Displaced since Sept. 4, 2001, employees of The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism (MOT) are feverishly clearing their cubicles and breathing a sigh of relief, as they are finally being relocated to permanent headquarters on May 2.
Director of Human Resources, Renee Mayers confirmed that the move will begin on the third floor of the four-story building, and will only initially include staff stationed in offices at the British Colonial Hilton and the Micronet Office on Madeira Street. These include senior staff, such as the Minister, Permanent Secretary and the Director General; and employees in accounting, human resources, public relations, groups and foreign language departments.
Ms Mayers could not say exactly when other departments will be relocated to Bolam House, noting that renovations are still being carried out. She also indicated that MOT is working closely with the Ministry of Works to ensure that the entire building is renovated and eventually outfitted.
“It is now a capital investment project by the government and it is not necessarily managed by tourism, but more by the Ministry of Works, so as they complete sections of the building, then we are allowed to occupy each section,” she said, adding that she did not want to comment on why the renovation project was prolonged.
In an interview with The Guardian in October 2003, Ms Mayers projected the renovations to take some 8-10 weeks. Several possible relocation dates were also announced but the final move never came to fruition. Many anonymous employees told The Guardian that they are fed-up working in cramped conditions.
Fire gutted the former Ministry of Tourism building on Sept. 4 2001 along with the world famous straw market. Since that time, employees were relocated to 13 different locations, including the Hilton Hotel and the Micronet building in Palmdale. Some employees were also given personal laptops and were allowed to work from home. When the new premises is completed it is expected to accommodate some 175 displaced workers.
Tourism Minister, Obie Wilchcombe, told The Guardian in an earlier interview that $4.2 million was spent to purchase Bolam House on King and George Streets, to accommodate the next tourism headquarters, but the building which once housed Lloyd’s Bank and Trust Limited, had to undergo extensive renovations.
Bolam House has a basement with an additional four floors. The building would also house a conference and meeting room and would be outfitted with state-of-the-art, systems, furniture, telephone and cable systems to access the Internet.
By TAMARA McKENZIE, Guardian Staff Reporter
