• Eyed as tour/beach break site for tourism rebound

• One says ‘spruce up’ may create up to 100 jobs

• Investments could range between $1m-$2m

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Multiple Bahamian investors yesterday confirmed they are targeting Athol Island with tour and beach break destination proposals that one said could create up to 100 jobs if approved.

Al Collie, developer of West Bay Street’s Club Luna and formerly the Zoo, told Tribune Business that The Bahamas needs “to spruce things up” with refreshed excursions and attractions for both cruise ship and stopover visitors as he confirmed plans to develop the existing Crown Land site he leases from the Government.

With a seawall already under construction (see photo), he added that he was now seeking the necessary Town Planning, environmental and other approvals to develop the parcel via an investment that may now reach $2m and create some 100 jobs for Bahamians.

However, Mr Collie is far from alone in eyeing Athol Island as a beach break destination. Tribune Business’s interest in the island, which lies 0.75 miles east of Paradise Island and was once eyed by former Atlantis owner, Kerzner International, as a potential golf course location, was sparked when it obtained an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), dated November 29, 2021, that was conducted on behalf of a company called Sand Dollar Tours Ltd.

A ‘Google’ search for a company with this name proved fruitless, but multiple sources suggested this had been conducted for Mr Collie and his project. The well-known businessman did not disagree with that when contacted by this newspaper but, subsequently, Mike Darville, nephew of Sunshine Cruise operator, Chris Darville, told this newspaper that Sand Dollar Tours is his company and that he commissioned the EIA.

The EIA, performed by JSS Consulting, said: “The island is 960 acres and two miles in length, but the proposed project is on one acre near the eastern portion of the island. The site is currently inhabited and is used for recreational uses such as beaching, jet skiing and a floating bar.”

The project, it said, is seeking the relevant government approvals to construct a 1,900 square foot timber dock; an 800 square foot floating dock; 3,200 square foot deck; and a surveyor’s trail. The beach where this activity will take place is shown as being located on the northern side of Athol Island.

Mr Darville, after stating that his project was separate from Mr Collie’s, indicated that it had been scaled back slightly to focus on construction of the wooden deck and floating dock. Having moved away from initial plans to also construct another dock on Athol Island’s southern shore, he told Tribune Business his likely investment - if the project gets the go-ahead - will be “just shy of $1m” as he aims “to hire as many people as possible”.

Meanwhile, this newspaper has learned of a third project proposal for Athol Island, which is two miles’ long and part of the National Marine Park. Tony Knowles, chief executive of Pirate’s Revenge, operator of the pirate-themed ship, the Blackbeard’s Revenge, yesterday said he had submitted an application to create a “Treasure Island” destination for guests that would embrace eco-tourism while preserving historical ruins in the area.

All three told this newspaper that they are aiming to exploit tourism’s revival, and the economy’s post-COVID re-opening, especially with the 20,000-30,000 passengers predicted to come through Nassau Cruise Port daily to enhance New Providence’s tour and attractions offerings.

“All we’ve done is construction of a seawall,” Mr Collie said of progress to-date at his site. “The former [Minnis] government had given me approval to get started with the things that didn’t involve any engineering... We won’t have any swimming pigs. There’s probably enough of it around.

“It’s a tourist destination. My feeling is we need some new things for the tourists. This can give the tourists more opportunities and places to go. If they have been here two, three, four times they have probably seen everything. It’s good for us now and again to spruce things up. The cruise ships want us to do something and we need places for them [passengers] to go.”

Mr Collie said “we have quite a few of the approvals, but not all yet” in order to proceed. “We’re going to employ probably about 100 Bahamians,” he added. “We’re not going to put in a swimming pool. It will be a beach destination. There will be two sections to it; one on the eastern side of the beach, and one on the western side.”

While initially intending to invest around $1m, he added: “Since the pandemic and all that, I guess it may go to twice as much with the dock and all that kind of stuff. People go there, and it’s amazing how the locals put garbage all over the place. We just started cleaning up there.”

Mr Collie also leases Spruce Cay, better known as Pearl Island, from the Government which is also a beach break/getaway destination for visitors. Tribune Business also reported last year how the Supreme Court had given him 60 days to pay $734,222 in outstanding real property taxes on his Club Luna property or see it sold by the Government, and several sources yesterday questioned why this had not impacted his other Crown Land leases.

The businessman, while declining to comment on the real property tax situation, indicated he was in negotiations with the Government to address the situation and did not want to say anything for fear it would compromise the talks.

Mr Darville, meanwhile, said of his venture: ‘I’m going to be on the north side. It’s more of a tourist attraction. The cruise lines have been pushing, looking for new tour operators for Nassau. I’m trying to develop a new beach programme for them. Guests in town for a few hours, and don’t have time for a full day’s tour, can do something different other than Blue Lagoon.

“It’s going to be a beach tour. The plan is to do a quick 30 minutes beach stop, lie there, take some pictures and then go back to downtown and do shopping or get on the boat. It’s ideal for the Bahamian experience. It’s not going to be like a bar and food. They get that on the ship, and it’s hard to compete with that.”

Confirming that he was working through the Government approvals process, Mr Darville added: “There’s enough tourists to go around for everybody. We will have 20,000-30,000 coming in a day at the cruise port. About 40 percent are looking for something to do, and right now in Nassau there’s a problem with getting people off the ship.

“I just purchased a boat for the property, and between paying environmental fees and the like the investment will definitely get up there. I plan just shy of $1m. I’ve got an investor involved. I’m trying to get up there, not like Blue Lagoon, but eco-scale. I was trying to get Minnis to help me with 12 acres, all the way to the point, but he only gave me one acre” of Crown Land.

“It’s my dream to own a little tour,” Mr Darville added. “I grew up in tourism through my family, so I hope to establish operations here in Nassau.” Mr Knowles, too, said he had aspirations for Athol Island via a project that would create an excursion destination to complement the Blackbeard’s Revenge ship tour.

“I have a project I want to do there: Treasure Island. I want to do something,” he added of Athol Island. “From 2014 I’ve been working on a deal over there, incorporating ruins dating back to the 18th century, making it a really nice tour, being sensitive to the environment, giving Bahamians equal or more beach access and creating enjoyment.

“I want to make it nice for Bahamian families to go out there and enjoy themselves. It will be something that is low density, respecting the ruins that are there, and making it so that Bahamians can have their own area, lay out and do picnics.” Mr Knowles said he was open to allowing Bahamians to invest via an initial public offering (IPO), and also planned to work with the Antiquities, Monuments and Museums Corporation (AMMC) to preserve the historical ruins.