Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jul 24, 2025

Rymer replies: Private and public roads can be built at the same time

Rymer replies: Private and public roads can be built at the same time

Works Minister Kye Rymer has described as “unfortunate”, the notion that his ministry is focusing on private roads and property to the detriment of public roads in the BVI.

The notion to which Rymer referred was mentioned in an audit report issued by Auditor General (AG) Sonia Webster. That section of the report was examined when Webster appeared before the Commission of Inquiry (COI) this week.

The report read: “The government has a policy whereby retaining walls and roads are constructed on private property for the purpose of compensating persons who would give up land to accommodate expansion or improvement of public roads; preventing erosion of soil onto public roads, [and] preventing the erosion of private property after the construction widening for public road.”

The report also said a substantial amount of the Public Works Department’s time and resources are placed into performing assessments, costing, preparing petty contracts, and monitoring works carried out on private property.

Gov’t funds should not be used on private property


COI attorney Bilal Rawat questioned the AG about whether petty contracts being used in that way amounts to an abuse of the state.

“It does,” Webster replied. “I do consider that is in fact, the case. And, this is a practice that continues even as we speak. And I’m sitting here with the knowledge that, I can witness a retaining wall that was built on private property, close to where my home is. And, this was something that happened this year. So it’s a practice that continues, basically.”

“The public expects and deserves to have priority given to public roads, which are generally in disrepair,” Webster stated.

She continued: “It’s beyond comprehension how we can be spending money on private property when we are, in fact, ignoring to meet the obligations of the government, which is to ensure that infrastructure is up to standards. And this is what this actually speaks to. The priority needs to be given to public roads as opposed to spending on public private property.”

Webster said she believed that government funds should not be used on private property. She added that this is the acceptable, good standard practice globally – public funds are for public purposes.

Unfortunate comment


During the VIP’s Let’s Talk radio show last evening, a caller raised the issue about the AG’s report and asked Rymer for his comments on the matter.

The Works Minister explained that the area mentioned in the report was in a community that housed many persons and the District Representative that oversees the area thought it prudent to repair a retaining wall to shore up the road to make it safe for the residents to traverse.

“I kind of find it a bit unfortunate that it was mentioned that more attention should be paid to the major roads. But that is something that we work on simultaneously in terms of doing community projects,” Minister Rymer said.

He also applauded the Public Works Department and his Ministry for their hard work. He said procurement processes are still being followed in executing the projects, which he noted followed a transparent process.

Minister Rymer said District Representatives generally had the discretion to do community projects which they felt would be of benefit to the residents. He said this was one such instance.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
×