The Government of Dominica will soon begin construction of an administrative building in Portsmouth offering Government services.
Work on the administrative building will begin within the first half of 2022. A working group which has been established under the chairmanship of the parliamentary representative, will comprise the mayor, as well as councilors and leaders from Portsmouth who will spearhead this effort on Government’s behalf.
Prime Minister, Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit says upon completion this building will decentralize access to important Government services.
“So the idea is to build a multi-purpose structure in Portsmouth which for now we are calling an administrative building. It will allow for the provision of accommodation for all of Government services in Portsmouth including the Sub-Treasury, Post Office, Adult Education, Community Development, Sports and Education and Health and all other Government offices, will be housed in that structure,” Prime Minister Skerrit stated.
Both the Parliamentary Representative and the Prime Minister will have offices at the completed building to avail themselves to residents of the north.
“We will also make provisions for the town council, the Mayor’s Office, boardroom for the council, meeting rooms, space for the public and of course the Member of Parliament will have accommodation there as well, office space. Being the second town and being representative of the entire North, the Prime Minister will also have a small office there, so that he will can come in there from time to time to avail himself to the residents of Portsmouth and the rest of the north of Dominica,” PM Skerrit explained.
The Prime Minister also noted that a town hall will be included with the capacity to hold a minimum of five hundred people comfortably.
“On the ground floor, we will use it as a town hall with a large space that can sit comfortably no less than five hundred people with kitchen facilities, showers, washrooms, and the other associated amenities. And so to compliment this building we have been talking in Portsmouth about a bypass. So we are looking at using a bypass so that vehicles coming from the north, Vielle Case, Penville, Calibishie and so on, can bypass the Borough Square and vice versa. That area will create a bus terminal and appropriate parking for them,” PM Skerrit noted.