Demolition of a former centerpiece of San Ignacio’s landscape, the old Town Hall building, began on Sunday of last weekend. The prime land property at the corner of King Street and Hudson Street had been sold to Atlantic Bank LTD by the San Ignacio and Santa Elena Town Council at a cost of 0,000.00 It is now the responsibility of the new and well grounded Bank owners to do the demolition of the old building.
The destruction of the old Town Hall Building was considered necessary as it had been deemed un-safe for human occupancy as of 20 years ago. The building itself had inclined some eleven inches and there had been areas, where cracks had developed that were one inch wide.
“When you put a ball on the floor, the ball will roll all the way down to the wall,” says Earl Trapp Junior, the Mayor of San Ignacio and Santa Elena, who is now preparing to serve a full second term in office in 2018.
“When we have especially big equipment, big vehicles traversing that area, the whole building shakes.”
As a result the entire Town Hall staff had to relocate to a nearby complex owned by businessman Abdala Bedran in February of last year.
Even while the old Town Hall building has been converted to rubble, the new headquarters of the San Ignacio and Santa Elena Town Council at the old San Ignacio Hospital site has risen, with the complete three level steel frame having now been completed. “This Council will continue to do what it has to do in terms of progress and development, and in terms of improving the livelihoods of the residents of this municipality, we are considered the number one Inland Tourism Destination and we will continue to do everything we can in our powers to uplift this town to city standards; something that people will come to our towns and definitely appreciate San Ignacio and Santa Elena,” reassures Mayor Earl Trapp Junior.
We are happy to note that the San Ignacio Town Hall’s twin, the National Institute of Culture and History office has also obtained land space at the old hospital site in San Ignacio. However; there are no signs yet for any construction of a new NICH Building.
