Photo: Official map highlighting parcels 5624 and 11214 purchased by GoB for university hospital
GoB explains payment of $473,575 per acre of new university hospital land
BELMOPAN, Thurs. Aug. 15, 2024
With speculation festering, and suspicions of corruption mounting, just before the start of the workday on Wednesday, the Government of Belize Press Office issued an explainer on the purchase of private land for the construction of the BZ $90 million university hospital, rather than using the free, originally proposed University of Belize (UB) land at its Belmopan campus.
The first official detail that stood out in the press release was confirmation of the purchase price ($6.9 million) for the two parcels of land situated less than half mile from the Belmopan entrance roundabout in front of Guanacaste National Park. Broken down by acre, the Government paid a whopping $473,575 per acre. The Government release, however, points to Government paying “… much less than what the landowners were requesting, those landowners being Annie Zhu and Kenny Zheng.” There has been speculation that the landowners are close to a government ambassador, but all that the Prime Minister would say on that question was, “Probably. I’d have to check.”
In our Tuesday edition of the newspaper, we reported that the Government had paid $2 million above what its own valuer, Commissioner of Lands and Surveys, Talbert W. Bracket, Sr., who is also a senior certified land economist and valuation surveyor, had cited as the value of the land. We have since obtained abridged versions of the Government’s and the landowners’ private valuation which confirm that the difference between the two valuations was $3.1 million. The private valuation for both parcels was $9.3 million total, while the Government’s valuation was $6.2 million. This means the Government settled on a price that saw them paying $700,000 above its own valuation, and not $2 million above, as we previously were told. Amandala notes that the private valuation and the Government valuation both used $100,000 per acre as a baseline figure for one acre of land in that area based on a lot sale in 2020. The private valuation points to an acre of land going from $65,000 in 2018 to $75,000 in 2019, and then to $100,000 in 2020. A Government source told Amandala that the landowners said they intended to create a residential subdivision and would have obtained 6 lots per acre.
Nonetheless, many are crying foul about the $6.9 million price tag. Among them is Dean Flowers, President of the Public Service Union who, in a call to XTV’s WUB Morning Vibes Show today, stated that these types of moves are not new, as a previous administration paid over $400,000 for an acre of land along the coast; but he says this one is paying almost the same amount “beside a sewage pond.” He called it a gross abuse, and affirmed that land is available in other parts of Belmopan. He pointed to an area, about two miles from the Government’s chosen location, along the George Price Highway near the J&W Housing Site. Access to that land, he says, is opposite the National Gas Company site.
Meanwhile, a leaked property fee statement from the Belmopan City Council for parcel 5624 with a size of 7.02 acres shows that the site value given to the land is a mere $169,900. The size of the other property (parcel 11214) is 7.55 acres, for a total of 14.57 acres.
As those who frown upon the transaction strenuously object to the purchase price for the private land, the Government in its release sought to make its case for the change in location by providing the pros for the new land and the cons for the UB land. In the case of the UB land, the Government stated that it sits 9 kilometers away from the George Price Highway, and getting there would mean traversing through residential areas. Plus, according to the Government, they would actually have to purchase land to build the required access road and put in the infrastructure for utilities. While some believe the investment would be worth it for future generations of students, the Government argued that the new location is easily accessible as is, and would allow for easier airlift sitting near to the (Belmopan) Hector Silva Airstrip. In addition, it said, hospital staff will not have difficulty getting to the new location, and the University of Belize will get to keep its land.
As to why all of 14.57 acres was needed for the new university hospital, rather than just one of the two seven-acre-plus parcels, we have learned that the Western Regional Hospital sits on a 9-acre parcel. The new facility would be only Belize’s second referral hospital. In its statement, the Government declared, “Together with the University of Belize, a top-notch healthcare facility and teaching hospital will be constructed in an ideal location that meets the diverse needs of our population and enhances the overall healthcare landscape in Belize.”
Minister of Education, Hon. Francis Fonseca told the media this week that he made clear that UB was always prepared to make the land available; however, they accept the arguments made by the technocrats in the Ministry of Health and Wellness. Fonseca then proceeded to say that the UB land would have required an investment of “a few million dollars to upgrade it and to get it prepared.”
Officials address flooding concerns and sewage ponds proximity to new hospital land
Asked about flooding concerns regarding the new location for the university hospital, Chief Engineer Evondale Moody shared that the Mount Pleasant area after the site, that is, beginning near Kiki Witz en route to Belize City, floods; and the Guanacaste roundabout has flooded before. However, he said they worked to address the flood concerns at the roundabout area. He explained, “What we did, we lifted that area in terms of the road alignment so that we could be above the flood plain. So, if that [the new hospital site] is within that area, then it is in close proximity to that area that used to flood. But it hasn’t flooded recently, because we installed some huge box culverts at that intersection just before entering the roundabout.”
As to the flooding concern about the Mount Pleasant area, which he says could cut off Belize City from Belmopan, they intend to build a bridge in the near future to address it.
Speaking specifically about the actual location of the hospital, Moody told Amandala, “The area proposed for the hospital is at a higher elevation than the Roaring Creek Bridge and the Guanacaste roundabout …”
Nonetheless, the proximity of the hospital site to the flood prone areas remains a concern for some. Addressing that point today, Minister of Natural Resources, Hon. Cordel Hyde shared that his own technocrats felt that the particular site is elevated enough and would not be susceptible to “that kind of flooding.” He added though, “The truth of the matter is that the entire country is flood prone. I mean, we are living in 2024, and with climate change and all that has happened in this country, there is no perfect location. You have a very serious rainfall or you have very serious weather, you’re gonna have flooding.”
As to the sewage treatment ponds, Hyde pointed to the 4.8 acres of land that serve as a buffer in between. He added, “versus the fact that you have very nice houses from Cohune Walk and those areas that’s located 200 feet from [the] sewage ponds. But that’s something that they have to manage, but I’m no expert. And I guess the experts will have to determine that for us – whether 5 acres is space enough between a sewage lagoon and that kind of development. Our technocrats believe it is.”
“Every option has positives and negatives,” commented Minister of Infrastructure Development, Hon. Julius Espat today. He added that, as an architect himself, “when you build, you look at all options. UB could have been a good option with time. We haven’t looked at it from our Ministry in detail, but it would have meant that you would have to spend $6 million or maybe more in infrastructure to reach the hospital.” While he recognizes the positive factor of other people benefitting from the infrastructure, he said they would have taken two to three years to get the project going. He further explained, “I think, speaking with the Saudis, they wanted it now; and so that’s where the option came about.” Espat reported that they are already working to address the flooding concern at the J&W area by installing a bridge “which is the first phase of making that area have free flow of water.” According to Espat, that project is about 75% complete, and then they will move to the George Price Highway Rehabilitation project that incorporates bridges for the Mount Pleasant area. He revealed, “That is on the Ministry of Finance’s desk.”