IT MAY WELL BE a case of better late than never, but if it takes a study at this juncture to underscore what has been said otherwise about the horrendous environment that exists in the River Terminal in Bridgetown to spur some definitive action to improve conditions, then so be it.
It is an indictment on successive governments that conditions have been allowed to descend to this point. It must also be said that though the River Terminal was the focus of this recent study from the health and environment authorities, the Fairchild Street terminal (bedbugs and all) and the Cheapside terminals too need some urgent refurbishment.
As has been mentioned before, threats to the public health aside, in their current state they are unbefitting of a modern nation and certainly unbecoming of areas within a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site.
Hopefully, the current project is just the start of long-term ongoing refurbishment and maintenance of these important hubs, not just under this administration, but successive ones as well.
On another note, kudos to the NATION and Heather-Lynn Evanson for addressing the excitement surrounding the decommissioning of Glendairy Prison, and placing suggested plans for its future use against the backdrop of how other sites of heritage value have been managed (or, as been the case, not managed) in the past.
In fact, in an effort to not be cynical, one is trying to optimistic that the facility would be quickly refurbished and find a new life as an impressive piece of commercial plant whilst retaining is historical architectural value.
Ironically, the place that was “Glendairy” before the actual one, namely the Town Gaol which until relatively recently was part of the former Supreme Court complex on Coleridge Street, continues to decline.
One remains hopeful that plans to turn the area into an information centre and to return the headquarters of the National Library to its former home will soon come to fruition. That area is the oldest piece of Government land in Barbados dating back to the 17th century, and at one point held both the prison and the legislature at the same time.
One remains excited about the soon to be completed work at the site of Codd’s House across the street. Codd’s House, which also housed Parliament between 1837 and 1849, was where the paperwork ending Apprenticeship was signed, and where the statute establishing Bridgetown as a constituency was passed. Unfortunately, the building was demolished in 1985.
The pace at which the work is being completed shows what happens when private enterprise takes a major if not leading role in rolling out important heritage-related projects.
Already the aesthetics of that area of Bridgetown have improved immensely and could only get better with an upgrading of the gardens around the Montefiore Fountain, and renovations of Central Police Station.
Also, the powers that be can consider, as an additional complement, an upgrade to the roadway passing in front of James Street Methodist Church, an area of immense heritage value connected as it is with National Heroine Sarah Ann Gill.
Finally, speaking of national heroes, it was recently announced that several monuments in Barbados will get a facelift. One hopes that one site that will get much needed attention is Golden Square. For an area associated with and a physical tribute to another national hero, it is in a deplorable state.
We can do much better, especially if we are truly serious about commemorating in a meaningful way the lives and legacies of these people and demonstrating true national pride, something that is best expressed not only in how we live as a culture, but how we treat the physical representations we construct in their honour.
– RANDY BATSON
