By Latrishka Thomas
The first set of individuals from Booby Alley in Point should be able to temporarily occupy prefabricated houses in Bay or Fitzroy Pestana streets in Villa in about two months.
The residents are being relocated to facilitate the construction of new low-income homes in the alley to address its slum-like appearance.
Civil engineer and acting head of buildings in the Ministry of Works, Colis King, told Observer that the timely completion of the project is dependent on the weather.
“Once there is good weather we should be completed by the middle or end of September; with phase one at this point, persons will begin to occupy these homes,” he said.
The Ministry of Public Works is currently constructing 26 of those residential houses.
King, who manages the project alongside civil engineer Jose Rafael Torres, said 12 of those homes are presently being assembled.
The project manager also explained that phase two will see the construction of 34 more prefabricated homes.
“At the end of the construction for the Booby Alley project, there will be 30 three-bedroom houses approximately 1,180 square feet in size, along with 30 two-bedroom houses approximately 1,050 square feet,” said King.
On November 10, the home of long-time resident Sharon Roberts was the first to be removed and placed in Villa.
The removal of Roberts’ home supposedly paved the way for the start of the much-touted Chinese-funded $100 million Bobby Alley redevelopment project which is being spearheaded by the community’s parliamentary representative, Prime Minister Gaston Browne.
The move came with much resistance from residents, but project coordinator Hyacinth Lewis said that most residents have since agreed to replacing their dilapidated homes with condominium-style properties.
