PM praises Cuba-Venezuela over Argyle airport

SATURDAY, 13 AUGUST 2011
  
KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves says Venezuela will meet the multi-million dollar bill for hosting a number of Cuban workers at the Argyle International Airport project. “The amounts spent on the Cuban workers from July 2008 to the end of July 2011 is EC$8.76 million (US$3.24 million), “Prime Minister Gonsalves told Parliament.

He told legislators that St. Vincent and the Grenadines government has been permitted by Venezuela “to borrow monies in respect of the Argyle International Airport from the PetroCaribe fund” under which Caracas provides oil at concessionary rates to several regional countries.

Gonsalves said that EC$27 million (US$10 million) “so far has been borrowed…and we have repaid two million dollars (US$740,700). We fully anticipate that by the end of the project all necessary conciliations would be made.”

Gonsalves described the Cuban workers as “volunteers” telling Parliament that the amount of money paid to Cuba directly on their behalf “is only a fraction of what they would normally command if they were hired as workers in the open jobs markets.
‘In fact many of the junior engineers employed by IADC (International Airport Development Company) are being paid more than two times what we pay for an experienced Cuban engineer, similarly the amounts we pay under contract for engineers…the consultants, the overseas engineering company, is more than four time what we are currently paying for a similarly trained qualified Cuban engineer.”

Gonsalves said the contributions of  the Venezuelan and Cuban governments towards the project “are immense”.
The Argyle International Airport is being built on about 175 acres of land, with a paved runway 2,743 meters (9,000 feet) long, and 45 meters (150 feet) wide. It  is designed to accommodate jets as large as Boeing 747-400s and handle about 1.4 million passengers per year

The project is being developed by IADC, a private limited liability company wholly owned by the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The project team includes the Chatoyer-Che construction team and CECI Engineering Consultants of Taiwan.

http://caricomnewsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4815:st-vincent-prime-minister-praises-cuba-venezuela-over-international-airport-project&catid=82:latin-a-central-america&Itemid=457

Argyle Airport Terminal to be constructed

By Kenton X. Chance

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent -- Actual construction of the new Argyle International Airport terminal building in St Vincent will begin within one week, Dr Rudy Matthias, chairman and CEO of the Argyle International Airport Development Company announced on Sunday.

Matthias, speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony for the terminal building, said he expects Taiwanese firm Overseas Engineering and Construction Company Ltd will complete the facilities within 28 months, as contracted.

He said that, while preparing for the design of the terminal building, IADC officials visited airports in Cuba, The Bahamas, Trinidad, Mexico, Portugal, and Atlanta.

Taiwanese firm, CECI Engineering Consultants Inc. was awarded the US$3.9 million contract for the design and supervision of landside facilities.

Matthias outlined the facilities to be constructed over the next two years.

The contract for the terminal building, which is being financed by Taiwan, is worth US$26.5 million.

The 100,071 square-foot terminal building compares to the 30,000 square feet at the E.T. Joshua Airport and is designed to comfortably accommodate 800 passengers at any one time, Matthias said.

Matthias said all earthworks at the airport would be completed by early 2013. The airstrip will be 9,000 feet long and would accommodate any aircraft, except the Airbus A380 -- the largest passenger airliner in the world.

The 22-acre apron at Argyle will be 11 times larger than at the E.T. Joshua Airport.

Matthias said 8.8 acres would be for commercial planes while 11.5 acres will be for general aviation.

General aviation includes aircraft flying to the Grenadines and private aircraft, which Matthias said the IADC expects would increase significantly when the airport is completed.

The apron will also have space to accommodate two 727 aircrafts, the type Amerijet landed at the E.T. Joshua Airport.

The Argyle International Airport, the largest capital project in the history of St Vincent and the Grenadines, was conceptualised in 2005 and construction commenced in 2008.

It was initially estimated to cost EC$480 million. The cost has since been revised to EC$652 million.

