Member of Parliament for High Rock Kenneth Russell believes the economy of East End could use a major boost with a substantial development that would put it on par with the economies of Freeport, and even West End, which has the $4.7 billion Ginn development in the works.
The settlements of East End are perhaps best known for their quaint island charm with larger settlements such as McClean’s Town, known for being the conch cracking capital of Grand Bahama.
However, some residents in East End are longing for certain necessities like access to potable water, better docking facilities at McCleanﾒs Town, and even cable television from High Rock to Sweetingﾒs Cay.
Mr. Russell hopes East End will have sustainable development that would pump money into the economy.
“My true dream is that one day we truly have three economies working simultaneously: West Grand Bahama, East Grand Bahama, and the Freeport economy,” Mr. Russell told the Bahama Journal.
“We were looking at several other projects for East Grand Bahama before the government changed. The government looked at these projects and one of them was supposed to be a large farm built in August Cay, next door, where they were supposed to do goat farming,” he said.
Mr. Russell said the former government had explored several options, including the Gold Rock Movie Studio, lobster, conch, and goat farms, and production of turpentine and a tannery factory. With the exception of the movie studio, the other developments have not materialized.
“Between having that and the farms out here, you would have ended up with the need for about 1,600 employees; maybe even more than thatﾅthose who didnﾒt want to work too far could have worked across the road, and those who wanted to work to the missile base could have worked to the missile base,” Mr. Russell said.
“That would have left all the settlements still to be Bahamian settlements as opposed to encroaching on a settlement [with] a mega development right next door to a settlement, which in the long run would take away from a Bahamian settlement,” he said.
Speaking about potential foreign investors, Mr. Russell said he hopes more would venture outside of the port area.
“I am hoping that some of these persons who come to Grand Bahama who are interested in development are continually shown areas outside of Freeport because if Grand Bahama develops together, then all of us from Sweetingﾒs Cay to West End would be sitting pretty for many years to come. When the Freeport economy is down, East [Endﾒs] economy could be up and West [Endﾒs] economy could be up,” he said.
While appearing on the Love 97 programme, “Jones and Company” on Sunday, former Port Authority co-chairman and CEO Julian Francis said many investors are discouraged from investing in Freeport because they essentially have to negotiate with two governments ﾖ the Government of The Bahamas and the Port Authority ﾖ for various approvals, which could be frustrating.
Mr. Russell indicated that approximately 3,000 to 4,000 people live in East End, but he said some have voiced their concerns that employment remains a problem, as well as the basic necessities like potable water.
Currently, residents of Sweetingﾒs Cay and East End are supplied with city water by the Grand Bahama Utility Company. The utility company also gave Sweetingﾒs Cay a tank, which pumps fresh drinking water.
However, since the passage of hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, that pump has been rendered ineffective.
One resident, Ricardo Ingraham, who has lived in East End with his wife, Linda, for 16 years, said it is about time some improvements be made.
“Some of my concerns are [unemployment], and the dock area is a concern of ours,” Mr. Ingraham said.
“We would like to see a resting place installed here because the people need an area, and we also have a lot of tourists come here. We need better [public] restrooms.”
His wife said East End needs to move with the times in the same way West End has.
“I would like to see McCleanﾒs Town be a port of entry because we have so many people travel this way daily to Abaco and elsewhere and I would like to see us have a police station, and cable so we can move East Grand Bahama with West Grand Bahama,” she said.
Another resident, David Pinder, who has lived in McCleanﾒs Town for 74 years, wants to see the roads fixed and a public hall built.
Mr. Russell also wants to see a better system put in place for students coming in from Sweetingﾒs Cay to the mainland in McCleanﾒs Town, who have to travel the long distance of some 50 miles to attend high school in Freeport.
“Other concerns that we have in connection with Sweetingﾒs Cay is that students [when] there is low tide canﾒt get back and forth as they wish and sometimes when they get to McCleanﾒs Town, the buses have already left. One of things weﾒre trying to do is get the government to consider is another bus dedicated for the Sweetingﾒs Cay kids,” he said.
During a recent visit to East End, Prime Minister Perry Christie said his government is aggressively pursuing plans for new docking facilities, the dredging of the Sweetingﾒs Cay channel, and potable water for a reverse osmosis plant. Already, the government has spent approximately $6 million on road works in East End, according to officials.
By: Courtnee Romer, The Bahama Journal
