On Friday he signed a road works contract valued at $585,000 to construct a road from the main government dock in Hope Town to the Dorris Cove gate – a distance of 3.1 miles.
Speaking to Abaconians, Mr. Roberts noted that the government has a number of other projects “on the front burner” for that island.
“Government is still reviewing plans for improvement and expansion of the Marsh Harbour Airport including the construction of a new terminal building and resurfacing of the present runway,” he said.
“Studies are now being expedited in order that a solution to the severe congestion – both in the skies and on the ground – can be implemented at the earliest opportunity.”
Tourism statistics indicate that Abaco receives more than 485,000 visitors annually, with some 95,000 arrivals by air.
Minister Roberts said the government is currently preparing contract documents for repairs to commence on the two government docks in the Guana Cay Harbour, together with the associated dredging. The work is set to start in April or May, he said.
Meantime, the Bahamas Electricity Corporation was said to be “on the move” in Abaco as the power generation is being upgraded and the transmission and distribution infrastructure reinforced to accommodate developments like the Abaco Club development at Winding Bay, near Cherokee Sound.
A 17-mile transmission line connecting Sandy Point to the Marsh Harbour system is expected to be completed by the end of this summer.
With regards to telecommunications services, the Works and Utilities Minister pointed out that engineers at the Bahamas Telecommunications Corporation have already designed the GSM cellular overlay for Abaco.
That networks will allow Abaconians access to new features like surfing the Internet via the phone and taking and sending pictures from one phone to the next. It will also enable BTC customers to use their phone “seamlessly” when traveling abroad, according to the Minister.
The installation of the new GSM system will commence in May.
“Since my government came into being there has been a marked improvement in the quality of service and efficiency provided by BTC,” Minister Roberts said.
“BTC has been able to reduce its average repair time for telephone faults from months to days and is in the process of introducing a plan where if your telephone service is disrupted and is out of service for more than 48 hours, subscribers rental for the month will be credited, except in the cases of acts of God and natural disasters.”
Turning his attention to the island’s sanitation problem, Minister Roberts said the government was well aware of the dock congestion problem. The dock is used for garbage transfer as well as for freight and passenger shipments.
“The existing landfill site needs to be closed since it is on private land. Also the burning, which takes place at the present site is a health hazard for the local residents,” Minister Roberts said. “My government is currently considering various options to facilitate the improved collection and transfer of garbage off the island.”
“One of these options is to do repairs and upgrades to the Sunshine Park site. This would entail repairs to the existing timber seawall and creating a concrete apron for freight off loading and garbage transfer along the repaired seawall.”
The cost of this option carries a price tag of $150,000.
However, another option would be to create a new facility just south of the Sunshine Park area. This would entail reclaiming a big section of the land from the harbour adjacent to the main road, using sheet piles. The advantage being that Sunshine Park would be available and reserved for parking only, according to Minister Roberts.
This would cost the government $500,000, he said.
Tosheena Blair, The Bahama Journal
