TRAVEL & TOURISM

Roatan Bruce
Interviews

The new but temporary RECO

Tegucigalpa resident Elmer Bustillo has been named the new General Manager of RECO. He is an electrical engineer who has been with ENEE (National Company of Electric Energy) for 13 years. His varied educational background will help him take on this new undertaking of getting RECO back on track.

Roatan Bruce: What is the current state of fuel and diesel supplies for the island since not having enough fuel was a major problem for months before RECO was taken over by the national government?

Elmer Bustillo: The fuel supply problems have been corrected when ENEE took over RECO. The Honduran government is giving RECO all the fuel it needs. The current state of the many brownouts on the island is not because of a lack of fuel, but because of a lack of productivity by the generators which are now in great need of
maintenance.

Roatan Bruce: Tell us more about the condition of the equipment
and generators that you have inherited? How much work will be needed to get the generators back up to good working order to
generate enough power to supply the entire island properly?

Elmer Bustillo: There are two major problems. The first is the generators. They are in great need of maintenance. Our technicians are working on that right now. The second problem and why we are having brownouts is the great increase in demand because of the greater numbers of people living on the island. These generators cannot produce enough power to match the current demand. As a result, the island must share the power
the generators can put out.

Roatan Bruce: When will all the generators be at full production?

Elmer Bustillo: It will take about one year to get all the generators
back to good working order, so there is an emergency plan by the government for leasing new generators. Once we get the emergency decree by the government, it will take one to two months to get another generator. So it seems like we will all be in a brownout situation for a few more months.

Roatan Bruce: What percentage of efficiency are the generators
working at right now?

Elmer Bustillo: We are running them up to 60 percent efficiency and are not able to push them further than that for fear of them breaking down totally.

Roatan Bruce: I am asking that you please find a way to cordon off
the area above the airport where all the radio and television transmitters are located so that when you do have an emergency or the need to brownout an area arises, that we will still have some communication on the island.

Elmer Bustillo: The way the local electric grid is designed now
makes that impossible. It is very difficult to isolate this area now.
Without promising, I will do a study to find out how this can be
done in the future.

Roatan Bruce: I understand President Mel Zelaya has asked for
proposals from companies who may want to buy RECO. Do you know anything more about that?

Elmer Bustillo: All that depends on the stockholders. They will
determine what will happen next. (Every person on the island who
uses RECO owns one share of stock in the company.) Right now,
I feel like I have the support from government. If I call for fuel, I get it quickly. I feel like I have the support of the people from of the island and I am grateful for that. We are here to help RECO. The stockholders will decide the future of RECO.

It is a top priority of the government that this problem be solved in the next three months. Now that the government has taken temporary control of RECO, certain laws and requirements must be fulfilled to move ahead with plans. These administrative procedures are different from the private sector and they must be followed. I predict that in one to two months, we will have a new generator here and that in six months, RECO will return to private hands. In the meantime, I am determined to serve the local people the best way possible.

Bruce Starr is the host of The Roatan Bruce Show now heard on
106.5 FM weekdays from 10 am to 1 pm across the Bay Islands and Northern Honduras. Please visit his website at roatanbruce.com or contact him at roatanbruce@yahoo.com with your comments and suggestions.

BIG-TIME MEETING

The American, British and Canadian Embassies are coming to Roatan on the 28th of February. Why? To speak with their citizens about anything they would care to discuss. This is your big chance to get a lot of little and large gripes off of your desk and into the right hands.
The meeting is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at Coral Caye so get your complaints and compliments ready for airing.

THAT ELUSIVE DUTY FREE SITUATION

We are assured by the powers that all is going according to plan and May will bring us the beginning of a new era. Everyone is looking forward to the improvements although no one is certain just what they will be. Will it affect the common man and woman? Will they be able to bring in automobiles and trucks duty free if they are not in the tourist game? Hundreds of answers floating around but we need to speak with the top of the new organization.

AND WE DON’T HAVE ANY

Weather that is, we just don’t have any to talk about. We feel left out because almost everyone getting off of the planes from the eastern United States are talking about snow and blizzard conditions and they make a mark on their foreheads with their hand. Golly gee, would that not be a welcome change for an hour or two? They tell me snow and ice is something you don’t miss ever.

RECO REPORT

Spotty but improving in the West End and lousy in Coxen Hole and French Harbor.

NICHE MARKETS

We are sworn to secrecy at this point in time but be ready for some surprising specialty projects on the drawing boards. Nothing yet for the one legged, one armed motorcycle riding albino clubs but truly some different groups you don’t think of as having buying power. However, some developers believe they do. Got your curiosity up? When the permits are issued we will report on them. Right now we do not want to tip the delicate scales of justice.

THE RETURN OF CRAVINS

Craven’s restaurant in Mt. Pleasant behind Lafise Bank is again open for your eating pleasure. Newly decorated and full of energy, the atmosphere is super nice. Sort of an African or Polynesian theme running in and out but suffice it to say it is a great improvement.
A couple of new items on the menu as well, like Chicken Cordon Blu or Italian Chicken and the famous Bloomin Onion and Mexican chips and dips available as always. We forgot to ask if they still charge extra for the Styrofoam leftover box. That always seemed a bit odd.