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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
 The Potter’s Cay Dock Redevelopment Scandal is yet again proof positive that this administration has no interest in doing, at least, a fairly decent job on behalf of Bahamian taxpayers.
Yet again, as reported in one of the local dailies, the project is being revised. This revision is as a result of The Minister for Works, Philip Davis, saying that the original plans were too elaborate and needed to be redesigned. This was after the plan was already revised upwards by The Minister for Agriculture, Alfred Gray, whose price tag rose from $2 million well upwards to $9 million; and then with additional pricing added on by The Minister of Transport, whose input into this project cost it to go to $12 million overall.
The current administration is clearly not focused on the Potter’s Cay vendors, who to this day are wondering when it would be possible for them to be able to go back to their stalls and provide for their families; and wondering if whether or not they will be compensated for the work and time lost as a result of the renovations to the Dock?
Without question the revision puts a halt on ongoing works, at least we hope. We say “we hope” because we would not want a prolonged mess at the Dock site while this administration tries to sort out their work-flow and instead having people trying to do critical works on the fly without properly assessing the damage they are incurring now and what may change in the near future. But with this administration one is never sure.
All of this just spells trouble for the vendors and all Bahamians must speak out on their behalf and on behalf of the other travellers, patrons and businesses that use the Dock, from the Mail-boat operators and those that purchase fresh produce for their businesses, they are important to the ambiance that is Potter’s Cay Dock as well.
The DNA has gone on record in slamming the wasteful, ill-thought out and inconsistent plans for current Potter’s Cay redevelopment exercise. We have cried foul over the sky-rocketing costs that ballooned from $2 million to $9 million on the Dock side supposedly being administered by The Ministry of Agriculture, without taking into consideration the $3 million for the roadways and ramps needed to facilitate the Dock’s approaches and entry. Now, as The Minister for Works suggests, the plans have to be scaled back. We in the DNA want to know: Scaled back to what?
All of this gives us in The DNA the impression that the plan was ill-thought out, slap-dashed together and just an all-out recklessly formulated construction project that was meant to be a smash and grab on the public purse.
What gave us in The DNA a red-flag that this project was ill-conceived improperly planned was that on The Ministry of Transport’s $3 million spend-side, monies were supposed to go towards not just roadways but a cargo-facility. We knew there is no way, shape or form one would be able to get that kind of work on that scale for under $3 million- particularly when you juxtapose it to The Ministry of Agriculture’s spend, of which $9 million dollars was supposed to go just on stalls alone, you have an idea that something was certainly amiss.
Now, these ill-thought out and reckless plans are causing more delays in the construction, costing us relatively more money with regard to project re-design and works being re-routed, to now try to fit into a scheme that is supposed to be one way but now has to fit in to be something else.
This confusion by this administration on this particular projects should give no Bahamian any confidence that they can do the larger works necessary for country development. We must find new leadership, and the DNA is that new leadership.
What’s worse with this now was that we do not recall these works going out to bid, the scopes of work passed out from the Ministry of Transport side neither the works passed out from The Ministry of Agriculture side. The DNA wants to know now: Where was, in fact, The Minister of Works when these Scopes of Works and Terms were being planned and drafted?
The DNA has also cried foul on not only the lack of transparency by the government to the Bahamian people on the true nature of this Potter’s Cay Dock redesign and redevelopment. But now it seems as if we have to call for transparency between government minister to minister and government department to department.
Clearly The Minister of Works could not have had any idea of the nature of the work being undertaken at the Dock, or else he would have seen before the efforts had started that it was poorly thought out; the costs were unbelievable for the works that was being touted to be done; and that The Ministry of Transport and The Ministry of Agriculture were doing work that you as the Minister of Works should have been doing and at the lead of!
The DNA realizes also that not only was the current efforts at Potter’s Cay Dock confused and scattered, but that the fortification works at the Dock was being neglected in this entire affair and that level of planning, design and work goes well beyond this small scale effort this administration just can’t seem to be able to manage.
Not only does there need to be structural Dock fortification in terms of concrete and steel beams under the Dock itself, but there needs to be a new slip in place to facilitate more boaters, along with fuelling facilities for both Mail-boat and other private boaters, increased parking and facilities for the government agencies housed there and envisioned in the future, in addition to fortification to the Old Paradise Island Bridge that needs it desperately to support the needs of our partner in this, The Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island.
We must build strong now and for the future. We must not only have good facilities now, but we must not waste our resources on short term goals when the larger term initiatives are left out of the current planning. We can do better than this!
Youri Kemp
DNA Candidate, Garden Hills
DNA Spokesperson for the Economy
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