Belmopan. September 30, 2020. 5:40 p.m.
The Government of Belize takes this opportunity to present the facts on the sale of the Belize City Fire Station to Atlantic Bank Limited.
The history of the Belize Fire Station Headquarters goes back to 1992. This station was built by the PUP government in 1992 under a severely bloated contract for a whopping $8 million for a facility with market value of approximately $2 million at that time. It was clear that Belize never got value for money. This inadequate facility was built on a very small lot with no room for expansion. Furthermore, the congested area makes it very difficult for the equipment to be quickly deployed in the event of emergencies, and the small building space provides very little room for the fire service to operate properly. The Government of Belize has not ignored these issues.
Through a very beneficial deal with Atlantic Bank Limited, the Government now has the resources to construct a new state-of-the-art Fire Department on a 1.5-acre parcel of land at the Lake Independence Development Area. The proceeds from the sale of the present site has now allowed Government to develop this $3.3 million project with a water storage and tanking system on-site for less than half the price paid 28 years ago.
The construction of the new Belize City Fire Station will soon get underway, making it another proud icon of development delivered for Belize by the Government of Belize.
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