Background
I left the private sector 10 years ago to devote my life to public service in a community that is close to my heart - Tunapuna. First as a Councillor and then as your M.P ., I have had the good fortune of deepening my ties in Tunapuna by relentlessly representing on your behalf on issues that matter . It took commitment and passion to deliver for You! ! !Tunapuna is a Constituency like no other - culturally, ethnically and religiously diverse. This community comprises residential homes, commercial and non- profit businesses along with persons living on both ends of the income strata. Needless to say, the needs and the wants of all citizenry are equally diverse. As the M.P for Tunapuna, my duty is to competently serve All constituents with humility and transparency while making myself accessible and available to assist whenever and wherever I could. Today, I am happy to share with you achievements of the Constituency office of Tunapuna.
Grants
Let’s talk Grants! During my tenure, I understood the importance of a helping hand. As such, we, being the constituency’s office, delivered and facilitated the delivery of the following:
- Annual Book List Grant for Children by the M.P .
- Distribution of Several Hundred Hampers to provide seasonal relief
- post severe flooding and the recent COVID-19 Pandemic
- Facilitation of Annual Distribution of Food Cards to families
- Facilitation of Self-Help grants for families to repair homes and properties
- Facilitation of Funeral grants for families in Tunapuna
Road Resurfacing
In Tunapuna, road and infrastructural works and maintenance are necessary given the significant pressure experienced with the number of cars, light vehicles and trucks traversing our streets. Even with the heavy vehicular traffic, there exists a large pedestrian population of adults and children who walk our roads and use our pavements Admittedly, as there are scarce resources available, we had to prioritise our deliverables which were successfully completed in conjunction with the TPRC and Ministry of Works and Transport. Pedestrian safety was crucial and pavement construction and repairs were implemented to safeguard our pedestrians.I took a more hands-on approach to ensure that the road works were completed enabling drivers to have a better experience on the road. A summary of some of the roads paved and pavements construction projects can be seen on the right.
- Orange Grove Road, Trincity
- Eastern Main Road, El Dorado Village
- Golden View Roadway (HDC)
- Solo Driveway St John
- St Michael Village Road
- Paradise Close And Paradise Drive
- Red Hill Road, Maracas
- Toussaint Lanes Nos. 1&2
- Maracas Roy Al Road
- Mohammed Street, St Augustine
Drainage and Water Resources
Flooding has been alleviated in Tunapuna and that is not by accident. Whereas we were hit in 2018, it was certainly not on the scale of Greenvale and other communities. Drawing from my previous experience, strong connections and keen understanding of the community needs, we embarked on a two-fold approach to flooding as follows:
- Drainage infrastructure and continuous improvement and
- Response and coordination.
The level of coordination is the strength of long- standing public service and the long nights at the office were worth it not just for my constituents but the constituents of St. Augustine and Greenvale. In terms of infrastructure, we pinpointed key areas in the community to address and got it done.
We coordinated with the Water and Sewerage Authority to conduct pipeline repairs, provide truck bourne water and bring an independent water supply to the constituents of Wharf Trace.
Youth Empowerment
As an MP who is young at heart, it was easy to gravitate to young people, from kindergarten to young adults. Visiting schools across the Constituency whether at SEA, graduation or sports day, it was easy to make the connections with young people. I enjoyed hearing their aspirations, speaking at their events and providing coaching and mentor ship. Young people are the future of Tunapuna and as such, I felt my responsibility as a facilitator to encourage them to achieve their full potential.
Firstly, as M.P ., our Office encouraged, supported and worked with the private sector and the Tunapuna Piarco Regional Corporation to facilitate growth in Tunapuna. Why? We want the Tunapuna business community to continue to grow so that Tunapuna will not just be a home for our youths but it can be a source of employment for our young adults. In addition as
M.P we assisted young people in the community with job placement in the national OJT programme, U.R.P , M.T.S., CEPEP and other establishments. We established a youth advisory desk to engage young adults who, having left secondary or tertiary schools, needed guidance
from more experienced professionals from diverse fields. These coaching sessions were a valuable tool to young adults who had the benefit of hearing the lessons learnt and recommendations for success. We collaborated with the MIC Institute of Technology with respect to training of our young people
- NEW FLOOD LIGHTING AT LA SEIVA MULTIPURPOSE COURT
- ST. JOHN ROAD MULTIPURPOSE COURT
- YOUTH ADVISORY DESK ACCESS TO V ARIOUS
- SCHOOLS FOR A THLETE FUNDING FROM MINISTRY
- OF SPORT AND YOUTH AFFAIRS
- JOB PLACEMENT IN URP, CEPEP , MTS & OJT
- YOUTH TRAINING A T MIC INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- CHILDREN'S CHRISTMAS PARTIES AND TO DISTRIBUTION
We cannot talk youth without speaking about sport! We are the home of Eddie Hart grounds, Auzonville Park and Honeymoon Recreation Ground.Working closely with the TPRC we maintained these grounds, we ensured they were properly lit and installed new FLOOD LIGHTING at LA SEIV A multipurpose court and ST JOHN ROAD multi-purpose court. Recently with SporTT we facilitated the refurbishment of Honeymoon Recreation Grounds.
We ensured that the youth had the facilities to nurture their talent. I was certainly no stranger to the several football clubs in the area and I was a phone call away! As a second tier of our work, I worked with the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs to ARRANGE ACCESS TO VARIOUS SCHOOLS
FOR ATHLETES WITH FUNDING THROUGH THE MINISTRY OF SPORT AND YOUTH AFFAIRS. And talk about Talent! I need not look any further than to my own Tunapuna family to compose my campaign song! Tunapuna has talent! Whether it is Republic Bank Exodus or Birdsong Academy, Tunapuna shines through and true and as M.P . I was there to support.
