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The Eastern Caribbean Amalgamated Bank, title sponsor of the 2025 Mr. and Miss Teenage Pageant hosted the pageant delegates and their chaperone at an enriching etiquette class at the Trade Winds Hotel on July 1, 2025.

The class, facilitated by Ambassador, Dame Deborah- Mae Lovell focused on key areas of personal development including emotional intelligence, positive conversation, networking, self- respect, chivalry and table etiquette.

The day’s first session on emotional intelligence was considered among the delegates to be their favourite segment as the contestants shared personal experiences in what turned out to be a soul- stirring engagement. Using guided prompts, delegates had an opportunity to write their feelings while having the option to share their thoughts or keep them private.

A delegate said, “I loved the essence of the class”, while another remarked, “I liked getting to better understand my pageant peers.”

Dame Deborah- Mae also shared valuable advice on personal presentation not only for the pageant, but for life. She encouraged the contestants to network confidently at events and to conduct themselves respectfully.

She stated, “I love to create a safe environment for participants so that they can express themselves. I think it was a therapeutic session.”

The Eastern Caribbean Amalgamated Bank 2025 Mr. and Miss Teenage Pageant will take place on July 19th at the Antigua Recreation Grounds (Carnival City) at 7 p.m. where thirteen delegates will compete in the pageant.

Minister with responsibility for ICTs, Utilities and Energy, the Hon. Melford Nicholas, inspected the construction site the reverse osmosis plant at the Ivan Rodriguez Water Plant, a vital project aimed at significantly boosting the island’s water production capacity.This facility, a collaborative effort between the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) and the Seven Seas Water Group, is being erected at Barnacle Point.The centerpiece of the project is a state-of-the-art reverse osmosis plant, poised to augment the daily water output substantially. The plant is projected to generate an additional 2 million imperial gallons of water each day, offering a much-needed solution to the persistent water shortage issues.

During the Minister’s visit, System Management Specialist at APUA’s Business Management Unit and Project Manager Sean Peters comprehensively explained the plant’s intricate operational mechanisms, with a particular focus on the high-pressure motor pumps that are integral to the reverse osmosis process.

He meticulously detailed the journey of the seawater, from its initial intake to the sophisticated filtration procedures designed to remove impurities and sediment.The project has also taken into account the harsh coastal environment, with the crucial connection being strategically relocated underground to mitigate the corrosive effects of the salty air and prolong the lifespan of the infrastructure. Sean asserts that most of the equipment is weather-resistant.

Acting Water Manager Jason “Basu” Peters offered insights into the project’s timeline and progress. He acknowledged that the construction schedule had experienced some setbacks due to inclement weather, and cement supply issues.

However, he reassured that with the 28 tradesmen, including some from APUA, significant milestones were on the horizon, with the casting of the processing unit and the floor foundations anticipated to take place within the coming weeks.Minister Nicholas emphasized the importance of operational efficiency, remote management, and automation in the transfer of best practices.Addressing the plant’s power requirements, Jason Peters highlighted the installation of two on-site transformers, which will collectively provide approximately 2 megawatts of power to sustain the plant’s operations.

In the realm of contingency planning, Jason Peters addressed the crucial aspect of backup power. He clarified that the current design does not incorporate a built-in backup power system directly at the Ivan Rodriguez plant.

Nevertheless, he emphasized that proactive discussions are actively underway to strategically deploy generators at key power plant locations across the island.This strategic placement of generators is intended to ensure uninterrupted water production, even in scenarios where the main power grid experiences disruptions.Furthermore, Jason Peters noted that while the Crabbes plant doesn’t necessitate a generator due to its central role as an electricity hub, the Fort James and Ffreys plants are under consideration for generator installations.

This measure is aimed at safeguarding water production from disruptions, especially during major storm events.The new Seven Seas Reverse Osmosis Plant is being developed over a 12-year built-own-transfer agreement between APUA and Seven Seas.

Restoration work on the Buckleys water storage tank is nearing completion after being out of service for about five years due to erosion and deterioration of its floor.

Utilities Minister, the Honourable Melford Nicholas, visited the site on Monday and confirmed that the first stage of restoration is complete, with full completion expected within weeks.

“This tank had a capacity of about 660,000 imperial gallons of water. One of the communities that is going to benefit immediately when this tank goes back into service would be the St Paul’s community,” Minister Nicholas said.

Acting Water Business Unit Manager Jason Peters explained that restoring the tank will ease pressure on the network.

“What we will do is fill this tank and then it will be gravity-fed, so you would not necessarily need pumping to move water in various directions,” Peters said. “That will create less stress on the network, particularly the Buckleys Main Road, where we are also going to be doing some repiping.”

A magnetic crawler will be used for sandblasting the tank as part of APUA’s collaboration with Ethos Steel Engineering. Peters noted that the team is committed to meeting the Minister’s call for high standards.

“In all the interviews with the Minister, he has been very clear and sharp that he doesn’t want to cut corners in the repairs of these assets,” Peters said. “In response, we are committed to bringing top-notch technology.”

APUA will soon conduct vacuum testing on the tank’s seams to ensure there are no leaks before applying a protective paint.

“Just to assure the public, while we say we’re going to paint it, the paint is merely to protect the metal,” Peters explained. “There is certainly no risk of contamination or any health hazards. The coating is simply to protect the tank surfaces and prolong its life.”

The project is expected to be completed by the end of July.

Marcus Garvey, the well known Jamaican born political activist, once echoed the sentiments that ” A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin & culture is like a tree without roots.

The statement is very profound and in my view it relates with our young people residing in our communities who seems to have very little knowledge of the history of the community they live in.

Perhaps, I will conclude that it is no fault of theirs because we, the older ones, should be blamed for the failure of putting in place a platform, so that the historical data of our legends / icons and the metamorphosis of the community are preserved and be passed on to the younger generation.

Interestingly, our communities comprise of several alcoholics, drug addicts, amputees and persons who may be presently be viewed as insignificant, are seen traversing the streets of the community but surprisingly, they are not known and given the respect for the outstanding contributions they once made to the communities they lived in and by extension, the country they had represent.

It is extremely sad to see that throughout the length & breadth of Antigua, there are no libraries erected or social media portals constructed in either community, to highlight & keep alive as to who these people are, and the contribution they’ve made to their beloved community.

I think the time is now that our community groups should begin to be conscientious of their community’s history and hence, construct a library or a Social media platform to host and showcase these outstanding persons whose life stories can be utilized to inspire and educate the masses, especially the younger ones.

There is no doubt, communities like Gray’s Green, Point & Villa, Bolans, Pares, Liberta, just to name a few have produced some extremely outstanding persons in sports, politics, academics and culture and would have some rich history behind them.

Although, the life styles for these people may have deteriorated, the respect & acknowledgement should always be there for them. An edifice or a Social media page to host their bio & photo will certainly keep their contribution alive.

Alex