The Immigration Department has reversed its decision not to approve work permits for three employees of Underwater Explorers Society Ltd., (UNEXSO), the oldest dive operation in Grand Bahama.
This was confirmed on Friday by the company’s attorney Fred Smith, who said that work permits for a further year have been granted to Jamie Doglione, an assistant trainer; Christina Zenato, a boat captain and scuba instructor; and Amber Renae Heavner, a marine mammal trainer.
On September 12, Smith criticized Immigration officials’ refusal to approve the trio’s work permits. Smith said at the time that Immigration’s decision could have a crippling effect on UNEXSO’s operations and could ultimately threaten to grind the business to a halt.
UNEXSO protested the decision and indicated that it was prepared to launch judicial review proceedings against the Immigration Board to challenge its refusal.
“I personally wish to extend my gratitude to the Immigration Board for their prompt reconsideration of the work permits for these three individuals,” said UNEXSO’s manager Steve Riely.
“Miss Zenato has been with the company for over a decade and she is a trusted employee who contributes in very unique ways to the success of our operation,” he added, noting that it would have been a great challenge to continue to do business without her.
The approval of Doglione and Heavner for the Dolphin Experience is also gratifying, Riely said, noting that the Dolphin Experience will be able to continue its programme and provide entertainment to tourists and continued opportunities for Bahamians to develop skills as dolphin trainers.
“Mr. Bscher is very excited about the future of UNEXSO and the Dolphin Experience in Freeport,” said Riely.
He has already invested over $10 million in Freeport and he has plans to invest an additional $10 million on the Dolphin Experience to create a first-class and unique marine mammal park to be one of the premier tourist attractions in the region..
Prior to the 2004 hurricanes, over 50,000 tourists a year came through UNEXSO’s doors and so far in 2006, over 35,000 guests have enjoyed its scuba diving or dolphin experience.
And, said Riely, of this figure 9,000 came off the cruise ship and the remaining 26,000 were hotel stays, who used local restaurants, taxis and purchased goods.
Attorney Smith thanked the Immigration Board for being “so responsive.”
He said once this matter came to a head, Minister of Immigration Shane Gibson, Deputy Director of Immi-gration Vernon Burrows and other Immigration officials “cooperated fully in reconsidering UNEXSO’s plight.”
In fact, Smith added, it was a pleasure doing business with these “good gentlemen.”
“For the record, I should say that on this occasion, they went out of their way to reconsider the relevant issues,” Smith said. “Minister Gibson, accompanied by the rest of his team, accepted an invitation by me to visit UNEXSO’s dive facility and the Dolphin Experience in Sanctuary Bay.”
Smith explained that Minister Gibson and his team were taken on a tour of the dive facility by Niall Christoffersen and Veronica Currucullo, both Bahamians with many years at UNEXSO.
Currucullo is manager of the Dolphin Experience and has been with UNEXSO for 11 years.
“Minister Gibson and his team were able to see first-hand the scale of the operations, speak to and interact with Bahamians and expatriate employees, observe the operation and obtain first-hand explanations from Currucullo and Christoffer-sen, which obviously assisted them in the reconsideration process,” said Smith.
UNEXSO and the Dolphin Experience, employs 51 Bahamians and 10 expatriates.
“It has a tremendous social and economic impact on Freeport, paying over $1 million per year in salaries and spending over $1 million per year buying food products, bar and restaurant supplies, paying utility, telephone, maintenance and repair bills.”
Smith added that over the last three years, UNEXSO spent over $3 million in completely renovating its physical structure as well as installing completely new docks, dolphin enclosures and interaction areas at the Dolphin Experience.
UNEXSO employs as many as 72 people during the busy season and with the development of the park at the Dolphin Experience as well as additional activities that are scheduled to be added, there may be as many as 100 employees by mid-2007.
Noting that Freeport is on the verge of economic collapse, Smith said, “The kind of dispute which erupted between the Immigration Department and UNEXSO was thoroughly bad for business. It sent a terribly negative message to investors, both Bahamian and foreign, but the fact that we have been able to patch things up in such a sensible way has sent an even stronger message to investors, and that is that the Immigration Department can work in partnership with the private sector successfully.”
Zenato was very grateful for the Immigration Department’s change of heart. “I am really happy that this whole thing has been cleared up,” she said. “Over the last 12 years, I have made Freeport my home. I saved up and bought a small condominium. Over the years I have really spent a lot of time and money developing my skills and travelling abroad to learn about sharks, cave diving and sophisticated scuba diving techniques.”
Zenato noted that there is so much she can contribute to the community and the success of UNEXSO.
“I am really comfortable here in Freeport. I am also very grateful to UNEXSO for agreeing to help to pay for my permanent residence application,” added Zenato.
By BARBARA WALKIN, Senior Freeport News Reporter
