Black Immigrant Daily News
More public consultations on the new West End ferry terminal will be scheduled soon following a two-day stakeholder meeting the Recovery and Development Agency hosted last week as part of efforts to finalise the conceptual designs, the RDA announced Friday.
Climate response and energy savings were on the list of topics discussed during the Feb. 15-16 session facilitated by RDA Contract Supervisor and Project Manager Sergio Dantas and Community Liaison Officer April Glasgow, according to an RDA press release.
The pair were joined by project lead Dr. Karsten Galipp and principal architect Torsten Illgen, both from Inros Lackner S.E., the German firm hired to create the designs.
Other attendees included acting Premier and Communication and Works Minister Kye Rymer and representatives from the BVI Ports Authority, the Customs and Immigration departments, the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force, the BVI Tourist Board, the Town and Country Planning Department, the Virgin Islands Fire and Rescue Service, ferry operators, and the West End Taxi Association.
The plans
The RDA described the planned ferry terminal as a two-storey building spanning 12,000 square feet with features that will “promote efficient flow and processing of passengers for both domestic and international travels.”
It will be built from sustainable materials and incorporate new technology, according to the press release.
“It is important that we receive feedback on the design from the stakeholders,” Dr. Galipp said. “We have listened to their concerns, some of which we can integrate to bring relief.”
Following the meeting, she added, the design consultants are “a step closer and headed in the right direction.”
The RDA promised public consultations following “an analysis and integration of the stakeholder consultations,” but no date has been announced.
Previous terminal
Prior to being destroyed by the hurricanes in 2017, the terminal used to process some 40 percent of all arrivals to the territory, officials have said.
However, efforts to build a new terminal have stalled for more than a decade.
Most recently, government unveiled a “futuristic and organic” design last February, but it spurred so much controversy that the RDA walked the plan back and launched a poll in July, inviting the public to vote on one of three designs.
In December, the agency announced the winner: a “classic modern” design that tied with the original and beat out a “West Indies” option.
Despite the tie, the Ministry of Communications and Works selected the “classic modern” design over the original in part because of the resiliency of the proposed building and the availability of the necessary materials, the RDA stated at the time.
Twice the size
The proposed terminal will be double the size of the old one, and it will have the capacity to process more passengers; to provide berthing for multiple ferries and private yachts; and to park vehicles, according to the RDA.
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