$6.9 million land issue | Amandala Newspaper

_{Photo: An official map showing plots 5624 and 11214 purchased by the Bangladesh government for the university hospital}

Bangladesh government explains why it paid $473,575 per acre for new university hospital site

Belmopan, Thursday, August 15, 2024

As speculations mounted and suspicions of corruption grew, just before work on Wednesday, the Belize government press office released an explanation document on why private land was purchased to build the Belize dollar 90 million university hospital instead of using free land on the University of Belize (UB) campus at Belmopan as originally proposed.

The first striking official detail in the release was the confirmation of the purchase price ($6.9 million) for two parcels of land located less than half a mile from the Belmopan entrance roundabout in front of Guanacaste National Park. On an acre-by-acre basis, the government paid $473,575 per acre. However, the government release noted that the price paid by the government was “significantly less than what the landowners, Annie Zhu and Kenny Zheng, were asking for.” There was speculation that the landowners were close to the government ambassador, but the prime minister’s response to the question was simply “Maybe. I’ll have to check.”

In our Tuesday edition of the newspaper, we reported that the government paid $2 million more than the land was valued by its own appraiser, Talbert W. Bracket, Sr., Director of the Department of Lands and Surveys, who is also a Senior Registered Land Economist and Valuation Surveyor. We later obtained redacted versions of the government and the landowner’s private appraisals, which confirmed the difference between the two appraisals was $3.1 million. The private appraisals for the two parcels of land totaled $9.3 million, while the government’s appraisal was $6.2 million. This means that the government ultimately paid $700,000 more than its own appraisal, not $2 million more as we were previously told. Amandala noted that both the private and government appraisals were based on the price of a parcel of land sold in 2020, using $100,000 per acre as the baseline figure for an acre of land in the area. The private appraisals showed that the price of an acre of land increased from $65,000 in 2018 to $75,000 in 2019, and then to $100,000 in 2020. A government source told Amandala that the landowners indicated they intended to create a residential subdivision that would get six lots per acre.

Still, many are unhappy with the $6.9 million price tag. One of them is Dean Flowers, president of the Public Service Union, who told XTV’s WUB Morning Vibes Show today that this type of move is not new, as the previous government paid more than $400,000 for an acre of land along the coast; but he said this time the government paid almost the same amount “next to the sewage pool.” He called it a gross abuse and confirmed that there is land available elsewhere in Belmopan. He pointed to an area about two miles from the site chosen by the government, near the J&W Housing Area along the George Price Highway. He said the access to that land is across from the National Gas Company site.

Meanwhile, a leaked Belmopan City Council property fee statement for Lot 5624 (7.02 acres) shows the land value is just $169,900. Another property (Lot 11214) is 7.55 acres, for a total of 14.57 acres.

As opponents of the deal have strongly objected to the purchase price of the privately owned land, the government in a press release has attempted to justify the change of location by offering the pros and cons of the new land. In the case of the UB land, the government said it is nine kilometers off the George Price Highway and getting there means walking through residential areas. Furthermore, according to the government, they actually had to purchase the land to build the required access roads and put in utility infrastructure. While some argue that the investment will be worth it for future generations of students, the government argues that the new location is convenient in its own right and is closer to the (Belmopan) Hector Silva Airport, making it easier to get there by air. Furthermore, it said that hospital staff would not have difficulty getting to the new location and that the University of Belize would retain its land.

As to why the new university hospital requires all 14.57 acres of land, rather than one of the two parcels of seven-plus acres, we understand that the Western Regional Hospital sits on a nine-acre parcel. The new hospital will be Belize’s second referral hospital. “Together with the University of Belize, we will build a first-class medical facility and teaching hospital in an ideal location to meet the diverse needs of our population and improve the overall health care landscape in Belize,” the government announced in a statement.

Education Minister Francis Fonseca told the media this week that he made it clear that the University at Buffalo had always been prepared to offer the land; however, they accepted the arguments of technocrats from the Ministry of Health and Wellness. Fonseca went on to say that the University at Buffalo land required “an investment of several million dollars to upgrade and prepare it.”

Officials tackle flooding issues and sewage pools near new hospital site

When asked about flooding at the new University Hospital site, Chief Engineer Evondale Moody said the area of ​​Mount Pleasant behind the new site, starting near Kiki Witz on the way into Belize City, is frequently flooded; and the Guanacaste Roundabout has flooded before. However, he said they worked hard to address flooding in the Roundabout area. “What we did is we elevated that area in terms of the road layout so that we are above the floodplain,” he explained. “So if the new hospital site is in that area, it’s very close to an area that has flooded in the past. But it hasn’t flooded recently because we installed some huge box culverts at that intersection before we enter the Roundabout.”

As for concerns about flooding in the Mount Pleasant area, he said flooding could cut off Belize City from Belmopan, and they plan to build a bridge in the near future to address the issue.

When it comes to the actual location of the hospital, Moody told Amendala, “The area where the proposed hospital is located is at a higher elevation than the Roaring Creek Bridge and the Guanacaste roundabout…”

Still, the hospital’s proximity to flood-prone areas is a concern for some. Today, Natural Resources Minister Cordel Hyde said his own technocrats believed the particular site was high enough to not be affected by “that kind of flooding.” But he added: “The fact is, the whole country is susceptible to flooding. I mean, we’re living in 2024, and with climate change and everything that’s going on in this country, there’s no perfect site. If you get really bad rains or really bad weather, you’re going to flood.”

As for the sewage lagoon, Hyde noted that there is a 4.8-acre buffer in between. He added, “And the fact is that there are very nice homes in the Cohuen Trail and those areas that are 200 feet from the sewage lagoon. But that’s something they have to manage, but I’m not an expert. I think the experts have to determine that for us — whether five acres between the sewage lagoon and this kind of development is adequate. Our technical experts think it is.”

“There are pros and cons to every option,” Infrastructure Development Minister Julius Espat commented today. He added that as an architect, “when you build, you consider all the options. Over time, UB could be a good option. We haven’t looked at it in detail from our department, but it means you’d have to spend $6 million or more on infrastructure to get to the hospital.” While he acknowledged the positives of others benefiting from the infrastructure, he said it would take them two to three years to get the project off the ground. He further explained, “I think after talking to the Saudis, they want it now; so that’s where this option comes from.” Espat reported that they are already working on addressing flooding in the J&W area by installing a bridge, “which is the first phase of getting water flowing in that area.” According to Espat, the project is about 75% complete and they will then move on to the George Price Highway Rehabilitation Project, which includes the construction of a bridge for the Mount Pleasant area. He revealed, “It’s on the Treasury’s table.”