The suggestion is one of many related to the transformation of Bay Street. Prime Minister Perry Christie has his heart set on making it one of the most attractive harbour cities in this hemisphere and has contracted an urban architectural firm to create the appropriate master plan for the transition.
But officials may have a hard time convincing the company owners to move out of the city centre, especially as some of them are complaining that the International Maritime Organization [IMO] is requiring them to spend substantial sums of money to strengthen their security regimes.
An official of the Betty K. Agencies, one of several shipping companies on Bay Street, told the Bahama Journal recently that her company will more than likely reject the idea of moving. She explained that the property is considered a prime location and expressed doubts that the government would be able to reimburse them for it.
Several other shipping owners expressed similar sentiments.
Kristof Lingier, country manager for Seaboard Bahamas Marine, has no objections to the Bay Street redevelopment plans. But he has several questions about a proposed relocation of freight and shipping enterprises.
ﾓWho will pay for the move and will the shipping companies be responsible for that?ﾔ Mr. Lingier asked. ﾓIt would have to be a move where everyone is involved in.ﾔ
He said he has not yet been officially contacted about any plans to move the shipping companies off Bay Street and suggested an open discussion on the matter.
The Nassau Economic Development Commission has also recommended extending Woods Rodgers Wharf eastward as far as Armstrong Street, creating a boardwalk along its southern boundary and establishing, by way of a 100 foot reclamation, a grass park area on the waterfront with linear parking in strategic locations.
The implementation of the International Ship and Port facility Security code (ISPS), which requires all shipping companies to be in compliance with more stringent international shipping measures by July 1, 2004, also worries Mr. Lingier.
ﾓThis requires quite substantial financial investments to upgrade our physical security of our terminals,ﾔ he said. ﾓWe are actually investing in a terminal not really being sure when we are going to move or whatﾴs actually going to happen. That is a concern that I do have.ﾔ
Co-Chairman of the Commission George Mackey told the Bahama Journal that a meeting is planned with the freight owners this week.
Mr. Mackey said that one of the recommendations is to remove the freight container operation from the Nassau Harbour to a new docking facility on the south side of New Providence.
Members of the government-appointed commission believe that the removal of the shipping facilities from Bay Street would cause less congestion.
Mr. Mackey said there are plans to revitalize the eastern part of Bay Street in particular, which in comparison to the western portion is lackluster. Whatﾴs been said is that cruise ship visitors who disembark at the Port of Nassau are automatically attracted to the latter half of Bay Street.
ﾓAs a result of that, if you were to take a survey from East Street to Armstrong Street on Bay Street you would find about 30 empty store spaces on an area that was once the main business thoroughfare of our country,ﾔ he said.
ﾓIf you were on a boat from Porters Cay Dock and sailed down Nassau Harbour to Princes George Dock what you see would frighten you; the rotten containers, the broken boats, the derelict vehicles and thatﾴs the first impression of our island that thousands of cruise ship passengers see every year.ﾔ
The Prime Minster recently announced that the London-based urban architectural design firm of EDAW had been contracted to etch out a master plan for the transformation.
In its glory days, the British Colonial architecture of Bay Street with its quaint stores, restaurants and nightlife wooed a loyal following of captivated tourists.
But parts of the city centre, suffering from years of neglect and dwindling entertainment, have become an eyesore.
The shipping and freight businesses, some have claimed, made the problem even worse.
ﾓDowntown should be downtown and the whole idea for shipping was some 80, 90 years ago and to date like every other country everything is moving,ﾔ said Bay Street jewellery storeowner Ricardo Godet. ﾓThe whole idea is that a new industry will be able to take place in other parts of the island.ﾔ
He is looking forward to the removal of the shipping companies from Bay Street, claiming that it would allow for the creation of other businesses and attractions.
Donald Kemp, manager of Loreneﾴs clothing store, agreed.
He is also appalled by the noise factor.
ﾓItﾴs a traffic problem [especially] when turning corners they take up [a lot of] space,ﾔ Mr. Kemp said. ﾓItﾴs a back up situation all the timeﾅ.We would definitely look forward to the day when the shipping industry is moved off Bay Street.ﾔ
Yvette Rolle-Major, The Bahama Journal
