Mather flags unfinished D5 E-Zone project highlighted in AG’s report

Territorial At-Large Representative and Deputy Speaker Stacy Mather has raised concerns over the government’s unfinished District 5 Economic Zone (E-Zone) project in Huntum’s Ghut.

The project remains incomplete despite years of delays and additional funding, according to an Auditor General’s report presented to the House of Assembly recently. During a debate on the government’s $100 million loan resolution, Mather highlighted that the District 5 E-Zone was initially scheduled for completion by May 2021, with a budget of $1,377,500. However, the project, which began in November 2020, has faced multiple delays. “Despite being awarded a variation of $105,648 and extensions on the building structures, which were to be erected under the major contract, [the project] was, at the time of writing—July 2024, incomplete,” Mather stated.

The E-Zone project was intended to provide affordable commercial spaces for small businesses in the District 5 area. Yet, despite initial projections, the structures remain unfinished. Mather drew attention to a line in the report that called the situation “a failure of both transparency and accountability”.