Victoria and Albert Row residents back project, Minister
Public Works Minister Michael Weeks yesterday defended the Wedco affordable housing project, accusing the One Bermuda Alliance (OBA) of playing “political football.”Responding to repeated criticism in both the media and in the House of Assembly, the Minister said the $36 million plan to replace the ageing Victoria and Albert Rows was not a Government project, but a Wedco initiative.“This project has been initiated, managed and financed by the Wedco — a quango,” Mr Weeks said.“The involvement of Government is simply to provide a guarantee on the project, with strict terms and conditions outlined in case that guarantee is required.”While both Mr Weeks and Wedco General Manager Andrew Dias maintained that no contracts have been signed, the OBA claim that a US company had been quietly chosen for the project.The party have also said the project will lead to Government shortfalls, and that residents of the existing housing units are disappointed by the plan, which will cause their rents to double or triple.A party spokesman saying: “They have been invited to meetings and presented with, as one resident said, ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ plans.“We know they are terribly concerned about the rent ranges for the new units, from $1,600 to $2,100. We know these rate are above — in some cases far above — what they currently pay.”Currently the average rate for a unit on Victoria and Albert Rows costs $880 a month, but some tenants reportedly pay nothing at all.In a press conference, Mr Weeks refuted the claims, saying several meetings with the tenants have been held and there was no indication that they were not in favour of the project.“The intent of this development is to take persons out of the very old units and place them in more modern, safe and comfortable units,” Mr Weeks said.“If our Bermudians could see the dilapidated conditions of these almost 150-year-old buildings, they would see clearly that these buildings need to be demolished and new, modern units need to be built.“Do not be swayed by all the negativity around this project. It’s no secret an election is on the horizon and the OBA has taken it upon themselves to make any and every issue a political battle ground.“This consistent back and forth is not helping Bermuda to move forward. This project is sorely needed for the residents in the West End and Bermudians, and it is in keeping with Government’s mandate to ensure we are socially responsible whilst embracing sustainable development.”Mr Dias said that Wedco had explained the project in depth to the tenants and would work with those who might have difficulty affording the higher rents.“A few people have had challenges paying their rent for various reasons,” Mr Dias said. “We are going to work with our tenants to make sure they can pay their rent.”He explained that out of the $36 million estimated for the project, $2 million would be going toward infrastructure improvements to provide water and sewage treatment for the residents of Ireland Island North and Boaz Island.He estimated the precast housing units would cost around $18 million, of which he said a “very large portion” would towards local contractors.“No matter what project you do in Bermuda today everything is imported, whether it’s a counter top or whether it’s cement,” he said. “We are doing nothing different. We are bringing them in precast as a product.”The housing project, first announced in 2010 with an estimated cost of $34 million, will be a two phase development, with each phase taking around nine months to complete.Work on phase one is expected to begin this summer, and will consist of the construction of 48 units on the land opposite Victoria Row. Once phase one is completed, residents of the older units will move into the newer units.Phase two consists of the demolition of the older units and the construction of a further 52 housing units.Government has said the project will be funded through the Bank of Butterfield, and paid for by a combination of rents from the new units and the sale of the remaining Wedco-owned Boaz Island Village Condominiums.
A group of nearly 30 disgruntled tenants soon to be displaced by development plans by Wedco remain adamant that at no point were they ever consulted about losing their homes.
At a meeting held on Monday outside Princess Louise Terrace, residents maintained that they were told to “take it or leave it and move somewhere else”.
One Bermuda Alliance candidate Ray Charlton who is running against the sitting MP in constituency 36, Michael Scott, arranged the meeting after canvassing residents in the areas affected by the redevelopment plan.
Surrounded by area residents, Mr Charlton said: “What I’m hearing from the people who live here is completely opposite to the press statements being released by the Government Ministers involved.
“I’m saying overwhelmingly, with the exception of only three families, people are saying this is their home and they don’t want to move and the new development is not affordable for them.”
One area resident who has lived in the area for 40 years said her rent is reasonable now but with the new buildings her rent will double and triple for other tenants. “That’s too much when this is supposed to be low cost housing,” she said.
“What they are proposing is not low cost housing for some of us who have lived here for many years.”
Another resident, a single mother who rents a three-bedroom unit for $950 a month, said the residents were never consulted by either Wedco or Government.
“I have been here for ten years. We were called into a meeting about two years ago and told to take it or leave it, or go get financial assistance.” she said.
“Financial assistance cannot help you if you have a car loan or if you have a child in home-school or private school, I could very well end up on the street with my children. I know for a fact I cannot afford the new rents, with a bigger electricity bill and a water bill too,” she added.
Another woman questioned the reasoning behind the plan that would see historical buildings torn down in favour of prefabricated units. “These homes are a part of Dockyard history, they are 150 years old and they are solid buildings but more importantly they are family homes,” she said.
“We have a neighbourhood community that will be torn apart by this plan. I just feel that if you knock them down and rebuild with no green space with no space for our children to play at a time when safe open spaces are hard to come by. I just don’t get it,” she added.
Another resident who moved to Dockyard to raise his daughter who is now 14 years old questioned the plan. “I’m saying I would rather they renovate these buildings rather than knock them down,” he said.
“We have tradesmen who live here who also work for Wedco who told me they could be saved at a much cheaper cost, and I believe them,” he added.
Mr Charlton agreed and noted the units earmarked for demolition have 16-inch walls made of solid Bermuda stone that could easily be channelled for new electrical wiring and other upgrades at a much cheaper price.
“I think if we, as a community, hire people who are out of work and put the money in their pockets instead of some big overseas contractor, we can do it much cheaper with a much lower rent increase for people who don’t want to leave their homes,” he said.
“We don’t want 100 units up here, it won’t be the community so many have come to know as home, and these houses can be saved,” he said.
And as a political candidate for the One Bermuda Alliance in the constituency, Mr Charlton said: “A politician should serve the people and I believe that the people of Boaz Island Village, the people of Albert Row, Princess Louise Terrace and Victoria Row have been under served.
“What we have here is a case of people being told in no uncertain terms that they have an option to buy even though no price has been set yet, which essentially means they will have to move out if they cannot afford it,” said Mr Charlton.
