Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
May 08, 2008 (SKNIS)
Persons involved in the service industry, landscaping, construction and heavy trucking fields have all been beneficiaries of the many developments taking place in St. Kitts and Nevis.
This was stressed by the Vice President of Auberge Firesky Ellis Hazel, during a Cabinet and media tour of the ongoing work at Christophe Harbour last week. Mr. Hazel noted that the project construction of the Beach House Bungalows and the accompanying restaurant was managed by Robert “˜Bobby’ Morris. The buildings were erected by a crew from Allies Construction Company based in Halfway Tree, while the grounds were styled by Craig Collins International Landscape Architecture from Nevis.
On this week’s edition of the SKNIS radio magazine Perspectives, persons involved in heavy trucking touted the boom in the construction industry.
“The change from the sugar industry to the tourism industry has brought a lot of [benefits] for the truckers,” said Kenrick Simmonds, the owner of a small trucking firm. “[There] is more development now due to the change and that creates more work now for the truckers and the guy with the heavy equipment.”
One of his colleagues agreed and noted that he was motivated to enter the trucking field because of the vibrant construction industry in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Regiwell Francis of St. Kitts Marine Works said that the local economy remains strong, and faired well when compared to other regional territories.
“The economy here is very good and if you [talk] to people from the different islands they will tell you that St. Kitts is the place to be because the country is on the verge of a big boom,” he explained. The entrepreneur, who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, encouraged locals to position themselves to take advantage of the many opportunities being generated by local and foreign investments.
Mr. Francis is well respected in the trucking field for sub-contracting work to independent truckers in a deliberate bid to “share the wealth.” He also employs 26 locals half of whom are former sugar workers.
“We’ve taken those SSMC employees, trained them and got them certified,” Francis noted. “Some of them use to load sugar cane [into engine carts], now they are driving trucks, handling different equipment and they have the opportunity to expand their skills,” he revealed, adding that he employs both males and females.
Primary work on the Christophe Harbour Development is due to start within three to four months. Prime Minister Honourable Dr. Denzil Douglas said that the majority of the tasks will be performed by local workers during the estimated four year construction phase. After completion, citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis are expected to fill mid-level management and primary posts.
Christophe Harbour is situated on 2,500 acres at the Southeast Peninsula and will feature an impressive collection of restaurants, boutiques, five-star hotels, a Tom Fazio championship golf course, and a mega-yacht marina.