Dear Honourable Prime Minister, Members of Cabinet, Government Officials, Media & News Outlets and distinguished readers,
We, the citizens on Staniel Cay, business owners, foreign
homeowners, and Managers/owners of private islands in the Exuma Cays wish to
express our strongest opposition to the decision to shut down the Staniel Cay
runway.
We stand united on this issue for many reasons, which we
will summarize below.
1)
The airport at Staniel Cay is the life blood of
the community and the Central Exuma Cays, and cutting this vital artery in the
middle of the busy season should never have been done. No one denies that this airport is in need of
some repairs. What is at issue is that
simple patching could be completed in a matter of days, at minimum cost and
with minimum effect on the local economy (the residents have made these patches
numerous times in the past and they have been very effective in smoothing out
the ruts and holes for a period of time).
The full resurfacing of the runway, raising the crown, adding lights,
etc. could be scheduled for the offseason (any time from approximately
mid-August until mid-November). This
course of action is logical, whereas the current situation is devastating to
the Staniel Cay economy and all local businesses. Cancelations for hotels and rental homes are
happening every day. Yachts who were
able to meet their private plane at Staniel, have changed their plans and are
not coming to the area. Already, in the
week since the runway was closed, the local economy has lost hundreds of
thousands of dollars and the trickledown effect on local boat rentals, cart
rentals, stores, guides, etc is significant and devastating!
2)
The Staniel Cay airport is also vital to all the
inhabited islands in the Central Exuma Cays, from Staniel Cay north to Wardrick
Wells. These include Fowl Cay (Fowl Cay
Resort), Little Sampson Cay, Big Sampson Cay, Overyonder Cay (a private island
resort), Little Pipe Cay, Hatti Cay, Joe Cay, Compass Cay (Compass Cay Marina),
Bell Island, Little Halls Pond Cay, Soldier Cay (a private island resort) and
Warderick Wells (Exuma Land and Sea Park Headquarters). The
idea that Black Point airport is a close substitute to Staniel Cay and
therefore easy to access is COMPLETELY UNFOUNDED AND FALSE. Black Point is 5 miles south/southeast of
Staniel Cay. The boat ride can be
treacherous in bad weather or bad light.
Furthermore, this adds at significant time and cost to every trip to the
airstrip….whether to pick up guests or vital supplies. Couple
this with no viable water taxi service and ZERO licensed taxis on Black Point
and it is plain to see the HUGE inconvenience and increased cost that the
current situation is presenting.
3)
With the airport at Staniel Cay closed, people’s
safety and well-being is a major concern.
We have elderly and infirm residents on Staniel Cay, as well as infants.
The same on private islands and the
numerous yachts in the area. In a
medical emergency, how can they get the necessary care? At least once every month (maybe even more)
the need arises to fly critically sick or injured people out of Staniel Cay in
an emergency…whether by private plane or air ambulance. These flights have saved lives in recent
years. In these emergencies, people
should not be forced to boat an extra 5 miles (quite possibly at night or in
bad weather) all the way to Black Point. A rough boat ride to Blackpoint and a further pickup
truck ride to the airport is not an acceptable answer in an emergency. The
nurse (Karen Rolle) at Staniel raised exactly this concern in the community
meeting which was held
on Saturday. In these sorts of emergencies, it is common
knowledge that time is of the essence and every minute matters. This is why the airport at Staniel Cay should
only be closed as an absolute necessity and only for the absolute minimum
amount of time needed to effect repairs.
Shutting it down in the way that was done showed absolutely no care for
the residents, private island residents and visitors, and demonstrated a
shocking lack of planning and understanding in this regard. This decision to shut down the airport at
Staniel was therefore RECKLESS as it puts residents and visitors at greater
risk in the event of an emergency. It was said at the meeting that this risk is
mitigated because they would “allow Air ambulances to land at Staniel Cay in
the event of emergency”. But this will
not work because the company that owns the air ambulance would be landing in an
airport that has been officially “closed” and deemed “unsafe”. Thus, their insurance would not cover them if
something should happen and of course they will not be willing to accept this
potential liability. Furthermore, most
emergency flights out of Staniel Cay are made by private planes that are
already on the scene. Several locals and
residents keep planes there. This saves
valuable time in terms of getting the patient to the hospital, and in turn
saves lives. Getting an air ambulance
versus using a plane that is already on the ground in Staniel adds
approximately 1.5 hours….and these are hours that might mean the difference
between life and death.
With some time for planning, many of these
issues, while not eliminated, can be at least mitigated. But in order to make adequate arrangements, a
few months are needed. A quick fix (patching
the worst holes to make the runway safe and useable through the season) with
the major work to be completed in the off-season will allow time for planning
and for mobilization. It will allow for
appropriate water taxi and ground transportation to be organized. It will
allow for the setting of a firm date for the start of the project and a firm
timeline for completion. It will
therefore minimize the total amount of time that the runway is inoperable. This will help mitigate safety and
transportation concerns and also minimize the impact on the local economy by
enabling the Staniel Cay airport to remain open for the remainder of the busy
season.
Minister Hanna recently spoke to the Nassau Guardian saying that the
repairs would take about 2 month and 1 million dollars to fix. Why not
start at around
August 6th and finish around
October 6th in an effort to come during the lowest season in the area. We've had pilots from the AOPAtake
notice, we've heard pilots on their radios saying what a shame it is
that the airport is closed and they opted to go to North Eleuthera
instead. As I'm sure BOIPM can point out Staniel Cay is blessed to have
countless repeat and very loyal guests. Millionaires who could be
anywhere in the world decide to come to our 1x2 miler every year and
book a year in advance just to ensure they have their spot in paradise.
Our phones are ringing off the hook because these same loyal guests are
canceling their trips because what was once a convenient vacation is now
not only less convenient, but more expensive. Why? These guests now
have to pay approximately $20 dollars to get from the airport to the
dock and $50 to get to and from Staniel Cay per person. So our families
of four are charged with an extra $200-$300 to enjoy the place they have
as their second home. Some of the local hotels are footing the bill,
but not everyone can do that and still make a profit.
Wouldn't it
have been nice for the Ministry to hire the locals to do the land and
water transportation and pay for what you find to be a necessary
inconvenience? We think it would be the least you could do considering
it all.
Minister Hanna also said that the airport was deemed
unsafe for flying. Well, we recently had a boating accident leaving two
people with head injuries in the Fowl Cay area. Rather than just having
to come a few miles away to Staniel, they had to go all the way up to
Black Point to be airlifted. It is only a few miles away is it? A few
miles could mean life or death and also depending on the weather a few
miles can take up to an hour for a safe journey.
Honestly
we are asking you to look at what is in the best interest for our
guests and thus the best interest for our local and national economy.
Our locals are more than willing to donate their time and energy to
patch the airport however the engineers see fit in order to keep our
airport open. Closing now, with no sure time of beginning a 2 month long
project is simply merciless amidst the HIGH SEASON in the Cays and in
the Bahamas.
Thank you for your consideration.
StanleyCay.com
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