By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Perry Christie led a delegation of government ministers and advisers to Great Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands on Friday, announcing that his administration is closing in on several major initiatives, including a hotel and condominium complex.

Accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe, Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald, Health Minister Dr Perry Gomez, Transport and Aviation Minister Glenys Hanna Martin and Chief Policy Advisor in the Office of the Prime Minister Sir Baltron Bethel, Mr Christie toured several of the island chain’s mainland infrastructural offices, school, airport and port, at every stop re-assuring residents that their plight had not been overlooked or forgotten.

Mr Christie touted the success of recent communications with Pedro Adrian, of the Miami based Adrian Homes Company, concerning an expansive 101-room hotel and condominium project. He announced that discussions had advanced to a point where the government saw it necessary to “bring the concepts to the people.”

Mr Christie said his government has remained steadfast in ensuring that any development attempted in the Bahamas does not hurt its surrounding communities and hampers the quality of life experienced by those in those communities.

“This is an innovation we are now introducing, because what happens after (meetings between the government and potential investors) is that you go to the community and you meet with the community to receive acknowledgement on the part of the community because the government doesn’t want to take an island community, particularly a small island community, beyond its capacity to accept and absorb the development,” Mr Christie said.

“And that is principally one reason we do not want the people of Great Harbour Cay to be looking through the window of development, meaning that they have to be in the room of development. Whatever services are associated with this, the policy of the government will enable you to be able to derive direct benefits from the development.”

Addressing the potential project directly, Mr Christie highlighted that the island could see an employment boost. Projections offered by project and government officials estimate that roughly 50 construction jobs could be spurred by the project, in addition to the 100 plus permanent employees needed to run the six-acre property once completed.

Further to that, Mr Christie explained that those 100 permanent jobs will, in time, lead to an extra 300 jobs throughout the island. He added that the entire exercise was to bring about a new model in development, taking into consideration the last 20 to 25 years of life on Great Harbour Cay.

The economy of the Berry Island chain now operates solely from business brought by private cruise operations at Little Stirrup Cay and Chub Cay. Issues with those operations have been at the centre of several complaints lodged by residents in the Berry Islands.

Mr Christie contended that his government has crafted a new policy scheme that will govern the way it deals with private cruise operators and the way those companies interact with the islands and the people of the Bahamas.

Addressing the developer, Mr Adrian, Mr Christie said he has confidence in his ability to start, complete and run the facility. He did, however, in a tongue-in-cheek barb, implore the potential developer to firmly buy into the concept of “full island development” and not just an isolated property development.

The prime minister said the shift in the country’s demand from isolated development to whole island development came as a conclusion that in order for any property to succeed, the surrounding communities have to boast an on par infrastructure, similar to operations in Bimini where investors of the Resort’s World Bimini project collaborated with the government on several public-private partnership bids to remodel roads, parks, health centres, airport facilities, seaport facilities and even portion of the local school.

Mr Christie said it was necessary for any responsible investor to take up the mantle of ensuring that the surrounding areas are capable of supporting their respective brands. This concept was the reason Mr Christie said he urged several of his Cabinet colleagues to accompany him on the trip.

Mrs Hanna Martin spoke with both the investor and residents to establish baseline metrics for her office to work from. At the conclusion of Friday’s tour, the Englerston MP thought the scope of several initiatives that would be spearheaded by her office in the coming months, would include the expansion and upgrading of the community’s main port, the creation of a local port office to oversee the maritime operation on the island and the construction of a new airport terminal in Great Harbour Cay capable of international flight services.

Mr Wilchcombe presented plans on how best to establish new tourism concepts for the island, built around its general make-up. The West End and Bimini MP said he saw several markets that could, at a moment’s notice, feed directly into the island’s economy once the infrastructural developments were carried out and completed.

Mr Fitzgerald discussed the improvements for the island’s education model. He expressed great interest in widening the island’s system to ensure that residents were able to receive the necessary skill training to prepare them for all potential jobs that may come on stream. Additionally, he proposed increasing scholarship opportunities for students on the island.

Lastly, Mr Davis spoke about proposals on how the government intended to carry out all the needed developments on the island. He confirmed that government officials had advanced to the final stages on several of the proposed projects – the port, new government complex, administrative office and electrical upgrades to reduce power outages.

The Berry Islands has an estimated 800 residents, of which 100 are said to be second homeowners who live in the island chain for portions of the year.