Argyle International Airport starts with a bang

BLAST OFF

Construction of the Argyle International Airport will start in two weeks.

This has been disclosed by Dr.Rudy Mathias, CEO and Chairman of the International Airport Development Corporation (IADC).{{more}}

Addressing the huge gathering that turned out to witness the official Ground Breaking Ceremony for the International Airport Project at Argyle, Dr. Mathias said: “What I can tell you today, we are indeed building an airport.”

He reiterated that the airport is scheduled to be completed in 2011, with a runway that extends to 9,000 feet, and an advanced terminal building, which can accommodate one million passengers per year.

“We are going to build a state of the art facility so that Vincentians can be proud of the new international airport that we are building for them,” said Dr.Mathias.

Dr. Mathias lauded Prime Minister Dr.Ralph Gonsalves for his role in the development of the international airport and used the opportunity to express his gratitude to the ‘Coalition of the Willing’, or countries that will be providing financial resources and technical expertise to the project, namely: Cuba, Venezuela, the Republic of China on Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Austria, Mexico and Turkey.

Dr. Mathias noted that so far, EC$45 million has been paid by the government for 107 houses. He further stated that during the next year, the state will spend another $49 million to purchase all the vacant lands in the airport zone. By the time all the houses and lands within the zone are paid for, the Government of St.Vincent and the Grenadines is expected to spend $106 million in total.

One of the houses bought by the International Airport Development Company Limited at Argyle being demolished last Sunday afternoon during the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the commencement of the earthworks on the project.

“Those who are unpatriotic, those who are opposing this airport for narrow partisan political reasons, when the next elections come, they will feel the wrath of the people because it is the wrath of God.”

So said Prime Minister Dr.Ralph Gonsalves.

According to the Prime Minister, the construction of the airport is no longer ‘talk’. He reminded the gathering that talks of constructing an international airport here started as early as the Joshua era, and continued through those of former Premier and Prime Minister Robert Milton Cato and former Prime Minister Sir James Mitchell.

“There have been promises and promises for an international airport, but this is the first time we getting it,” said Dr. Gonsalves, outlining that he has been hearing the international airport story since he was a boy.

The Prime Minister told the gathering that his Cabinet and he are on a divine mission mandated by God.

“The good Lord chooses those of us to do certain things in his time, not before. He has chosen the Unity Labour Party Government with his son Ralph at its head and He has acted through you the people who voted for us. We promise you an international airport and we are delivering that international airport,” said Dr.Gonsalves.

Prior to the Prime Minister’s address, which was broadcast live to the rest of the nation from Argyle, there was a ceremonial blasting of one of the Argyle hill tops and the demolition of a few houses with bulldozers brought in as gifts of the government of Venezuela.

The crowd, mixed with people from all walks of life, the old, the young, and the middle aged; the rich and the poor; party faithfuls and those out to have an evening of fun, were left in awe as a loud ‘boom’ went off on the hill top where sticks of dynamite were detonated, colouring the atmosphere above it brown.

Attending the ceremony were Alaina Aldama, Charge d’Affairs of the Cuban Embassy, Ambassador Yoel Perez Marcano, of Venezuela, and the Donald McPhail, of the ECCAA.

Meanwhile, 40 Cuban professionals arrived in the state on Wednesday to commence work on the airport.