The government has not “put a stop” to a $100-million-dollar Bimini Bay Deveopment project, Minister of Works and Utilities, Bradley Roberts said Sunday.
Mr Roberts told the Guardian that the government is intent on attracting investments to The Bahamas, and Geraldo Capo, the project’s developer, wants to proceed.
However, Valentine Grimes, Mr Capo’s lawyer, said that the magnitude of the investment has been substantially reduced, and a down-sized project – delayed since 1997, is now expected to get underway by December of 2004.
Last Wednesday, Ambassador for the Environment, Keod Smith, told the Guardian that the government had “put a stop” to the project pending the receipt of a more detailed environmental impact assessment and other information requested sometime ago by the Bahamas Environment Science and Technology (BEST) commission, which he chairs.
In a statement to the Guardian, Mr Smith said that the developer understood that he should discontinue work until the requested data had been forwarded.
According to Mr Smith, “What should have been done to keep from causing the damage that was done, obviously should have been done three years or more ago. Certainly within 18 months or so of the commencement of the project, the powers that be ought to have known that there was no way that he could complete it, and they should have intervened, asked him what is the situation and why had he not gone forward.”
He added: “There is a lot of speculation, but we can’t just speculate; we have to go on the basis of what is factual. But it is now in hand, and hopefully our evaluations would determine that the damage has not been so severe, or that it is not irreparable. So we might be able to fix it. Because, if it is in fact that it can be fixed, then one of the suggestions which I will be making is that the developer pay to have it fixed.”
However, according to Mr Grimes, “Neither am I aware, nor is my client Mr. Capo aware, or any other officer or director of RAV Bahamas aware, that any stoppage whatsoever has been given to the project from the Government of The Bahamas.”
In fact, he said, meetings have been held with Prime Minister Perry Christie, Works Minister Roberts, Health Minister Marcus Bethel; Bimini representative and Minister of Tourism, Obie Wilchcombe; the BEST Commission itself, and the project has been assured of the government’s full support
The $100-million-dollar, 700-acre development proposed by Mr Capo, was approved by the Free National Movement Government in July, 1997.
A five-year “Heads of Agreement” called for a hotel of not less than 200 rooms, a residential sub-division, a marina capable of handling more than 150 boats, an 18-hole golf course, a commercial centre, gourmet restaurants, a boutique, a health spa, a marine shop, tennis courts, children’s play area, and a 10,000 square-foot casino.
No buildings have as yet been constructed.
Mr. Grimes continued: “I state categorically, and my client states categorically that no department having jurisdiction over the project has ordered, requested my client to discontinue the project.
“The Government of The Bahamas is anxious for us to proceed,” he said. “We have submitted plans to the Town Planning Committee of Bimini; plans to the Town Planning Committee in Nassau; we have submitted plans to the Subdivision Department of the Ministry of Works and the Building Department. We have had meetings with them, and to the best of my knowledge, those plans have been approved by the town Planning Committee of Bimini, by the Town Planning Committee here in Nassau, and has been approved by most of the Departments in the Ministry of Works (Electrical, Mechanical) and is in the process of being approved by the Structural Department of the Ministry of Works, and we anticipate having the permits that we have applied for very, very shortly.”
Mr. Grimes said that modifications have been made to the proposed development, all of which have been approved by the relevant government agencies, and the developer is proceeding in accordance with these approvals.
The project has been scaled down, he said, with fewer housing units, condominiums, and hotel rooms planned. A density factor of 6.5 units per acre was reduced to approximately 2.8 units per acre, he said.
“As soon as permits for construction are in hand, vertical construction will commence immediately,” Mr Grimes said. “All of the materials are on hand for the construction of many units that we anticipate commencing immediately upon receipt of those permits we have applied for.”
The project was originally planned to start in 1997, but the start-up date was changed to December, 1999, Mr Grimes said, anticipating that by December 2004, the development will be well on its way, within the terms that have been agreed between Mr Capo and the Government of The Bahamas.
Asked to comment on concerns expressed by environmental groups, including Bimini residents, Mr. Grimes said: “We are unaware of any negative impact that the project has caused to the environment. Keep in mind that it is the beauty of Bimini, the excellence of the environment in Bimini that attracted my client to Bimini in the first instance.
“It would be counterproductive to the interest of the people of Bimini, to Bahamians in general, and to our client for my client to do anything to adversely affect the environment,” he said.
As for reported difficulties by yachts entering the Bimini harbour, Mr. Grimes said that harbour silting had been occurring “for tens and tens of years.” An early-1970’s report documented silting problems which made navigation difficult for vessels in transit between North Bimini and South Bimini, he said.
“There is nothing that my client has done, to the best of his knowledge, that in any shape, form, or the other has adversely affected the navigation into the harbour of Bimini,” Mr. Grimes said. “In fact the interest to the Bimini harbour is a significant distance away from where my client’s project is.
“What my client has done is, he has dredged a channel approximately 1.5 miles from his project,” he outlined. “A channel that runs in some shape, form or the other parallel to an old channel that was there. The channel is approximately 120 feet wide and is 15 feet deep. That is the extent of the dredging of my client insofar as the harbour of Bimini is concerned, and that dredging is a significant distance away from the entrance of the Bimini Harbour where the silting problem arises.”
Mr Capo will continue to work diligently with the BEST Commission to ensure that the interest of the Bahamian people is protected, Mr Grimes said.
By Keva Lightbourne, The Nassau Guardian