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves’ “coalition of the willing” has joined in financing the airport. The coalition includes Cuba, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Iran, Libya, Mexico, Austria, and the Caribbean Community Development Fund.

Gonsalves said on Sunday that it is high time that “oppositionists” support the Argyle International Airport project.

In his first public address since going on vacation four weeks ago, Gonsalves cited the biblical account of Solomon’s construction of the temple, noting that David had left detailed plans and immense resources for its construction.

He said that, unlike Solomon, his administration, which came to office in 2001, was not left any plan or monies for building the airport.

Gonsalves, speaking on the eve of his 65th birthday, noted opposition to the project, which was being constructed in the face of the limited resources of St Vincent and the Grenadines and the global economic situation.

He said that 154 Vincentians and 47 Cuban are currently employed at the project.

About 80 more Vincentians will be employed when actual construction of the terminal building begins next week, with 800 persons expected to be employed when construction peaks.

Gonsalves said studies indicate that a cross-wind runway would be necessary only to accommodate aircraft flying to and from the Grenadines.

He said a crosswind runway would cost less than 1 percent of the cost of the airport.

Gonsalves said the value of the works completed is EC$180 million but noted that the IADC has spent only EC$28 million.

Vincentians can expect the new airport to be complete by the end of 2013 Gonsalves said on Sunday.

Current chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Dr Denzil Douglas, and Taiwan ambassador to Kingstown, Weber Shih, congratulated the government of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) for undertaking the construction of the Argyle International Airport.

Douglas -- who is also prime minister of St Kitts and Nevis -- and Weber spoke at the ground-breaking ceremony on Sunday.

Douglas noted that the terminal building was being commenced during a week when the global economic crisis especially impacted the United States, which saw its credit ratings downgraded from a perfect AAA to AA+ for the first time.

Douglas added that the effects would be felt within CARICOM, including its sub-regional grouping, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), where St Kitts and Nevis and SVG are part of an economic and political union.

In the meantime, the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) on Monday said that there continues to be “no clarity” on how the EC$652 million international airport being constructed at Argyle is to be financed.

“Gonsalves, continues to ignore economic reality,” the NDP said in a press statement Monday morning.

The NDP said the prime minister’s speech on Sunday was “an empty address to a few party supporters in Argyle”.

The NDP said Gonsalves “has resorted to cheap political rhetoric in an effort to secure his political support base which has been wavering under the pressure of the ULP’s [Unity Labour Party’s] poor economic management of our country”.

It said the “confusion within the ULP” can be seen in the different dates Gonsalves gave on Sunday and CEO of the Tourism Authority Glen Beache gave international tourism stakeholders last year.

“2013 now joins 2012 and 2014 as possible dates for completion of the project,” the NDP said in its statement.

The NDP, which was in office for the 17 years ending March 2001, said it is clear on how it will proceed with the airport, citing its position outlined during the 2010 election campaign.

“… we have the support of a major international construction group capable of undertaking large-scale infrastructure projects. They will partner with an NDP administration to finally get the Argyle airport into a state of readiness,” the NDP reiterated.

“The construction company will work closely with the independent consultants already announced to assess and rectify the seeming planning mistakes made by this ULP administration. Once a clear plan of action is in place, the airport will be completed in a timely fashion so as to minimize any further financial wastage,” the NDP.

The party said its position “is not based in fantasy or empty rhetoric.”

“The New Democratic Party cares about airport development, we have the support to do it and we will pursue it sensibly, with regard for our country and our people’s economic reality.

The NDP also said Gonsalves must change his position on regional airline LIAT, adding that he should listen to his own Ministry of Tourism.

“The Ministry is saying that the high cost of flying via LIAT has negatively impacted regional visitor arrivals to St Vincent and the Grenadines. Invite competition to come in so that you increase visitor arrivals to our shores. Give the population a chance to benefit from the absence of a monopoly,” the party stated.

“Invite competition and do it now. That is priority. Fix the roads in the country and the infrastructure so that the current airport at Arnos Vale will not be flooded by 30-minute rain showers. That is priority,” the NDP further said.

