
The standards at all three meets were very high with some excellent performances being established. Particularly impressive this year has been the standard of the march-pass as each school's houses all march for trophies kindly donated by the Royal Montserrat Defence Force (RMDF).
During the opening ceremony of the Lookout Sports Day there was a surprise in store for the athletes. Delivering the opening address at the sports meet was Richard Aspin of the Governor's Office who motivated the athletes to strive harder to win their races and then announced a donation from the Governor's Office Small Grants Scheme towards new playing fields at Lookout.
He told the athletes, their parents and teachers that it was a shame that they had all travelled to Salem for the meet when there were large amounts of good land next to the school that could be developed into a playing field. He then presented a cheque for EC$10,000 to the School's Headteacher and representatives of the PTA and challenged them to use the monies wisely to develop their own playing field in time for next year's school athletics championships.
The 2nd report of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) based on a meeting held at the MVO during 1-4 March 2004 has been published. An electronic version (PDF file of 1,126KB) is available here.
Picture shows the view from the Governor's Office of the ash cloud generated by the volcano on 3 March. For more information on this event and other regular updates see the MVO Website.
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Ceremony held at Government House for Supt. Paul
Morris |
H.E. & Mrs Longrigg visit Lookout School |
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NDF building nears completion |
RMPF make community donations |