As all parties concerned continued to await a court ruling on a challenge to the multimillion-dollar Baker’s Bay development at Guana Cay, more than 100 people who worked at the site along with some Abaco businesspeople demonstrated on Monday, displaying their displeasure that work on the controversial development remained halted.
During a rally organized by friends and employees of Bakerﾒs Bay, approximately 150 demonstrators carrying placards said the stopped work is negatively impacting the Abaco economy.
A court order forbids Discovery Land Development Company from carrying out any work on the project until a Supreme Court judge rules on a legal challenge to the development on the Abaco cay.
Justice Norris Carroll heard the substantive case back in February and his ruling is highly anticipated by many.
The developers plan to build a $500 million mega resort with a golf course and a marina, but a group called the Save Guana Cay Reef Association has mounted a legal challenge to the development, claiming that the government had no authority to sign the heads of agreement and saying the project would cause “substantial irreparable damage to [residentsﾒ] rights and the environment.”
The Association has accused the government of “entering into secret agreements granting omnibus approvals to developments without regard to the many laws which ought to govern the process.”
But the developers maintain that many of the Associationﾒs concerns have already been addressed, noting that plans have been scaled down to create a 240-slip marina; the developers now intend to create a 180-slip marina.
They also say they plan to expand the public beach park and add a drainage system to the golf course that would prevent runoff from contaminating the water and harming the nearby reef.
Dr. Livingston Marshall, senior vice president of environmental and community affairs for Discovery Land Company, who was observing the demonstrators, said the company has bent over backwards to adequately address the concerns and is now waiting patiently on the courtﾒs decision.
“I believe that the concerns raised by the Save Guana Cay [Reef] Association were worth us hearing and we have said publicly that we have addressed those concerns and if they want to continue dialogue and discussions with us we are open to do that, but the primary concerns they have, have been addressed,” Dr. Marshall said.
Dr. Marshall said if or when the company receives the green light to proceed, the project would resume immediately and the company would be in a position to hire more Bahamians.
Since the project has been at a standstill, the company has had to lay some employees off.
Contractors who were hired to begin the construction phase of the project have also been disengaged until work resumes.
According to Dr. Marshall, between 75 and 85 people are still employed at the site.
“The developers would have liked to continue the project uninterrupted, but they are seasoned investors and they fully recognize that periodically there will be these types of events that will slow the project down,” Dr. Marshall said.
“They are in this for the long haul. They are looking forward to the project resuming and their enthusiasm remains high and they still have a lot of strong fate in The Bahamas and the system we have in this country.”
During the peaceful demonstration on Don Mackey Blvd., the demonstrators outlined what they said are the projectﾒs benefits and said it would be bad for the local economy if the project were not allowed to resume.
Rinssor Octavien was employed with American Bridge, one of the projectﾒs contractors, but he said he was laid off in February because construction was halted.
He said if work does not resume soon he would be out of a car and home because he has not been able to find another job to make payments on his home and car.
“We need a yes or no decision on this project. I have a child, mortgage to pay, car payments and other bills to pay and itﾒs been really rough since Iﾒve been laid off,” Mr. Octavien said.
He urged the members of the Save Guana Cay Reef Association to discontinue their objection to the project so the former employees could find work.
Environmental officer at Bakers Bay, Aretha Huyler, claimed that only a small number of persons on Guana Cay are against the project and are causing residents on the islands to hurt because of their actions.
“We need this project to resume if not for myself for my children. I have two kids that are about to come out of school and I know Bakerﾒs Bay will do good in The Bahamas and we need a project like this for the growth of our economy,” Ms. Huyler said.
Gary Sawyer, a local businessman on Abaco, also attended the demonstration.
“Bakerﾒs Bay in my view is one of the best companies that has come to The Bahamas to do business. They are more environmentally conscious than any of the companies that I know of,” Mr. Sawyer said.
He said the residents are no longer willing to sit back and allow Save Guana Cay members to ruin what the developers of Bakerﾒs Bay are trying to achieve.
“It is unfortunate that the government has to take a backseat because itﾒs in the courtﾒs hands, but I think itﾒs at the point if the court doesnﾒt rule then the Privy Council should step in and assist the project because all of these people here are being deprived of work,” Mr. Sawyer said.
Dr. Marshall said the developers have already invested close to $50 million in the project and have no intentions of backing out now.
He said, “What is happening right now is we are basically waiting on decisions from the courts in terms of challenges which have been brought against the project and in the meantime we have been looking at ways in which we can retain our staff and refine our development plan.”
By: Bianca Symonette, The Bahama Journal
