The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

MANY of the smaller businesses along Blue Hill Road and Market Street will have to be paid out according to Coconut Grove Business League spokesman Ethric Bowe who told Tribune Business that there was simply “no way to bring them back” from the damages they suffered as a result of roadworks.

The CGBL, a group of some 50 businesses, in a bid to reverse the one-way traffic system on Blue Hill Road and Market Street took their fight to court, and in December 2010 secured a victory in the Supreme Court against the Government over the road changes, only to see that decision overturned by the Court of Appeal.

Mr Bowe told Tribune Business that he was optimistic that there could be a good resolution to the situation having now met with the government.

“We had an excellent meeting with them. Cost is a big factor in this. They understand that the choices are we’ll turn the road back, stop the damages or we’ll just have to buy out your businesses. It was as blunt as that. We came out of the meeting feeling very good and I think they came out understanding that this could be a win-win still. I am very optimistic,” Mr Bowe told Tribune Business.

He added: “We we able to say to them that the big people are able to make deals and most of them are willing to make deals, so that part is easier to deal with than the small people. The small people is where you will need an assessment to try and determine really what their losses were. Some of them are just going to have to be paid out because there is no way to bring them back from the damage that has been done to them but this government appreciates that. I believe we are going to have a good resolution to all of this.”

Mr Bowe said that he was highly optimistic that the one-way traffic system on Baillou Hill Road and Market Street would be reversed.

“The contractor has control of the roads right now. The roads have to be turned back over to the government. Our expectation is that when the road is turned back to the government then we can look to Baillou Hill Road being two-way again and Market Street being two-way again. The fact of the matter is as long as those roads are one-way the businesses on those roads continue to suffer,” said Mr Bowe.