Work restarts at Maracas Beach

WORK was scheduled to restart on Monday on the Maracas Beach facilities.

Roxanne Stapleton-Whyms, manager of corporate communications at Udecott, confirmed work restarted after a comprehensive review on the project in the second half of December 2018, since Udecott assumed responsibility for the facility.

She added that the ongoing work, which includes construction of a new car park and vendors’ booths, widening the roadway, new toilets and washrooms and anew sewer treatment plant, was and continues to be undertaken by the Ministry of Works and Transport (MOWT) through NIDCO.

“Udecott is responsible for overall facility maintenance. Our initial to-do list is inclusive of but not limited to, a beach cleanup, removing all rubble and unwanted items along the beach front, improving the existing landscape, and the overall aesthetics of the beach via painting and minor upgrades,” said Stapleton-Whyms.

With respect to the vendors’ booths, where there were issues, she said the allocation of the booths is under the purview of the Ministry of Tourism, so all inquiries about them should be directed to that ministry.

The Tourism Development Corporation (TDC) previously had responsibility for the Maracas Beach facility, including issuing permits for chair vending. The TDC was dissolved in 2017, so the permits it issued are no longer valid.

Stapleton-Whyms said: “The regularisation of chair-vending permits will be addressed in very short order. Rules and regulations have been drafted to govern all beach-chair activities and registered entities will be invited to apply for a licence to vend.”