Antigua and Barbuda to launch National Clean-up programme on June 1

Antigua and Barbuda: The government of Antigua and Barbuda to organize a national clean-up as the National Clean-up, scheduled to commence on June 1st, is gaining traction. CBH and National Solid Waste Authority are making assessments; their trucks will cart away old cars and broken-down abandoned houses, along with bulk waste, where the waste threatens health and safety. The teams will clean one community at a time.

The Ophthalmology Center at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Center will have a new home at the Sir Cuthwin Lake Medical Center on Nugent Avenue. The Cardiac Center will take the place of the Renal/Dialysis unit at the SLBMC, while the Renal/Dialysis Unit will now be housed at the old Holberton Hospital at the refurbished Edward Ward.

The Cabinet agreed to place a new focus on improving mental health. The repair of the Clarevue Mental Hospital to cure its deficiencies is well underway. An additional psychiatrist has been recruited to supplement the work of the lone doctor assigned to the hospital.

Cabinet invited the Chief Environment Officer to report on the Green Climate Fund (GCF) board meeting held in Antigua last week. The Ambassador reported that a GCF 2020 project came to fruition. A schools project worth $7 million USD is on the drawing board. 

The schools are to be retrofitted with solar panels, hurricane shutters and other improvements beginning early next year. A GCF roads project is also to be supported by burying utility lines alongside roadways; and, a water project for the benefit of farmers is to be funded; it will utilize Reverse Osmosis but without any chlorine added to the potable water.

The National Housing and Urban Renewal Company will be building a new headquarters that will accommodate the National Housing, DCA, and the Lands Office and also serve as a storage yard for supplies, vehicles and equipment owned by these agencies.

The Home Empowerment program for starter homes is one step closer to readiness, the Minister of Housing reports. The homes are expected to cost $120,000 each, and the monthly repayments will likely not exceed $900 a month. Application forms are now available via the CHAPA website and the Central Housing and Planning Authority office on Lower All Saints Road.