The marina village is a main feature of the $700 million Rum Cay Resort Marina.
While the value of the marina village contract remains undisclosed, Heavy Marine and Foundation Ltd. ﾖ a Bahamian construction firm ﾖ recently turned in the winning bid to excavate the marina itself, a contract worth around $6 million.
The entire marina village is listed as a $25 million project.
Montana Holdings Ltd., the consortium developing the Rum Cay Resort Marina, recently held the first in a series of monthly town meetings with the 80 or so residents of that island.
Also attending the meeting were government representatives, including Rum Cay MP Philip Davis, Bahamas Environment Science and Technology Commission Chairman Keod Smith, and former Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation Executive Chairman Sidney Stubbs.
Tim Perkins, Montanaﾒs Director of Construction, took residents through the full plan for the resort marina, which will take about nine years to complete and will include a marina, marina village replete with retail outlets and restaurants, condos, a luxury boutique hotel and residential estates.
Dwayne Pratt, president of Heavy Marine, told attendees he expected to begin excavation on the marina within the next two weeks, and asked for locals to apply for employment with his company. The excavation project is expected to employ 40 people.
Along with announcing the bidding for the construction of the marina village, Mr. Perkins emphasized Montanaﾒs commitment to issuing contracts and employment to qualified Bahamians and Bahamian companies whenever possible.
Mr. Davis highlighted infrastructure developments to come as a result of the project, particularly the planned establishment of a reliable and continuous water and sewerage system on the island. Montana and the Bahamas Water and Sewerage Corporation are consulting on this development, Mr. Davis said.
Mr. Smith, meanwhile, explained to residents that a great deal had been required of Montana Holdings ﾖ headed by Englishman John Mittens ﾖ including numerous significant changes to the master plan in order to meet the imposed standards.
While applauding Montana for staying the course where others might have packed up and left rather than face such an arduous task, Mr. Smith charged Rum Cay residents to be their own environmental watchdogs as well.
According to Mr. Smith, Montana had demonstrated a commitment to preserving the environmental integrity of Rum Cay and had also demonstrated its intention to manage the project within the standards and guidelines set by the government.
The purpose of the meeting was threefold, according to Montana: first, to keep residents informed of the companyﾒs plans for the project; second, to provide a forum through which residents could raise questions or concerns, and third, to establish a relationship with the community.
By: Quincy Parker, The Bahama Journal
