Belmopan City Council and Western Dairies nix plans for ice cream shop at Mae Gordon Park

The Belmopan City Council and Western Dairies have done away with plans to construct an ice cream shop at Mae Gordon Park. The cancelation follows protests by some residents alleging unfair practices and the animal farm syndrome. The agreement was to have the company construct a shop in the park, and undertake its maintenance and upkeep. However, according to the council’s Director of Development, Dr. Ludwig Palacio, the resistance from residents resulted in the company backing out of a portion of the agreement. 

Dr.Ludwig Palacio, Director of Development, Belmopan City: “I think what happened there is that the push back from some elements of the community and vendors went out of proportion and it was like a political football field, a lot of egos involved because in the end some of the vendors did come back to Western Dairies requesting them to work with them which was the intent of the MOU in the first instance to uplift the vendors of the park using their vast experience and success so the idea wasn’t a selfish one at all. The idea was that Western Dairies would sell ice cream and pizza not competing with any other vendor at the May Gordon Park. It also came with upgrading the football field, installing lights for which we already got a first amount of solar lights that are at the council and they have been quite magnanimous. They have told us listen they will continue offering almost everything that was enshrined in the MOA which means a second shipment of lights also coming it will also go to the council. They will still continue with the upliftment of the football field as they had promised. So I believe that Western Dairies really has come through for the council. It was a very good idea and don’t get me wrong there are many many persons who are 100% in favor that Western Dairies should have stayed and offer their ice cream and pizza so now people will just have to go back to the same old. Western Dairies actually doesn’t want to be the center of attraction in that way. They don’t want the controversy, they don’t need it, the spirit like I said was one of general upliftment for the vendors upgrading the park all in favor of the residents of the great city of Belmopan. Having said that they will proceed to Dangriga. We are definitely disappointed that this happened that way but sometimes these things happen as people and countries evolve.”

Palacio added that the project would have resulted in thousands of savings for the council.