CATEGORY:COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
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By Dr. Francis Alexis (Attorney-at-law)


The La Borie Top Road, La Borie , St. George’s, between La Borie Playing Field and Otea, straddles a gentle ridge , with fertile soil and a commanding panoramic view of breath-taking far-flung hill and gully scenery. The development of its village road is a story of community self-help. Like the La Borie Top Road Development Project 2006, 16 June- 25 Sep 06, ("the Project"), a project of several works in concrete on that road. Apart from seven (7) minor works of repairing sizeable potholes, the Project featured nine (9) major works of widening, restructuring and repairing locations.

GO TO ALEXIS
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In 1986, the USA was making available to villages across Grenada small grants, each worth about US$5000, for self-help projects. I mobilized La Borie Top Road to apply for such a grant to help develop their road. The US gave us a grant. With that US grant and our matching community resources, we gave much of that then earthen road its first concreting. Over the years, the road deteriorated; with increasing motor vehicular traffic, and wear and tear caused by the weather including hurricanes.

So the people there have been seeking help from certain quarters to repair their road. But those quarters have been telling the people that theirs is a Francis Alexis Road, and that they should go to Alexis for him to fix the road. The people did go to Alexis. He rallied the people round the pledging of their resources, very modest through these be, to develop the road as a community self-help project. The people rose to the occasion. They had work on the Project commence on 16 June 06, and they continued on with it.

NINE MAJOR WORKS
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Between 16 June and 25 Sep 06, the Project featured nine (9) major works of widening, restructuring and repairing locations. One is Parke’s Hill. There are Duncan’s Lane, Huntes’ Hill and Belgrave’s Hill. A straight stretch links Nano’s Lane, Sylvesters’ Avenue and Huntes’ Lane. Slocombe’s Slope sits stately. Farthest off is Grainger’s Junction. There were seven (7) minor works of repairing sizeable potholes, some between Parke’s Hill and Richard Duncan, others atop of Buckmire by-road. The Project constitutes very significant developments. Rock was pushed back at Parke’s Hill, Duncan’s Lane, Huntes’ Hill and Belgrave’s Hill.

Persons might differ as to which work developed the road best. Some might fancy the smoothening and widening of the ascent up and around Parke’s Hill corner. Others might prize the widening, smoothening and flattening of the turning facilities at Grainger’s Junction. But Huntes’ Hill has been engineered to have two vehicles pass each other, unlike before; quite apart from the aesthetics of that work. No wonder people say that the new Huntes’ Hill is "really pretty". Such is the verdict of the people. It emphasizes the gratifying reality that the Project is truly a very outstanding success.


DONATIONS
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The Project did not get any help from any government, government official, government agency, public institution, or private sector body; whether in Grenada or abroad. All sand, gravel, cement, steel, BRC, tying wire, nails, lumber and water, as well as tools, used in the Project were donated by individuals among us. Those who donated money, materials or water were Keith Alexander, Osbert "Ox" Duncan, Richard Duncan, Ruby Hunte, Helen "Man" Hunte, Ivan "Fox" Slocombe; the Sylvesters – Angela, Cuthbert, Franka and Michael; Jacqueline Vincent; and myself.

All such donations constituted self-sacrifice by donors. But the donation, which was symbolically, perhaps the most significant, in terms of the self-sacrifice it represented, came from Ruby Hunte; what she put into the Project must have been for her, a widow, the widow’s mite.


THE ACTION-FORCE
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On weekdays, an Action-Force kept the Project going. A small squad made up the hard-core elite Action-Force, namely, Ivor "Fox" Slocombe, Richard "Douggy" St. Louis, Kent "Nano" Gilliaume, Stephen Buckmire and Tony Marryshow. They were assisted some weekdays by Curtis "Scara" Adams, Evrin "Epins" Andrews, Simon "Jungle" Grimes, Raphael "Tu-Tul" Gibson, Dexter Lawrence, Sony "Sun-Sun" Slocombe, and myself . Megan Vincent cooked.

On weekends, members of the wider community rendered labour as volunteers, joining Ivor "Fox" Slocombe and other Action-Force members who also served as weekend volunteers. Other such volunters were Tony Belgrave , Osbert "Ox" Duncan, Richard Duncan, Aisha Hunte, Andrew Hunte, Gabriel "Chiney" Strachan; the Sylvesters-Claudius, Cuthbert , Franka, Michael , Nelvi and Wendona; Randolph "Salt" Vincent , Raphael "Doubles" Vincent .

GREAT PRAISE
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This was completely a La Borie Top Road community self-help project, an initiative of the people, by the people, for the people. Great praise is due to all those who made donations of land , labour, capital and ideas. Great honour is paid to the Action-Force and the volunteers. Special mention, though, must be made of Ivor "Fox" Slocombe , a man of uncommon vision and with unique capacity for hard work. The people of La Borie Top Road deserve to be saluted for helping themselves so generously and ably with their very successful La Borie Top Road Road Development Project 2006.