BELVEDERE--Questions have arisen over Government's plans to construct a Methodist Church in Belvedere with a price tag of approximately half a million guilders.
Concerned residents want the Government to provide the "complete story" to the public. In particular, they want to know how much money the church group behind the project had already committed to the renovation of a dome in Belvedere, and whether it was the equivalent of what Government was slated to spend.
They argue that the group behind the project "didn't even have to build a new building; they used an existing one. No way could that have cost half a million guilders."
Edgar Lynch, a member of the inner core of the group that has been pushing for the construction of the church in the district for almost 10 years, declined to comment on the specifics of monies already spent. He also declined to comment on what exactly would be built with NAf. 500,000. It is not clear if Government intends to build only the structure, or if the intention is to provide furnishings and the like.
However, Lynch commended Commissioner Frans Richardson for recognising that the church, its congregation and the community deserved to be treated better. He said the group had been knocked from "pillar to post" over 10 years, and the Commissioner had decided, criticism or not, to move ahead with the project.
He added that it was commendable that the current National Alliance-led government "came into office under a whole new banner of accepting the clergy. It is a good thing when Government accepts the sovereignty of the Almighty."
The Island Government will construct a church for a group of the Methodist denomination in Belvedere, after the same group had begun construction on the church at a location designated for a new sports field in the district.
The Daily Herald understands that the Executive Council, following a bidding process, approved the construction of the church at a new location for approximately NAf. 500,000 about two weeks ago.
The group responsible for the new church had committed funds to re-construct a domed structure that had been used and left vacant by one of the contractors of the Belvedere homes. However, the problem was that this property had already been identified by the Island Government for a new sports field.
Commissioner Frans Richardson said Government had issued a permit and had not issued a building stop to the Methodist group.
By that time, he said, the group had committed significant funds to the project. As such, the Commissioner said, as Government had made the mistake, Government opted to identify a new location for the church in the district, and to construct the church as compensation for its mistake.
The Commissioner could not be reached up to press time on Thursday to address inquiries about the amount of money that had been committed by Government.
