Restroom drama @ Anegada
After it was swept away by the hurricane, two residents took initiative to build a double-room facility, free of cost to the government of the day.
Another problem surfaced, however.
The issue was first brought to the attention of this news site by a resident and subsequently confirmed by Mr Kenny Francis, a local businessman and resident on the Island.
Necessity
Mr Francis affirmed that the need for a public restroom facility on the dock is, “not a want but a necessity” and in fulfilling his corporate duty, in collaboration of one of the island’s popular taxi operators, they pooled resources and took the initiative to erect and furnish the public toilet facility.
“We made contact with the BVI Tourist Board and got their blessings to erect the toilets…All that was left there was the spot; Irma took the little thing they had there, clean away,” he said.
Relating in detail, the steps that subsequently led to his frustration, Mr Francis explained that after completing what he described as a “Community project,” further contact was made with the BVI Tourist Board, as it relates to painting the outhouse.
“I have my building near to the area of the toilet and had lots of paint from my building left back, so I particularly ask the tourist board if it was ok with them for me to use the paint I already had to paint the toilet and they told me yes, go ahead and do it and I did.”
Joke?
Relations between the two parties—Mr Francis and the BVI Tourist Board— quickly 'soured,' when it came to the point of awarding the maintenance/cleaning contract for the facility.
“I asked them to give me the contract to keep it clean and make sure it is always in good condition, they offered a $300 and something to maintain it and you know I always speak frank, I let her, the Flax Lady (BVITB Director, Mrs Sharon Flax-Brutus) that amount to do that per month is joke.”
“Maybe she didn’t like how I was straight with she, but seems she was offended in the way I spoke but that’s just how I speak…I let her know it was an insult to offer that kind of money for an entire month.”
Several attempts were made to get Mrs Flax-Brutus' side of the story but efforts were futile.
Done it for Free
Continuing to relate the restroom saga, Mr Francis said, he was later informed that the Tourist Board wanted to change the colour of the facility.
“What they did? They found money to pay a contractor to repaint the toilet...what madness and waste of resources.”
Mr Francis was adamant, “I was willing to do that for free too but no they took issue with me who build that comfortable beautiful double room facility for free and throw money at some else to do something I was willing to do for free, even after they refused to give me the maintenance contract…I would have still done it for free.”
According to Mr Kenny Francis, “I thought the news needs to know this despite some people may want to say it’s a small fry thing but me and partner did what we did out of our hearts and deserved some level of gratitude…The least they could have done, is send the blue paint they want to change it to and I would have done it…That money could have done something else to benefit Anegada.”
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12 Responses to “Restroom drama @ Anegada”
So he has a challenge now with what they are offering him; a fee he considers unreasonable.
The TB should have never allowed him to build the facility in the first instance; no matter how noble his intentions appeared to be at the time. This is a bad precedent to set and it was always going to blow up in their faces and put them in bad light.
I hope they learn from this experience.
On the other side, Tourist Board does a lot for the place yes thank you but
This didn’t have to be handled like this either
Over a colour? Why can’t we try to do things in a way that works for everybody ? Colour blue ? If that was the case I think that should have been presented from the start
And to just go and paint it all blue like that smh i dont know about other people but..