Comments on the Argyle Airport

For decades all international travellers to and from St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) have had to deal with the sometimes humiliating experiences of having to change flights, usually in Barbados. Often times, they would complain of the scutiny and time consuming immigration checks. Several, in fact, seemed to have resigned themselves to coming to SVG as rarely as possible.

There have been reported instances as well where persons en route to St. Vincent to get to the Grenadines have been literally taken by couriers from the hub location where they were to take the flight that brings them directly to mainland St. Vincent.
There is the argument as well that the lack of an international airport has deprived SVG of much needed financial input including forein currency. As a monocrop economy, the island has grown to become a major importer of goods and services, even importing what it has the capacity to produce locally.

Early in the political life of the post-colonial St. Vincent and the Grenadines, its longest serving prime minister proclaimed that an international airport on the mainland was not probable because there will need to be two runways--one for taking off and the other for landing. This was said, it seems, due to the mountainous nature of the island. St Vincent is the second most mountainous island in the Eastern Caribbean archipelago.

One of the spill offs of that first official verdict on a possible international airport on St. Vincent was that it was nepotistic in nature. You see, the then Prime Minister, Sir James Mitchell, was a native of Bequia, the largest Grenadines island. Persons in the Grenadines have always seen themselves as a separate people from the mainland Vincentians. So a sort of competitive animosity had been developed.

To add insult to injury, Prime Minister Mitchell also said that Canouan, another of the Grenadines island, had the capacity to take a large enough runway to accommodate the LIAT aircraft that was landing on the mainland, along with small jets.

That would mean that mainlanders would have to travel to Canouan before they could have boarded a regional air carrier.

The idea infuriated Vincentians on the mainland. There were some other comments being made by Sir James from time to time that made mainlanders feel they were being insulted by their prime minister. For example, he would say that when the mainland runs out of banana, the Grenadines would still have fish; that mainlanders had a breadfruit mentality; that Jesus Christ could never have been born in St. Vincent because there are no virgins on the island.

So, you see, the then prime minister's allegedly informed opinion on an international airport on mainland was being taken in less than pleasant acceptance.

A new government with a new prime minister was elected in 2001. Not too long after that it became known that the Unity Labour Party (ULP) government led by Ralph Gonsalves intended to make good on a promise to deliver an ainternational airport on the mainland.

That seemed to have reopened a can of worms. The political pundits all started throwing their punches; however, the ULP stuck to its guns. The area airmarked as the suitable site was a on the eastern side of the island in an area known as Argyle.

Argyle was an area of several hundred residents who had built middle income to upper level income houses on their property. These people had to be relocated by the government. In the process of these relocations, the government sold lands from the Grenadine island of Bequia, home of former Prime Minister Mitchell, to raise moneys to pay the removed home owners for their lands.

The completion of the airport was scheduled for 2012; however, it has now been set for 2 years later, in 2014. Part of the problem has to do with the gigantic tasks of bringing the airport site to a level field, thus eliminating the hills and valleys. There has also been much discussion on the availability of finances to keep the project going.

The majority of the work is being done by countries that have pledged their support in what the St. Vincent and the Grenadines government is calling "a coalition of the willing."
I recall once being in the vicinity and talking to a very reliable source who admitted that the engineers and leaders on the ground where the physical work is being done were concerned that they were not seeing monies flowing at the proper pace needed to keep the project on schedule.

The contract for the commencement of the building of the terminal buildings was signed a few weeks ago; however, looking at the sight will reveal that a lot of ground work still needs to be done. You are not seeing a runway clearly shaped as yet.

Another concern is that Argyle has been known for being very windy. It is on the Windward side of the island, taking the brute force of the prevailing North East Trade Winds. Will planes be able to land or take off safely?

The clock is ticking, and in a way I suppose that even the critics are secretly hoping that St. Vincent and the Grenadines will finally have its own international airport.


