Marlon Stevenson named as liaison officer on Leeward Highway project

When construction begins on the Leeward Highway, persons affected by the project will have the opportunity to voice whatever concerns they may have, through a community liaison officer.{{more}}

According to officials from the Ministry of Transport and Works, the main task of the officer will be to to interact with persons in the various communities, in an effort to reduce any anxieties that may arise, with regard to the project.

During the official contract signing ceremony for the project on April 25, chief engineer Brent Bailey outlined the general tasks of the liaison officer.

“We intend, as well, to have a community liaison officer on the project, who will be working with the various communities to indicate what the disruptions will be, get community feedback, to ensure that if the contractor is working in a particular area and it is impacting on the residents, to basically get whatever information is necessary, so that we can minimize and work closely with communities that the road is passing through,” Bailey said.

In response to a question posed at the ceremony, Minister of Transport and Works Julian Francis announced that Marlon Stevenson, manager of Eastern Caribbean Co-operative Central Limited (ECCCL), will take on the role of community liaison officer.

Francis indicated that the Caribbean Development Bank, who will be funding the rehabilitation project, has not yet accepted the proposal for the liaison officer. However, the minister stated that “they are not normally known to refuse our recommendation,” and that Stevenson was chosen because of his easygoing personality.

“Marlon is a very affable person, very well known in St Vincent,” Francis said. “[He is] a very easygoing person who is a good outfront person… for interacting with the public.”(BK)