By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

REPAIRS of the airstrip at Staniel Cay, Exuma, will take a year to complete, an official at the Ministry of Works said yesterday.

Livingston Forbes, chief architect at the Ministry of Works, told The Tribune that officials expect the Staniel Cay airstrip to be fully repaired by September, 2016. However, he said, that depends on “if everything goes to schedule”.

Mr Forbes said ministry officials have been given authority to offer the project out to tender, which should happen within the next week.

He could not say when renovations on the airport would begin, saying that information was not part of his portfolio.

The airport at Staniel Cay has been closed since April 9, when the government announced that the runway needed to be shut down for repairs.

Aviation officials said in a statement at the time that repairs to the runway would be managed by the Ministry of Works, with both groups anticipating that repairs would be completed “within the shortest possible time”.

However, residents have expressed their frustration with the situation, claiming that the closure has severely affected their economy and access to emergency care.

When questioned if he could provide an update on the government’s progress in handling the matter, Mr Forbes said: “We’ve been given authority now to tender the project. So we expect it go to tender in another week with Staniel Cay and hopefully that will be about a year’s project, a year’s construction. They should be able to occupy that facility by September next year. If everything goes as scheduled.”

Last week, a group of concerned citizens from the Staniel Cay area continued their appeal for the government to reopen the airstrip, claiming that there has been no government response to cries from the community over the abrupt devastating affect on their livelihood.

Residents also said that the route to the alternate airstrip in Black Point, a reported five-minute ferry ride from Staniel Cay, is increasingly dangerous in the winter months. Residents also said sailing in choppy seas and/or by dark of night can prove to be difficult and dangerous.

“In dangerous NW/NE winds, this is simply treacherous and often impassable,” said a statement by the concerned residents. “If it is this bad for locals in the course of regular business, imagine how horrendous it will be for visitors, or anyone facing a medical/emergency situation.”

An online petition, created at ipetitions.com on August 13, had 4,870 signatures as of last week. According to the group, a local petition was also signed by nearly 200 persons from Staniel Cay, private cays in the surrounding area and also the park warden at the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park Headquarters.

Transport and Aviation Minister Glenys Hanna Martin, meanwhile, has said the matter is being “actively addressed” under the remit of the Ministry of Works. She previously acknowledged the potential implications to the well being of residents, both economically and health-wise, but maintained that the closure was unavoidable due to safety concerns.