By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

REPAIRS of the airstrip at Staniel Cay, Exuma, will take roughly 12 weeks to complete and not a year as previously suggested by a Ministry of Works official, Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said yesterday.

Mr Davis, the Minister of Works and Urban Development, told The Tribune yesterday that contractors are “on the ground now” in Staniel Cay working to “restore and rebuild” the airstrip. He said the repairs should be completed “within the next 12 weeks”.

He was asked for comment after Livingston Forbes, chief architect in the Ministry of Works, told The Tribune last week that repairs at the airport would take a year and be finished by September 2016.

Mr Forbes also said ministry officials had been given authority to offer the project out to tender, which he said would happen within a week. However, he could not say when repairs would begin, saying that information was not part of his portfolio.

When questioned on the matter outside Cabinet yesterday, Mr Davis said: “The Staniel Cay airport, the contractors are on the ground now, working to restore and rebuild the airport, and it will be completed within the next 12 weeks.”

Solomon Robinson, a local pilot, said that a team from Bahamas Hot Mix flew to Staniel Cay on Monday and spent the day surveying the airport before heading back to New Providence with fill samples. However, Mr Robinson said that as of yesterday there was no work being done on the airport as Mr Davis had suggested.

“They (Bahamas Hot Mix) spent a day here doing a survey and surveying the airport I guess to shoot some points for elevations and then they went back to Nassau with some samples on fill, curry,” Mr Robinson said. “So that was all that was done. There’s nobody here right now, but that’s where we’re at. They did come in yesterday, Monday, spent a day here. Now what they’re doing in Nassau we don’t know yet. We in the community are all waiting to see if this is not just something to delay us.”

Mr Robinson also said that while residents are “perfectly okay” with the new 12-week deadline, they would like confirmation as to whether or not Bahamas Hot Mix has been issued the contract to repair the airport, and when work would actually commence on the airstrip.

Attempts by The Tribune to reach company representatives for comment were unsuccessful up to press time.

“Nobody said to us on national news or the minister of works, no one said that the Staniel Cay airport, work will commence on such and such a date,” Mr Robinson said. “We need to find that out. We were actually giving them a few days to see if any sense is going to come out of this or if they’re going to make an announcement.”

He added: “I think we are okay with the 12 weeks, but 12 weeks from when? Twelve weeks from yesterday? That’s what we need to know. Twelve weeks could be after they get organised which could be six months from now. I’m just saying 12 weeks isn’t enough for us to just relax on.”

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.

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