K42mil Lae market facelift

By GLORIA BAUAI
FRESH produce vendors in Lae will be relocated to a temporary market to make way for the K42 million main market redevelopment.
Residents of Lae yesterday witnessed the ground breaking of the K5 million temporary market at the old airport downtown area where a cheque was presented by Lae City Authority to local contractor Honibrooks.
Lae MP and Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso said this temporary market would be completed in four months to allow vendors to move in and make way for the old market facility to be demolished for construction on the new facility.
The occasion yesterday also included the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the development partners, whose contributions include K5 million from LCA, K19 million from the New Zealand government and K40 million from the Australian government.
Australian high commissioner Jon Philp said the new redeveloped two-storey market capacity would hold 1,300 vendors including both wholesalers and retailers, a dedicated space for small and medium enterprises to support economic growth and innovation and storage areas particularly important for vendors who travel in to Lae from other parts of Morobe and Highlands every single day, to name a few.
New Zealand high commissioner Peter Zwart said this development not only upgraded a key facility in the heart of Lae but it importantly kept pace with Lae’s rapid growth in terms of population and its economy.
“We want this market to be overseen by governance structures that are robust and genuinely representative and transparent, that will be the backbone of market operations when it opens to the public.”
“We want it to be a resilient market; resilient to the forecast impacts of climate change and want it to contribute sustainably in the short term and long term to the economic development of Lae and the wider region.”