This morning, opening ceremonies for the soft launch of the newly renovated BTL Northside Park located on Newtown Barracks in Belize City was held by the Belize City Council.
The much anticipated opening was carried out after a 1-month delay due to incessant rainy weather over the past month.
The newly refurbished public facility was spectacularly transformed at a cost of approximately 2 million dollars, and represents one of the most heavily invested-in public spaces in recent memory.
Corporate sponsors, Belize Telemedia Limited and the Bowen and Bowen Group, as well as international partners such as the Canadian Government and Federation of Canadian Municipalities –which sponsored the project through the Caribbean Local Economic Development Program (CARILED) which provided technical skills support – thought that the wait was worth the while, and the end results were seemingly pleasing to all in attendance, particularly Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley.
Bradley poetically described the new park as more than just a public facility, but an important outlet for members of the public to release their creativity. He remarked, “A park is much more than just the earth and dust. It is the people, it is the connectivity, it is the experiences, it is the friendships, and it is the heart that is created here. In many ways, the park is the soul of a city; it is the lifeblood, it is the vein, and it is the reflection of higher principles of life. Yes, we can build buildings as tall as the sky, but when you build a park, you build the imagination of our young. You build hope, you build aspirations. You build the opportunity for people to connect with one another; you build opportunities for social cohesion—for the coming together of minds and hearts and bodies. And in a larger sense, that is what a city is.”
And while the Mayor expressed how inspired he was by the successful transformation of the park and its effects on the spirit of the community in which it sits, Canadian representative, Marie Legault, spoke of her country’s hopes for the BTL Park and similar projects. She said, “Canada has been a friend of the Caribbean and of Belize for a long, long time. Our relationship goes back to centuries ago—it goes back to relationships between traders, to relationships between governments, and it goes back to people to people relationships, and this continues today.”
“It works when national governments, local governments, associations and visual organizations replicate good practices for successful entity models; it deals with policy recourse entities, and also funds finality projects such as the BTL Park. It shows the potential that local government and the private sector entities can work together, increase micro and small or medium size enterprise and bring economic and social security to the city. The BTL Park is a concrete example that almost brings it altogether. It shows what local government can do, in partnership with the private sector to create jobs”, stated Legault.
The park – which is 40% larger than it was before, in large part due to land reclamation – will house 28 vendors and the Mayor said that while they will pay a premium price for renting of the kiosks, they should also expect to see premium services.
With the reclaimed area the park is now four acres in size, while the original was a little less than three acres.
The re-dedicated park will now have 28 rent-paying stalls, compared to 9 which were there previously. Those have been installed in the park to provide various services, along with a newly designed bandstand that will be used for events. The stalls, though, will have to collectively generate about $80,000 a year in rent revenue to keep the park looking as pretty as it presently is.
In addition, the park will provide employment for over a hundred persons who will administer and maintain the facility.
On February 14, the Council will host the hard launch of the park with a grand official opening gala and concert which had been originally planned for last December.