"Water Works" Project Boquete District

[Bonnie]

7 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

Maybe some of you folks should drive it some time and have a look at what’s been going on if you haven’t been following updates. 

I haven't driven it in about three months. Has the road surface been improved the entire distance, or are there still large patches of very rough going?

[Bonnie]

9 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

The project engineer painted a picture of utopia: excellent water, project about 90% complete, etc. Which in the opinion of everyone in attendance was far from the truth.

Hank, to whom does the project engineer report? Is the Mayor the project head? Or a national figure or national agency? I'm still trying to figure out the supervisory hierarchy here. (Or is supervision responsibility as amorphous as execution responsibility?)

I would be willing to give the Mayor a pass, like so many insist on doing, if I knew that there is nothing he can do, that he is not ultimately in charge.

[Keith Woolford]

4 hours ago, Bonnie said:

I haven't driven it in about three months. Has the road surface been improved the entire distance, or are there still large patches of very rough going?

A bit of a rough spot near the one-lane bridge at the south end, but otherwise graded and relatively smooth. New pavement from the footbridge on into town.

[Keith Woolford]

Quote

I would be willing to give the Mayor a pass, like so many insist on doing, if I knew that there is nothing he can do, that he is not ultimately in charge

The National Council for Sustainable Development ( CONADES)

 

[Bonnie]

10 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

A bit of a rough spot near the one-lane bridge at the south end, but otherwise graded and relatively smooth. New pavement from the footbridge on into town.

That's excellent news. I will be tempted to use it much more often now. Thanks, Keith.

[Marcelyn]

Note to Bonnie and a couple of other people:  Thanks for your effort to get the facts and work toward a solution for this project. Personally I’m weary of the complaints and not willing to do anything or take action to help resolve the situation. 

[Bonnie]

5 hours ago, Bonnie said:

That's excellent news. I will be tempted to use it much more often now. Thanks, Keith.

I used the river road this morning to get my dog to Roberto's. It was rocky and extremely muddy in parts. Moreover, I had to stop three times because of heavy equipment in the road. One stop lasted in excess of 10 minutes. The alternative is turning off Ave Porros onto a very narrow road and then making an acute left turn at the highway. I took this route on my return rather than the river road only to find the entire road blocked and traffic backed up in both directions by a garbage truck. The last straw was finally to encounter a PARADE in front of the social security clinic headed north toward Romero! Fortunately, I was turning right at the bridge and therefore didn't have to wait long. The round trip took 50 minutes. Stay away from downtown if you can. It's the worst I've ever seen.

I had FINALLY gotten my car washed last week; today it's covered in mud.

 

[Bonnie]

9 hours ago, Marcelyn said:

Note to Bonnie and a couple of other people:  Thanks for your effort to get the facts and work toward a solution for this project. Personally I’m weary of the complaints and not willing to do anything or take action to help resolve the situation. 

There is no action we as expats can take that I am aware of. I was just trying to reach an understanding of what is going on.

Over the weekend I talked with three separate Panamanian friends and acquaintances, in different walks of life, about the road situation. All three blamed the Mayor and said he wouldn't survive the next election. He's a nice guy, they said--too nice to deal with the contractors as they need to be dealt with. One of them had heard that the Mayor had contacted PC for help (CONADES, I presume), but they told him it was his baby and he has to deal with it. Native Boquetenos hold him responsible was the word I got.

Edited June 25, 2018 by Bonnie

[Keith Woolford]

Of course local citizens blame the Mayor, they do the same thing to the Mayor in Panama City and any President of the country about mid-way through their term.

Whether they're responsible for every issue or not, a Mayor or President are the most visible officials and the easiest to blame.

As far as I know, the contract is not directly with the town so the Mayor probably has little authority to intervene.

Edited June 26, 2018 by Keith Woolford

[Bonnie]

You would think some impetus to finish would derive from Boquete’s status as a tourist destination, as well as from President Varela’s having recently bought a home here. 

[Keith Woolford]

I'm convinced that the project will be completed when it's completed, and not a moment earlier.

Meantime I'm not going to get my knickers in a twist over the inconvenience. I woke up alive this morning, the coffee was made, and the sun is shining so three good things have happened already. Went in and out of town twice yesterday and I probably will be again today.

 

Edited June 26, 2018 by Keith Woolford

[Keith Woolford]

4 hours ago, Bonnie said:

President Varela’s having recently bought a home here.

I've 'heard' stories about President Varela buying property here before, from homes to chunks of mountainside and even the Panamonte Inn. 

Is there actual proof of that or are these just more unsubstantiated rumours?

Edited June 26, 2018 by Keith Woolford

[Marcelyn]

On 6/26/2018 at 7:28 AM, Keith Woolford said:

I've heard this story about President Varela buying property here before, from homes to chunks of mountainside and even the Panamonte Inn. 

Is there actual proof of that or is this just another substantiated rumour?

Can’t verify that President Varela bought the Panamonte Inn, but I’ve heard this story many times from different people.

FYI:   Wouldn’t blame him — what a beautiful location with great history! One of our favorite places in Boquete.

[Marcelyn]

4 hours ago, Bonnie said:

You would think some impetus to finish would derive from Boquete’s status as a tourist destination, as well as from President Varela’s having recently bought a home here. 

Boquete a tourist destination? Many gringos?

Was downtown at Mailbox to get our mail this past week and wondered “where is everybody”. I always see and enjoy chatting with friends on these occasions, but not this time. Saw one couple (probably from a local hostel) and everyone else locals near the bus stop at the park.