Read more: http://blogcritics.org/politics/article/impact-of-an-international-airport-on/page-2/#ixzz1TGdtRmZ9

Archaeological Volunteers Sought

Monday, May 30, 2011  
By Margarita de Guzman and Jode MacKay
In June 2010, a team of Canadian archaeologists spearheaded a public archaeology program on the island of St. Vincent, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), one of the southernmost island chains in the Caribbean. The archaeological program was designed to give volunteers hands-on experience on a professionally run excavation, as well as a unique immersion into Caribbean culture, while at the same time rescuing and recording a significant archaeological site prior to the construction of an international airport.
The SVG Public Archaeology Program was developed in June 2010 to conduct an excavation at the site of Argyle 2. This program had developed from previous work in 2009 and 2010, where team members had participated in archaeological projects at the site of Escape, managed by Bison Historical Services and later the University of Calgary. Both projects had proved to be highly significant in archaeological terms, resulting in the discovery of 36 burials, a large quantity of pottery, and over 700 archaeological features, which were highly indicative of multiple prehistoric and/or historic structures, including a longhouse (previously undocumented anywhere else in the Caribbean).
Site of Argyle 2 rich in archaeology
In 2010, a brief survey of Argyle 2 was conducted, along with Mrs. Kathy Martin of the National Trust. It became apparent that the Argyle 2 area was rich in archaeology, with multiple features, burials and a large quantity of pottery, as well as other types of artefacts such as stone tools, beads and food remains present on the surface and in eroding cutbanks.

The SVG Public Archaeology Program was subsequently designed to conduct professional archaeological excavations at Argyle 2, whilst raising the profile for the SVG National Trust, such that future archaeological finds on the island could be recorded and preserved in a systematic fashion.
Volunteers from around the world (including Canada, Greece and the United States) assembled and journeyed to St. Vincent to participate in the archaeological project, raising funds for both the public program and for the Argyle International Airport Contributory Fund, as well as the SVG National Trust Heritage Fund.  These contributions helped to repay the people of SVG and the IADC for allowing the archaeological work to continue, as well as to provide support for the continued development of this small country.
Continuous occupation for up to 2,000 years
The archaeological site of Argyle 2 extends from the coast one kilometre inland and half a kilometre north to south, on the leeward coast of St. Vincent. In 2010, preliminary surface surveys indicated that occupation at Argyle 2 spanned from the Saladoid period (ca. 500 BC – AD 545), through Colonial times and up to the present, demonstrating continuous occupation for up to 2,000 years.  Investigations conducted during the SVG Public Archaeology Program in 2011 mapped 147 archaeological features, such as post-holes and small pits, and identified a total of 19 burials (six of which were previously identified by Mrs. Kathy Martin and Mr. Roydon Lampkin between May 2010 and January 2011). It is from these burials that the most significant archaeological findings have been recovered thus far.
Significant burials

Of particular significance are two related burials, Burial 8 (B8) and Burial 11 (B11).  B11 appears to be a primary, extended burial, in complete articulation. In comparison to other burials at the site and throughout the area, B11 is significant because of its specific nature; this burial was identified face-down on its stomach and may indicate a rather hasty burial. No artefacts were recovered in direct association with B11; however, B8, which is a secondary burial, was located directly above the lower limbs of B11. B8 is disarticulated, i.e., its bones are not in anatomically correct position, and also not deposited in any particularly specified manner.
B8 was recovered with 17 lithic (stone) artefacts, and two ground stone tools, as well as a number of pottery sherds that would later be reassembled to form a complete pot.  This reassembled pot was highly significant for the site because its construction and decorative style placed B8 definitively within the Saladoid period. Furthermore, this particular ceramic vessel form has not yet been documented in St. Vincent; preliminary discussions with other Caribbean archaeologists indicate that this form has not yet been identified elsewhere in the Caribbean.
In an adjacent area of the site, a group of burials (Burial 13 – 19) were identified in rather close proximity to one another. Amongst them was another intact pot of the same new vessel form as B8, though this second pot was smaller in size and left undecorated.  Further investigations in the area by Mrs. Kathy Martin and Mr. Roydon Lampkin, former Cultural Officer of the IADC, recovered a number of pottery fragments that appear to belong to a similar vessel form and may be associated with yet other burials. The recovery and restoration of both complete pots (from B8 and from B13 to B19) is highly significant for its contribution to ceramic style and function, and has provided excellent specimens for the national archaeological collection operated by the SVG National Trust.  They are currently being housed in the National Trust Museum in Kingstown, St. Vincent.

