The government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is reporting steady progress on a number of projects being undertaken on the Leeward side of this country.

Minister of Transport and Works the Hon. Clayton Burgin lead a delegation to the sites on Friday August 4 to get a first hand view of the works going on. The delegation included Area Representative and Deputy Prime Minister the Hon. Sir Louis Straker, Administrative Coordinator in the Ministry of Transport Juliet George, the Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Hans King and other officials from the Ministry of Transport and Works.

The Delegation first stopped at Layou where the multi-million dollar sea defence project is near complete. Sir Louis pointed out that three successive storms in 1995 damaged buildings which were located nearby and this project is long overdue.

The sea defence project, part sponsored by the World Bank, is complete with bleachers offering a recreation area for residents of the community.

In 2001, the government promised to put Learning Resource centres in every community. The process has started and one such center is being constructed at Barrouallie. The Delegation visited this site and expressed their satisfaction with the work. The Minister of Works Hon. Clayton Burgin said the center will provide opportunities for both the young and older people of the community. “It will facilitate Information Communication learning for the young and become a recreation centre for the old” Burgin said.

The Delegation also visited the Housing scheme Project at Peters Hope. There, 16 new houses are being built, adding to the 57 that are already occupied, making it the biggest Low Income Housing Scheme in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Sir Louis revealed that government is planning to build more houses in the area because of the demand for them. He said about 180 applications were received for the 16 houses that are near completion. Minister Burgin said he is completely satisfied with what he saw. These additional houses are expected to be handed over officially on August 15, 2006.

The delegation made their final stop at the Belle Isle Correctional Facility. Work on this project is progressing smoothly and the Ministers again expressed their satisfaction. Sir Louis said the Correctional facility is one of the first projects his government gave consideration to since security is their primary concern.