Very different.

[Bonnie]

2 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

I'm convinced that the project will be completed when it's completed, and not a moment earlier.

Meantime I'm not going to get my knickers in a twist over the inconvenience. I woke up alive this morning, the coffee was made, and the sun is shining so three good things have happened already. Went in and out of town twice yesterday and I probably will be again today.

 

People north of downtown are minimally impacted as they can just avoid the town center for most everything. The rest of us face it on a daily basis in order to get anywhere.

But you're right. It'll be done when its done. And Hank verified that it was said twice during the meeting that the roads will be dug up a second time. So I guess all of us just need to suck it up.

[Marcelyn]

“So I guess all of us just need to suck it up”.     I suspect everyone will not like or agree with this solution. Just saying — the BCP meeting today was presented by  a transport company shipping goods to (and many questions) regarding how to ship household goods out of Panama.

An interesting eye-opener happening.

[Keith Woolford]

2 hours ago, Marcelyn said:

“So I guess all of us just need to suck it up”.   

After almost 25  years down here I've learned at least a couple of things.

One of them is that patience and tolerance are among the greatest assets that a foreign resident can have.

Another is that personal tranquility is inversely proportional to expectations.

[Keith Woolford]

On 6/24/2018 at 8:03 PM, Keith Woolford said:

A bit of a rough spot near the one-lane bridge at the south end, but otherwise graded and relatively smooth. New pavement from the footbridge on into town.

Municipal crews have continued  to work on this road with the town’s new equipment which was purchased with funds from Decentralization.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2148397708523584&id=100000601268658

 

[Bonnie]

On 6/26/2018 at 7:54 AM, Marcelyn said:

Boquete a tourist destination? Many gringos?

Was downtown at Mailbox to get our mail this past week and wondered “where is everybody”. I always see and enjoy chatting with friends on these occasions, but not this time. Saw one couple (probably from a local hostel) and everyone else locals near the bus stop at the park.

Very different.

Marcelyn, Boquete is touted by the country of Panama as a tourist destination. My point is that it is not being maintained like a tourist destination. I don’t know what you mean by “Many gringos?”

[Marcelyn]

2 hours ago, Bonnie said:

Marcelyn, Boquete is touted by the country of Panama as a tourist destination. My point is that it is not being maintained like a tourist destination. I don’t know what you mean by “Many gringos?”

Didn’t see many gringos on the street that day.

[Bonnie]

Got it. Thanks.

[Keith Woolford]

On 6/24/2018 at 8:03 PM, Keith Woolford said:

A bit of a rough spot near the one-lane bridge at the south end, but otherwise graded and relatively smooth. New pavement from the footbridge on into town.

 

20 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

Municipal crews have continued  to work on this road with the town’s new equipment which was purchased with funds from Decentralization.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2148397708523584&id=100000601268658

 

Looks pretty good now.

 

[US Boquete Warden]

Dear friends, recently I reviewed the forum entries on chiriqui.life, and saw I’ve been a subject of conversation. I will try to keep up with the postings and reply as my time permits. 

With regards to your suggestions for my involvement on the Boquete water project, I have many times offered my assistance to the mayor, explaining that my field of expertise was approving and supervising (with actual hands-on experience) community water and wastewater projects. Panamanians don’t seem very receptive to foreigner assistance. So, as a polite gringo, I don’t push the issue.  Furthermore, I’m very occupied with my post graduate law studies and other civic involvements.

Yesterday, 6/29/18, I met with the Boquete water and waste water project engineer Patricia Gonzalez to learn a bit more of the facts of the local construction project.

·         She explained that the project physically started May 19, 2016. The initial plans were to dig sequentially a ditch large enough to lay the distribution and collection pipes.  But as luck would have it, they immediately ran into enormous boulders that required very heavy equipment to break.  To deal with these boulders, they had to dig up the width of the road, therefore transforming the project completely.

·         She also informed me that the reason why they started digging in different areas and non-sequentially, was that they received a mandate not to disturb the main road during the months from November to April.  With this mandate, she saw no other recourse than to work on the side roads since she could not send the crew on vacation for this length of time.

·         She explained the project’s water and sewer treatment plants were almost complete. They are presently working on the collection and distribution lines. The project is scheduled to end in December of this year. 

·         On top of the physical obstacles encountered, she explained the project is not a district (local) project.  It involved the Panama government with their supervision and their edicts. This has also helped delay and complicate the project.

I hope this helps explain a little of what is happening in Boquete.

Much information can be obtained about the local area by attending the junta at the mayor’s office on Thursday mornings at 9:30 (Panamanian time). This meeting is open to the public. All reports are in Spanish.

[Siempre Soluciones]

 

Does anyone have an estimate on how much longer it will take to get in and out of town when using the Ave Belisario Porras bypass for via Boquete?

 

 

[Bonnie]

6 hours ago, US Boquete Warden said:

She also informed me that the reason why they started digging in different areas and non-sequentially, was that they received a mandate not to disturb the main road during the months from November to April.  With this mandate, she saw no other recourse than to work on the side roads since she could not send the crew on vacation for this length of time.

I'm not sure I understand what's being said here. Even though they may not have been able to dig on the main road for five months, why could they not have worked on the side roads sequentially? Why is there only a part or parts of virtually every street completed?

Hank, can you clarify? Or does anyone understand this?