Dear Editor,

WITH utter disgust and anger I pen this letter, given the total disregard shown to residents living aback the Providence Stadium by members of the police force and owners of HJ Water World Fun Park.Residents must travel more than two miles to get to their homes; yet, most of the time when owners of Water World host an event, residents are left stranded or forced to find alternate routes to get home; since, without notice, the police close off the road to entering traffic. They see no difficulty in denying, and sometimes arguing with, residents who express discontent at being denied entry to the road that leads them home.

Residents must then go out of their way to use alternate routes, such as Green Field or Industrial Site/Haags Bosch road. Green Field is a long stretch of road with dense overgrowth on both sides. It has no street lights, and if you are unfamiliar with the area like I was, you can get lost.

The Haags Bosch road is in poor condition. It also requires drivers to drive back to Bagotstown from Providence to access the Haags Bosch road. Persons without vehicles must pay a taxi as much as $1000, and sometimes $1500, to get home, since the roads available for use during the Water World events are way out of bounds. What is even more upsetting is that, despite having a huge parking lot, a huge truck belonging to Water World has been parked on the roadside opposite the fun park for the last several months, completely blocking off the east-west lane. Even without an event, this parked truck obstructs traffic.

I am concerned as to why the police are granting Water Work permission to close the road. Are they aware how seriously residents are affected?

Editor, it is unfair and highly irregular that citizens should suffer while these private promoters make their money. There is no compensation for persons inconvenienced by Water World’s parties, concerts and dances. This is not what residents — who purchased properties just like Water World’s owners did — had bargained for. We get extremely poor quality water; our Perseverance homes are incomplete, as well as the road; and we must pay $400 weekly to have our garbage collected. We refuse to have the access to our homes denied also.

I am calling on Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud; Traffic Chief Dion Moore; and Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, to look into this matter. Citizens deserve better than this!
Regards,
ZENA HENRY
Perseverance resident