The government appointed Clifton Cay Acquisition Committee is not the only one making recommendations on how the government should go about financing the purchase of the treasured parcel of land.
While key figures from special interest groups are of the view that the government should not exclusively bear the financial burden, persons in other quarters who have keeping a close eye on Clifton Cay developments have been huddled in strategic meetings.
Bahamian taxpayers should help to pay for the Clifton Cay property given the historic value and significance of the 208 acres of land at the western end of New Providence, according to Sam Duncombe of the environmental group ReEarth.
“The last figure that I heard for the price of the property is $20 million,” Ms. Duncombe said.
“I realise that’s a lot of money, but there is a lot of money in this country,” she said. “I think that when we think about preserving that piece of history and archaeology for our children’s children, and the way that they will be able to benefit from that, I think is by involving the Bahamian people in purchasing the property and that is something that we should definitely be doing.”
The Clifton Cay Acquisition Committee submitted its report to the Prime Minister earlier this week, suggesting the fair market value for the property. The committee also submitted recommendations on how the government should go about securing funding for the purchase of the property.
The Committee, however, stopped short of disclosing details of the key report.
Other parties interested in the Clifton Cay property, however, are calling for a speedy acquisition process.
President of the Coalition To Save Clifton Cay Senate Vice President Reverend C.B. Moss said he is pleased that the process of acquiring the property is progressing, but he is hoping that it will come to a speedy conclusion.
“We in the Coalition would like to see this matter brought to a successful conclusion,” Rev. Moss, who has been holding crucial meetings on the issue, said, “and we trust that it will be in the immediate future.”
It has also been suggested that taxpayers should have a role to pay in funding the development of the property into a national park.
Following years of controversy and debate by environmentalists, researchers and property developers about the fate of the Clifton property that still has remnants of the slavery era, Prime Minister Christie on Monday reaffirmed the government’s intention to develop the Clifton property in a way that would take advantage of the property’s history, fully integrating it into the national life and tourism mix of the country.
“This is not simply the acquisition of any parcel of land, but the acquisition of what archaeologists have coined as one of the few places in the region where a country has the opportunity of capturing its history all in one spot,” Mr. Christie said.
On September 3, 1998 a proposal was submitted to the Government of the Bahamas for development of the 600 plus acres of Clifton Cay into a gated community, touching off heated national debate.
The Clifton Cay Company Limited had planned to undertake a $400 million project, building some 600 residences. Included in the proposal were plans for roads, parking areas, a golf course, canals and marina, tennis courts and public and cultural structures. But opponents blasted the proposal claiming that it would have destroyed the prime environmental property.
According to environmental advocates, Clifton Cay is the last stretch of untouched shoreline on island.
By Darrin Culmer, The Bahama Journal
