<<< There was standing room only at Friday’s town meeting with Minister of the Environment Earl Deveaux on the Bimini Bay project.
BAILEY TOWN, Bimini – Minister of the Environment Earl Deveaux led a high-level team to Bimini for a town meeting last Friday to discuss concerns regarding the Bimini Bay project.
The construction of a hotel, golf course and additional dredging in the sensitive Bimini mangroves are among the concerns of residents.
The government commissioned the American firm Black and Veatch of Kansas to perform a compliance analysis of the development. It was determined that going forward, all activities would be in accordance with an environment management plan, said Mr Deveaux.
Following completion of the compliance analysis, the developer Gerardo Capo was presented with the findings, and the report was posted on the BEST Commission’s website.
The compliance analysis was presented by Andrew Byers, Associate Vice President, Environmental Services, Black and Veatch. He was assisted in its preparation by aquatic biologist Dr Earnst Peebles.
The analysis identified a number of issues that need to be addressed. Primary among them was the lack of an environmental management plan for phase one, the requirement for an environmental impact assessment for future phases, and the need to have someone on site to supervise environmental issues.
Critical among the issues to be addressed, noted Minister Deveaux, are the feasibility of a golf course, preservation of the marine protected area and employment and immigration.
“The project is approved and we would like to see it go forward,” said Mr Deveaux, “but we have some particular environmental issues that are required to be addressed.”
In declaring the marine protected area Minister Deveaux said, “we want to ensure that the eco-system of Bimini is held intact and continues to contribute to this part of the Bahamas and the western Atlantic.
“So the golf course, the hotel and the additional dredging will have to take place in a way that doesn’t have any negative impact on the marine protected area. We want to ensure also that there is oversight in management of the ongoing development.”
Minister Deveaux said he was “very pleased” with the outcome of the meetings. “We made great progress in how we could inform public opinion going forward.”
The multi-million-dollar Bimini Bay has “a vital role to play in the future of Bimini,” he said. “We want to accommodate the development going forward based on the compliance analysis completed by Black and Veatch.”
Wisdom: It is my understanding that the land you speak of was owned by Joe Lewis of Lyford Cay. It was not the Government’s to give away. In fact, if memory serves me correctly, those developers deeded land back to the Government to provide for development of affordable housing for Bahamians. The Albany project covers a large territory and here fortunately we have financiers who appear to be unaffected by the global downturn, at least for the foreseeable future. There have, of course, been some environmental issues that must be monitored carefully. If you drove down Addelaide road you should have noticed several smaller gated communities under construction also. This area of New Providence can tolerate this kind of an upscale development quite well. You should take the opportunity to look at the plans and then comment on its’ advisability.
As to the Bimini Bay project, it would have been helpful to have had the response of the inhabitants of Bimini included in your article. What are their concerns and what questions did they ask? I know S.D. always has concerns re: the environmental problems faced where a golf course is concerned.
TALKING ABOUT LAND. The Albany road detour (new road) shows us that a lot of land was given away. I measured it on my car mileage a few times and it is over 8.3 km, the detour alone.
I did a comparison and it is more than the entire city area of Nassau from: Goodman’s Bay park; drive east on bay street to Village road, south to “all the Highways” (Independence and Tonique Williams-Darling Highways) and back to Goodmans Bay park. That is how much land was given away or allotted for new development. MY GOD I now consider CB Moss a champion of the interest of some Bahamians. At lease we still have CLIFTON and it’s beaches.
If I am wrong and the development become a success I must give Mr. Perry Christie full credit, for his government’s vision.
However, the word is out, land 100” x 100’ is now being sold in Albany at $140,000. BOY! $140,000 is much higher than $20,000, which Mr. Shane Gibson’s PLP government was selling to local Bahamians. Maybe we do need change.
Comments are closed.