and team of workers
The wharf in Island Harbour has been in a state of disrepair for some time, having been badly beaten by the ravages of Hurricane Irma. The wharf, which is synonymous with Island Harbour’s way of life as Anguilla’s main fishing village, is now being repaired, thanks to the interests and provisions made by the Ministry of Infrastructure, which is responsible for the maintenance of ports.
The repairs had been delayed due to set backs experienced in sourcing the timber.
The Honourable Minister, Mr. Haydn Hughes, spoke concerning the renovation of the pier during last Monday’s Government Press Conference:
“I would like to apologise to the Representative of Island Harbour, Premier Ellis Webster, as well as to the people of Island Harbour in general. The Premier had been pleading with me for well over a year about getting renovations work started on the pier, but in trying to secure material out of Guyana, we were unsuccessful after several attempts. However, we have been able to eventually import the material out of the United States.
“Now, a contractor has been secured, through the procurement process,” he noted, “in the person of Mr. Glenn Richardson, who is currently restoring the wharf.”
Glen is an avid seaman, a fisherman, boat builder and an expert carpenter who is also a community-minded resident of Island Harbour. The Anguillan spoke with him while he and his team worked on the repairs. They were installing the 3″x12″ facia beams and the 8″x8″ columns and affixed new cleats to which the fishing boats would be moored. Glen expressed his excitement about having the repairs started at last:
“I am happy to know that we are able to start work on renovating this pier,” he said. “Hurricane Irma had ripped off most of the wood. We tried to source the wood since over a year-and-a-half ago, but unfortunately, we were unable to get it. Anyway, we were able to get this wood here in October, and the funds are now available for us to work on the project.
“The Government provided all the funds, of course. We had to go through an entire bidding process to see who would be the winner for the job. Fortunately, I was successful in winning the bid,” he said, delightfully.
“We are trying to get the wharf refurbished within two weeks. We know that the fishermen will be satisfied to dock their boats on a new, renovated pier.”
Glen said that he had a two-week time frame to get all the work completed. He complimented his workmen as “a perfect team” and said he hoped the fishermen would allow them the chance to get the work done on time.
He noted: “I have had the opportunity to work on this wharf and repair it throughout the years, and I wish to thank the Government for providing the funds and material for its restoration which has been a long time in the making.”
