Astronomical bids for the first phase of construction to transform the historic Clifton property into a national park are said to be among the main reasons guided tours will not begin on the parcel of land as soon as officials had hoped.
Clifton Authority Chairman [and PLP crony] Sean McWeeney had initially announced that the site would be fully accessible to the public for guided tours by this fall.
But that has been pushed back by several weeks.
In an interview with The Bahama Journal on Monday, Mr. McWeeney explained that the Authority was "hugely disappointed" over the kinds of bids it received for the construction of several key features on the project.
"They were astronomical. The prices that were being quoted were absolutely stratospheric," Mr. McWeeney said.
"I think this probably was an indication of how busy the construction industry is right now. They were just off the charts. Frankly the bids were totally unacceptable and so we are actually just now completing a second round of bids, which are a lot more realistic, within our budgetary capacity."
Phase one of the project calls for the construction of two parking lots at either end of the property, a tram system, a boardwalk as well as restrooms.
"This was a very low density first phase. Itﾒs one of the reasons why we were so astonished by the quotes we received," Mr. McWeeney explained.
"But in addition to the construction, there is also going to be very extensive cleaning of the property, which is just about completed. There are some sensitive areas that we have to be careful about because we really do not wish to disturb any of the artifacts."
But that is not the only issue that has led to the delay, Mr. McWeeney indicated.
According to the Clifton Heritage Authority chairman, a fresh archaeological survey was recently completed on several sensitive portions of the property, in particular, the area known to be the site of the Lucayan settlement.
"As a result of this – added to some other archaeological findings – it was decided that we needed to slow down the planned physical works until we were absolutely certain that the limited development would not disturb the propertyﾒs subsurface," he said.
"We have also changed the specs somewhat because the first phase also called for some coastal rehabilitation. Coastal engineering is always a big-ticket item."
Also taking up additional time was a recent exhaustive study of the soil, he said.
According to Mr. McWeeney, the good news is that there really is not any kind of contamination that the Authority presumed might have been there.
Then there was the contribution of EDAW, a U.S. based architectural, landscaping, and design firm hired by the government to help improve the luster of Bay Street and make downtown Nassau one of the worldﾒs most attractive harbour cities.
"The prime minister asked if we would defer the implementation of phase one for a short time to allow EDAW to make its own input, particularly because it had done a lot of work at Clifton, especially at the time of the public furor," Mr. McWeeney said.
"The prime minister wanted to ensure that they gave the benefit of their studies to the AuthorityﾅAnd so the fall opening has been delayed slightly, but we donﾒt anticipate it to be a significant delay. Weﾒre still hoping to open later this year."
The Clifton Authority, a corporate body, is responsible for owning, managing and preserving Clifton, which encompass several hundred acres of land. The Authority is also responsible for the raising and management of funds.
It was after much controversy that the Christie government decided to move ahead with the concept of developing a national park on the site.
Back in 1999, international archaeologists discovered that the property held clues to prehistoric civilization and "every historic era in The Bahamas up to post emancipation."
The archaeological team unearthed artifacts eight centuries old, left behind by some of the countryﾒs earliest settlers at the old Whylly plantation at Clifton. Since then, the archaeological finds have reportedly remained untouched.
The plan is for the Clifton Heritage Park to operate for-profit businesses, including restaurants, a nature conservancy, recreational facilities, as well as sell licensed products and reproductions.
The Authority has reportedly installed 24-hour security on site, erected perimeter fencing and cleaned up the beach and adjacent areas.
By: Macushla N. Pinder, The Bahama Journal
