The sponsor has presented plans to address these impacts to ensure that the proposed project will, upon implementation of the specific agreed measures, comply with the environmental and social requirements - the host country laws and regulations and the World Bank/IFC environment and social safeguard policies and environmental, health and safety guidelines. The information about how these potential impacts will be addressed by the sponsor/project is summarized in the paragraphs that follow.
Environmental management:
Project sponsors will ensure that construction and operating practices comply with industry norms, local and national requirements and laws, IFC environmental and social safeguard policies and World Bank pollution guidelines. A Certificate of Environmental Clearance was given by the Environmental Management Authority in October, 2002. Sponsors have confirmed that they will adhere to and implement ECHO (Environmentally Conscious Hospitality Operations, July 1998) – which is Marriott’s corporate environmental management system. The General Manager of the POS Courtyard will be the responsible individual at the project site for environmental and social matters, including overseeing employees and community interaction. ECHO provides guidance to individual Marriott hotel operations on issues ranging from waste management to energy and water conservation. Once operational, POS Courtyard will seek to display in its guest welcoming materials Marriott International’s Environmental Policy Statement.
Site history and land use:
The current site of the proposed project is an area of former swampland in an area of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago known as Invader’s Bay. The government of Trinidad and Tobago carried out reclamation activities by filling the area with dredged soil and sand (the dredging was carried out approximately five years ago and was concluded in 2001 prior to this project’s realization). It was the government’s intent to utilize this area for development of commercial and recreational enterprises, which now includes this POS Courtyard. The construction will take place on this flat, unencumbered, partially reclaimed land fronting the Audrey Jeffers Highway in the Murcurapo section of Port of Spain.
There is an existing mangrove area nearly 2000 yards from the current site. Normal construction and operations activities will not affect the mangrove. In order to comply with the local Environmental Management Act and the project’s local environmental clearance, construction mitigation to ensure that project activities will not affect the mangrove will include constructing small earthen berms at the project perimeter to preclude any potential run-off of water from the construction site. During operations, mitigation measures to ensure the mangrove is not negatively affected would include constructing convention curbs and gutters to control and direct storm-water runoff into the designated storm drainage system.
Liquid effluent treatment and disposal:
The hotel will be connected to the city sewerage system. IFC requires that for projects discharging to a municipal sewage system, the treatment plant must have sufficient capacity to take effluent flow from the project, and the treated effluent from the municipal plant must meet local regulations. The existing public sanitary sewer system terminates at a Public Treatment Works that is operated by WASA (Trinidad and Tobago Water and Sewer Authority). POS Courtyard is currently seeking approval from WASA to discharge effluent to the PTW (and such approval from WASA will be a condition of project completion).
Solid waste:
Solid waste generated during construction will be trucked to the solid waste facility of Trinidad and Tobago. The amount of solid waste from construction activities will be approximately 450,000 kg during the course of construction. During operations, waste packaging will be handled by two methods. Cardboard packaging will be segregated from other packaging materials and will either be sold or given to local recyclers. Additionally, the project will dispose of spoiled or not acceptable quality produce by enclosing these in proper containers and discharging them through the public/private waste disposal system. Grease trap collections and meat trimmings will be disposed of through a commercial arrangement with local enterprises.
Water use and conservation:
The hotel will be connected to the city water supply. The project will install an approximate 113.55 m3 domestic and fire water storage tank on the site. This water supply will sustain any interruption in the municipal system for approximately three days. At full occupancy, the Marriott Hotel could use as much as 37.85 m3 per day of water. However, the project will ensure that public and hotel room sanitary sewer toilet fixtures (i.e., water closets and urinals) will be low flow capacity (at 5.67 liters per flush) thereby conserving water. In addition, hotel laundry washers will incorporate water recycling systems.
Use of CFCs in air conditioning and refrigeration equipment:
The hotel’s air conditioning system and product refrigeration systems will by fully compliant with Montreal Protocol as they will not utilize CFCs for any equipment or applications.
Fire protection and life safety:
The project will comply with NFPA standards for life and fire safety as agreed with Marriott and IFC’s Fire and Life Safety Guidelines. The entire building will be provided with fire sprinklers; smoke detectors are installed both in public space and in the rooms; each room will have both strobe and sound alarms in the event of fire; the entire system is connected through the control panel to a local monitoring station; and appropriate egress will be provided. Testing of fire and life safety systems will occur regularly. Gasoline will not be used, stored or sold on the project site.
Marriott International also has a comprehensive Operations and Procedure Manual that contains specific evacuation procedures and staff training criteria. Marriott also will require the development, maintenance, training, testing and updating of a plan that includes emergency response, crisis management, disaster recovery and business resumption planning.
Labor relations and employee training, health and safety programs during construction and project implementation:
The Construction and Development Division of PriceSmart is responsible for Construction Management of the project and this Division will contractually require each contractor to maintain a Health and Safety Program. The Health and Safety Program is modeled after the requirements of the US Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA). Local guidelines are evaluated, a comparison made, and the most applicable requirements will be imposed on the project. The contractor is obligated to have weekly jobsite safety meetings, post on the jobsite safety notices and good practice guidelines, and report any injury of magnitude to the client and the appropriate authorities. During construction, direct labor relations are the responsibility of the Contractor. However, the project sponsor is fully aware of any and all labor issues associated with the project. During operations, the project will comply with all local labor laws and requirements and IFC’s policy statement regarding harmful child labor. Marriott International also has a training program that ensures Mariott’s philosophies and values are communicated consistently. Separate training at the management level and for food and beverage and accounting personnel are also carried out.
