Deputy Director General within the Tourism Ministry, Vernice Walkine, said on Tuesday that the Ministry’s idea was to “showcase The Bahamas and all the activities in the capital and Paradise Island, so we can get cruise passengers to spend more money…. and give them a reason to come back.”
Imax representatives are proposing to feature daily showings of the “wonders of The Bahamas,” including Junkanoo, marine life and the straw market in 30-minute three dimensional (3D) films.
The creator and producer of high-grossing films, such as The Matrix: Reloaded, Imax, approached the Ministry with the idea of selecting a site near Nassau’s harbour to construct a waterfront “signature” facility.
The Guardian read portions of the proposal, which stated: “The theatre will be given a visually memorable ‘signature’ design that makes it a visual ‘icon’ of the harbour and of the modern Bahamas. It will join many other ‘signature’ Imax theatres,” in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, France and New York.
Ms Walkine wished to assure that while the Ministry is exploring the idea, it would not be targeted until a proper site is pinpointed and an official proposal is presented to the Port Authority, outlining security measures to be taken.
Ms Walkine and the investors met with the United States Embassy earlier this month to field any questions or concerns they might have.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Embassy political spokesman Brian Bachman said while the agency “neither approves nor disapproves” the idea, there are some security and safety concerns in the wharf area, “based on the fact that a large number of Americans transit that cruise ship docking area.”
The Port shares the same concerns expressed by the Embassy when the former government began renovating the building into a straw market when it burned down in 2001.
But, Ms Walkine pointed out that a comparison between the straw market and the Imax idea “is like night and day.” She explained that the major concern was the flow of people in and out of the proposed straw market. However, she said security would be well managed through one entrance and exit to the entire building.
“An Imax theatre is a small facility that will house between 350 people and 450 maximum who will be controlled. It’s a purpose-built facility, therefore it is easy to build it with all of the security requirements built in,” she said.
Satisfied that all of their concerns would be addressed, the Embassy said it would not object to the idea, once it passed the standards of the Port Authority, according to Ms Walkine.
She stressed that whether the project will be approved or not, it would be Cabinet and then Parliament’s decision to give it the go ahead, and the Ministry’s.
When The Guardian first published the discussions between Ms Walkine and the Imax representatives, an irate Leslie Miller, Minister of Trade and Industry, complained that he was not invited to any of the meetings.
The minister said he intended to transform the Customs building into office space for his ministry, and said he was concerned that the theatre would take away business from straw vendors and other vendors in the wharf area.
In response, Ms Walkine said the Port Authority operates the wharf area and not Mr. Miller. Therefore, his presence was not needed at the meetings. In any case, according to Ms Walkine, she was just following her minister’s orders.
By Khashan Poitier, The Nassau Guardian
