Reflections of my trip to St Vincent

by Oswald Fereira 20.JUL.07

I visited St. Vincent in April 2007 and would like to reflect on some of my observations. It was good to see many new homes being constructed. Some of the new architecture is very impressive and is becoming quite distinct. Sorry though to see how quickly so many homes have deteriorated.{{more}} Many homes in the 30 year old range are now just rotten, abandoned shells. How can concrete structures deteriorate so quickly? Surely, our homes must have more than a 30-year lifespan? Some of these abandoned structures are eyesores along our main highways. Is it because our concrete is not properly formulated? Is it perhaps because we need to use coated steel for reinforcement? Surely, there are many examples throughout the world where concrete structures in weather conditions and climate similar to our do last a lifetime and more. Can we learn from these and ensure that our homes last longer?

Glad also to see many “affordable” housing schemes being built. If only the designs could be varied slightly so that they are not easily identifiable as “projects” and the negative connotations that “project” evokes. Sad though, to see that there is no check to the sprawl of homes along the main highways. Many homes are built very close to the road. It is time to protect the highway right-of-way to allow for future widening. It is also time to control lineal sprawl and plan our homes in groups or even new villages where a population base could support services such as playgrounds, convenience stores and other services.

Good to see a bridge finally across Rabacca Dry River. But, I was somewhat disappointed when I saw the structure. I was expecting a grand design, perhaps the central portion of the bridge being an elevated structure as a landmark “Gateway” to “Carib Country”. Instead, the structure is flat, more like a weir across the valley. I also wonder if the structure has enough openings to let floodwaters through. Given the erratic nature of the river and the occurrence of flash flood, water may pile up against the bridge and so may the sand that will be washed down. There may be need to constantly mine the sand as it piles up or the area will fill up in time and water may simply flow over the bridge.

Good to see the roads being paved. I am disappointed though, that we are not making any effort to straighten out the many hairpin corners. Take for instance the deep hairpin and bridge at Peruvian Vale going on to Spring Estate. What useful purpose does this serve? There is room there to straighten out this section of road and eliminate an unsafe, blind access. Sure it is costly, but as we straighten out the road we will build less roadway, have a shorter roadway system to maintain, the travel distances and travel time to Kingstown will decrease, there will be less wear and tear on vehicles and less gasoline will be consumed.

I see plans for an International Airport. Yes there will be singing and dancing in the streets not only in St. Vincent when that becomes operational. I dislike having to go through Barbados. Why is it that every Vincentian who books a flight on Air Canada from Toronto and arrives in Barbados at 2:15 PM is left to wait for the 8:10 PM flight to St. Vincent when there are other flights that leave Barbados before 8:10 PM? Is it because they want us to spend money on food while we wait in Barbados? And why is it that when we are in-transit through Barbados they insist on putting us through Customs and search up our luggage when all we need is to check it through onto LIAT? And why is it that when we go to the Bank at the airport in Barbados to change some Canadian dollars to EC dollars they first change it to Bajan dollars then change the Bajan dollars to EC dollars and charge us a service charge each time? Oh, bring on the International Airport in St. Vincent, it cannot come soon enough!!

Sad to see the lineups at the banks are the same as they were thirty years ago. And not only at the banks, lineups are ubiquitous. And our people still crash the queue over people who have been in line hours before, no respect for others. If we want to attract tourist we have to get rid of these lineups and queue jumping. How can we expect a tourist to be in line at the bank for three hours to change money?

We have also to become more customer service orientated. I waited in line at a restaurant and when I saw the amount of time that was taken to dispense some gravy on a plate I walked away hungry. We have to learn to gauge a line and make that line move swiftly. It is nice to say we are laid back but remember that many of our visitors are from places where time is of an essence and they are accustomed to and expect quick service. That lady who was dispensing gravy would not last 15 minutes at McDonalds!

I was surprised to see the supermarket shelves filled with the very same items and brands of my neighbourhood Superstore in Edmonton. What are we doing in Caricom to develop a food processing industry to stock our shelves? I saw a small box of cheese at $39.95. That is more than the daily wage. I am sure they make cheese in Jamaica.

I was sad to see the paucity of fruit trees and kitchen gardens in the villages. There appears to be a more heavy reliance on the supermarket than on growing food. I am sure that much can be gained by growing some food in on the home plot.

I wish there would be more emphasis on renewable energy. Look at so many promontories of barren land that we have on the windward coast. Now that windmills are becoming smaller and affordable, if we had windmills all up and down the windward coast we could power the whole island. In fact a wind farm atop the salt pond at Owia may just do that. Also, solar panels are now becoming more affordable and should be part of all new construction. Conventional oil and gas will eventually run out and if we are not prepared we will be in for a total shutdown of the economy.

In conclusion, we have to realize that progress is more than building new homes and keeping up with the latest electronic devises. We must build efficiencies in all our operations and it is time to look at alternative sources of energy and pay attention to becoming more self sufficient in the food we eat.