NASSAU, Bahamas — Bahamas Striping, the Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture Self Starter grant winner, was chosen by the Ministry of Public Works & Transport to stripe the revamped Fort Montagu Park off Eastern Road during the busy Easter Weekend.
As hundreds of residents and visitors enjoyed the redeveloped beach and environs, Bahamas Striping’s nine-strong crew set down parking bays and traffic flow markings designed by Ministry of Public Work engineer Fred Horton.
To aid pedestrian and traffic safety, traffic now flows one way to the northwest. The traffic enters the park from two entrances in the southeast and exits at a single exit in the northwest near the Nassau Yacht Club. Signs and directional arrows prevent drivers heading the wrong way. The single one-way lane is designed to prevent drivers who once illegally used the park as a short cut to skip Eastern Road traffic.
Instead of relaxing during the holiday weekend, the Bahamas Striping crew showed up early and left late to complete this rush job on time. More than 50 times, park patrons approached the crew to pay them compliments both about the park and the fact they were working on Easter Weekend. A few noted that the striping crew was so young, praising them that young Bahamian men were doing this skilled man’s job all by themselves. Several sought out the president Atario Mitchell in person, wanting to offer their congratulations for training his fellow youth, not being afraid to “take on the big boys,” and being determined to succeed despite major obstacles.
Many passers-by praised the new traffic flow design, the new beach and the landscaping. “I never saw Montagu looking so good,” said one elderly park frequenter that had been bathing and strolling along the beach every week since he was small boy in the 1940’s. The new layout is a balance between fitting in as many parking bays as is safe and comfortable, reducing accidents while opening up scenic views for the park patrons. Parking is no longer allowed along the beach promenade. Visitors, both those inside their cars and those enjoying the fresh air, can all enjoy the sea front without cars constantly blocking their views.
Two weeks ago the Ministry approached Bahamas Striping, the project looked like a time-squeeze. The last asphalt pavement could only be laid down on Thursday. All the lines, arrows, “No Parking” signs and car park bays had to be laid out, approved and striped by Easter Sunday. Bahamas Striping has to work through The Easter Weekend, the park’s busiest three-day period. Unlike normal job sites, traffic could not be held up except for a few minutes at a time. The Ministry ordered Bahamas Striping to keep the vehicular traffic flowing through the park. When the crew arrived early on Good Friday 6am morning, the roads and parking spaces were already being used all over the park. The job called for three different colours to be laid down in two different marking technologies: permanent markings in thermoplastic and temporary markings in paint. Despite these unusual conditions and having to work around the motoring and pedestrian traffic, the company finished the important first safety markings at 3:40 pm on Easter Sunday, four hours ahead of deadline.
Bahamas Striping President, Atario Mitchell, says his team performed well. “This was a rush job and everyone had that sense urgency required. It was also a very high profile job, one that people would notice and would stick in the public’s mind. So everything had to be done the right way, as the Ministry designed it. Our new pre-melter trailer performed without a hitch and made working with the thermoplastic a lot easier. The crew were happy to give up their holiday for this job. We’re all proud to be part of this magnificent park redevelopment. We’ll be proud for years to come”.
“This is the first significant job that we’ve won from the government, so we’d like to thank Minister Neko Grant for giving us the opportunity. We also thank Chief Civil Engineer David Bullock and his engineers who met with us to assign us the job. In particular, we’re most grateful to the supervising civil engineer Fred Horton. He was on site constantly, giving us directions from the rough plans and making refinements. We couldn’t have done it so quickly without him there,” said Mitchell.
“Montagu was unusual in that we had to cope with so much traffic. There were food vendors, swimmers, runners and strollers. Trucks were coming to clean up and deliver supplies for the food and drink tents. Normally our job sites are roped off, traffic is diverted or coned-off and we can just work a clean site. This was a challenge but one that was enjoyable to work with. We had to minimise interfering with the public who came to relax at the new park. For many, it was the first time they had seen the new way it has been organized. We wanted them to have a good time.
Mixing with them was nice and almost everyone was impressed with the way things are set out. The folks were very encouraging seeing my young workers working so hard on their Easter holidays,” added Mitchell.
Bahamas Striping reports that its new UK-certified striper and trainer has arrived in Nassau and has already started training the striping crew.
According to Mitchell, the Ministry of Public Works & Transport has many new jobs in coming down the pipeline that he hopes that his all-Bahamian team will be working on. The new UK-certified striper, who has great experience and qualifications in striping public roads in the UK — the standard used in the Bahamas — is another feather in Bahamas
Striping’s cap enabling it to work on public roads and airports.
At the Fort Montagu site, Bahamas Striping employed its new Tomahawk thermoplastic pre-melter trailer, a piece of equipment that the company says is the best all-round striping gear in the country. Coupled with a well-trained crew and its new UK certified striper, Bahamas Striping says they have hit the big time. Mitchell says the new project at Fort Montagu proves Bahamas Striping’s capabilities and shows what Bahamians can do.
Caption: Bahamas Striping President, Atario Mitchell, operates the ASE Thermo Mark II hand liner at Fort Montagu Park. It was the first significant job given by the government to the Self Starter company over two and half years. Many onlookers came to shake hands with Atario to congratulate him for being so determined to succeed. Park patrons and well-wishers were amazed that almost his entire crew is under 25. People loved the new design created by the Ministry of Public Works & Transport engineers, particularly by civil engineer Fred Horton. The traffic safety lines and parking bays were installed during Easter Weekend, one of the busiest times of the year. Amid throngs of beaching, exercising and strolling public, Bahamas Striping laid down the safety markings and parking bays four hours ahead of schedule, a day before the Easter Monday holiday.