Given the significance of these findings, and the extent of archaeology that remains under threat of impact by airport construction, the IADC has kindly approved the Program to continue at the site of Argyle 2, for the 2012 field season.  The site of Argyle 2 is currently fenced to prevent vehicular traffic and preserve the remains of the archaeological materials.
The SVG Public Archaeology Program has been a continued and growing success and has raised awareness for archaeology among the Vincentians, as well as on an international scale.  The continuation of the SVG Public Archaeology Program will continue to increase this awareness, but would not be possible without the hard work and contributions of volunteers.
Volunteer information for 2012
Dates: The 2012 archaeology program will commence on January 3, 2012 and will run until January 25, 2012, with three 1-week sessions. Each session will be seven days in duration, with the first five days assigned to field work on the site; the sixth day will be an excursion day within the island of St. Vincent or further afield into the surrounding Grenadine islands.  The seventh day will be work-free to allow for errands, shopping and travel.  Within each session, Saturdays will be planned as a Public Day for local Vincentians to visit the site and participate in the on-going excavation.
Cost: Volunteers will pay a mandatory fee, which will cover room and board, as well as a weekly excursion in SVG.  Included in this fee will be a $100 US per person donation to the SVG National Trust Heritage Fund, in order to promote preservation and recording of archaeological sites, as well as an additional $100 US per person donation to the Argyle International Airport Contributory Fund.  Not only will this project provide monetary benefits to the people of SVG, it will provide contiguous support for further development of local cultural heritage.  The project aims outside of the interest of archaeology, include promoting the beauty of St. Vincent and the Grenadines internationally as a tourist destination, as well as providing Vincentians with a deeper sense of place and pride about their nation.
Anyone wishing to participate should visit www.svgdigs.com and follow the appropriate links.
This project will be affiliated with Dr. Richard Callaghan of the University of Calgary, who has worked extensively in St. Vincent in the last decade; the project itself will be run by its co-directors, Margarita de Guzman and Jode MacKay, both consulting archaeologists from Calgary, Alberta.  The SVG Public Archaeology Program would like to thank Dr. Richard Callaghan for his continued support, Mrs. Kathy Martin and her dedicated team at the SVG National Trust, Dr. Rudy Matthias and his fabulous team at the IADC, Rhona and her team at Rhona’s Apartments, Shirley and the Roti Hut for the fabulous meals, our archaeologists Taylor Graham, Kristin Soucey and Meghan Simper, and, last but not least, our wonderful volunteers: Kate Beaucage, Alan Rae, Joan Connor, Andy Ciofalo, Kristen Chew, Theofania Tsempera, Sue Graham, Dave McGrath and Sandra McGrath.



Read more >> http://www.pasthorizons.com/index.php/archives/05/2011/archaeological-volunteers-sought-to-help-uncover-st-vincents-past#ixzz1NsFtMl3V
Read the Archaeology News - then buy the Trowel at Past Horizons Tools

Argyle Archaeology

As part of the preparation for the Argyle International Airport, several archaeological teams have been working ay the Argyle site.

A Canadian team led by Margarita De Guzman and Jode Macay, assisted by several international volunteers, have been excavating a Carib Indian site. The photographs below are from the Searchlight Newspaper for March 25, 2011.





In addition, an Egyptian team did an analysis of petroglyphs in the Yambou area to see if they can be moved for preservation. However the unrest in Egypt has made it difficult for them to return this spring.