BEACH RECLAMATION DREDGE HAS STARTED ON CAYE CAULKER

Belize dredge. The only one!
THE BEACH RECLAMATION DREDGE AT CAYE CAULKER STARTED WORKING ABOUT THURSDAY LAST WEEK.

1935 According to the kids grandfather when he was alive, the waterline for the beach was about 110 feet out, from the nearest property line.

1890 The older generation to those grandparents, said the beach was about 150 feet out from the line of properties in the village.

1960 Before Hurricane Hattie in 1961, the beach water line was around 55 ft away to the East of the property lines.

1964 In this year, after the damage from Hattie. The island was swept by high tidal surge, about 13 feet and waves on top of that, during Hurricane Hattie, the beach afterward was about ten feet away from the property lines. I am an eyewitness here, saying what I know in my 75 th year.

Under Said Musa and Patty Arceo of the PUP regime, the beach reclamation of that time, about 12 or 13 years ago, cost about $250,000 and they reclaimed the beach street, which is supposed to run in front of the property lines and is 24 feet wide. Anyway, the dredge at that time reclamed about 30 feet of beach. Of which 24 feet is the beach street. Since then there have been hurricanes and erosion. So a lot of it is gone in places.

I would think that this beach reclamation needs to reclaim about 100 feet. You need a bare minimum of 90 feet reclamation, due to the arguments about the beach street 24 feet and the 66 feet supposed to be public undeveloped right of way. ( gives you 90 feet ). My guess is you are looking at a cost of $1.75 million dollars Bz.

I hope whoever gets in, does do it right this time around. There are a lot of arguments among people and town councillors who come and go, about these property lines, the beach street and the right of way. My personal opinion is they need to fill 100 feet. Probably should do so over the next 30 years, all around the whole island. In tourism we are selling many things of ambience. But the major ones are the beach, the coconut trees and the emerald seas. You don´t have those, you don´t have much to offer in tourism. Since tourism makes up something like 25% of government revenues, it behooves whoever is running the government to work on this. In the case of Caye Caulker, there are currently a lot of plotted real estate lots and streets laid out, yet undeveloped. Starting in about 3 years from now, when I expect the world economic next BULL MARKET cycle to take off, THEN there will be oodles of cash looking to invest in places like Belize. We need to put our nation and investment climate and infra-structure in order, as best we can.