With the design drawings already done, the Anguilla Electricity Company (ANGLEC) could have had its new administrative headquarters built and occupied eleven years ago, but certain unspecified circumstances did not permit that.
The Statutory Body, in which the Anguilla Government is the largest shareholder, only broke ground for its building project on Thursday, April 1, 2021, the date of its Thirtieth Anniversary. The location of the coming two-storey edifice is on Government-owned land, east of the privately-owned ABC Supplies Hardware Store and south of a cluster of Government buildings.
ANGLEC’s Billing Supervisor, Mrs. Marvo Duncan-Webster, who chaired the ground breaking ceremony, described it as “a very significant and historic day for all of us as ANGLEC and, by extension, Anguilla.” She continued: “It marks a milestone of thirty years – first April 1991 to first April, 2021; and I would like to add 29 years for me [working with the company].
“ANGLEC understands that we are responsible for providing modern infrastructure fit for purpose to serve current and future generations. Therefore, this groundbreaking ceremony, we are here to witness and celebrate, will represent more than just blocks, mortar and steel to us – the staff and customers of ANGLEC. This building will furnish a healthy working environment from the atmosphere where we are currently housed which has become a work hazard.”
Mrs. Duncan-Webster credited former Chairman of ANGLEC ‘s Board, Mr. Harold Ruan, and others, for their work which led to the groundbreaking ceremony. She thanked the current Board, under the chairmanship of Mr. Jerome Roberts, for recognising that the time had come to make this overdue Administrative Headquarters a reality. She also expressed her gratitude and that of the other employees, as well the shareholders and stakeholders, for the groundbreaking event heralding the new building.
Chairman of the Board of ANGLEC, Mr. Jerome Roberts, said the company was not only celebrating thirty years of corporate business to the people of Anguilla, but was now breaking ground for its new headquarters. “We are realising the dream of past directors, management and staff, who served this company over several years,” he stated. “As the present chairman, I am quite pleased with the support from the Broad on moving forward with this project – as the need for space and the centralisation of personnel and services have long been beckoned for by the staff.”
Mr. Roberts went on: “At a time like this when Anguilla and the rest of the world are going through a turbulent and economic period, we believe that it is the right time for us to move forward with the construction of this building, as challenges sometimes bring us great opportunities.
“The land on which this building will be constructed is some 1.5 acres, and is being leased to us by the Government of Anguilla for a 99-year period. The Government at the time was the Anguilla United Movement under the leadership of former Chief Minister, Hubert Hughes. We thank that Government for its foresight and commitment shown when this land was entrusted to ANGLEC’s care. We also express thanks to Mr. Vanburn Brooks of Morlens Architecture for designing what we believe will be a proud landmark…
“As we break ground, the planning process continues as to the next steps in getting us to the point of actual construction. We are optimistic that once everything goes as planned, that construction will officially begin at some point during the latter part of this year. I am personally proud to be part of this historic decision taken as I have spent not 29 years like Marvo – but 19 years and 4 months with this company. I have a great understanding for the need of a facility that a company can call its own, and will serve for all the operational needs and advancements of our people. This new two-storey headquarters will accommodate, on the ground floor, our administration, customer care – and a section of the transmission and distribution department. The top floor will house our corporate offices and board room.”
ANGLEC’s Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Peter Lamontagne, said the groundbreaking event was a momentous occasion. “Since I have been with ANGLEC, for four years now, I have experienced quite a number of unprecedented occasions,” he stated. “I joined ANGLEC in 2017, unfortunately on the day of Hurricane Irma which, in itself, was an unprecedented occasion – but we bounced back from that. We fought and used everything that we had and overcame. Then there was the issue of the selling of the shares in ANGLEC. We again overcame and we are here today.
Mrs. Marvo Duncan-Webster
“We are now talking about our new building which we are going to be constructing within the coming months, and there will again be unprecedented occasions before we get that building up and move into it. But my message to you is: let us keep together; exercise teamwork and perseverance; and let us get our building up so that we can move into a brand new ANGLEC headquarters.”
The Acting CEO further said: “There are a lot of benefits to be gained by constructing that building. The first benefit, and one which is glaring, is the fact that we will no longer have to be paying those very high rentals at the end of every month – thus freeing up more revenue for us to do better things. Probably, we can use that revenue to lower the cost of electricity for the people of Anguilla.”
He took the opportunity to thank some sixteen employees who had been working at ANGLEC for the past thirty years – from its inception. “I think the onus is on us to show those people that we really care about them because they are the ones who have taken us through all those unprecedented occasions,” he told his listeners. “We made a pledge upon the entry of this new Government that ANGLEC is going to at least start its new building – and I am very happy to be part of the team that has decided that it will begin this year.”
The actual breaking of the ground was performed by Mr. Jerome Roberts and Mrs. Duncan-Webster.
Meanwhile, ANGLEC celebrated its employees, who served the company over the past thirty years, and all its other workers, at a special Thirtieth Anniversary function on April 1 – the evening of the groundbreaking ceremony. The celebration was held at the Royale Caribbean Resort at Little Harbour.
