$56M landmarks preservation project stalls, frustrating Cap-Haitien residents
CAP-HAITIEN — Haiti’s government began renovating roughly 40 houses and businesses in Cap-Haitien in January 2021 as part of a $56 million project financed by the World Bank, but the work has stalled due to administrative issues, leaving residents and business owners frustrated and helpless.
“If a report isn’t filled properly, they [construction firms] won’t get reimbursed so they had difficulty working because they said they ran out of money,” said Polin Alexandre, a social specialist with Haiti’s Technical Execution Unit (UTE), the government office spearheading the project.
The renovation of the structures along Streets 16 and 20 is part of the Heritage Preservation and Support for the Tourism Sector (PAST) project. UTE partnered with the National Heritage Preservation Institute (ISPAN) to work on the project that aims to beautify the historic city, Alexandre said.
Alexandre said the project is estimated to end in June.
With the end date approaching, many residents are infuriated that their homes and businesses have been left in poor condition for months — left in various stages of incompletion.
“If they keep taking a long time, I will have to make a judicial decision for them to do it,” said Fritznel Charitable, the representative of one of the homes being renovated. “They destroyed my house.”
Here are some of the photos of homes and businesses that have been affected:









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