The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

LOCAL conservationists have growing concerns over a lack of development at the Botanical Gardens in Nassau, six months after Environment and Housing Minister Kenred Dorsett promised a massive overhaul at the Chippingham Road site.

In October, Mr Dorsett said the “restoration” of the historical grounds would be the “forerunner for the establishment of Urban Botanical Parks” around the country. He said he had been given the mandate by Prime Minister Perry Christie to ensure that Clifford Park be transformed into a space reminiscent of New York City’s Central Park.

One conservationist this week labelled Mr Dorsett’s comments “empty”. “It looks like all that talk was just a well thought out speech with no action coming. Since that was said, nothing has been done. Everyone is waiting for the work to begin. All we see is nothing getting done,” the conservationist said.

According to documents obtained by The Tribune, the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) drafted and presented a $7.8m redevelopment plan to the FNM administration during its 2007-2012 term in government. A source within the Ministry of Environment and Housing confirmed that prospectus was accepted and approved with condition that the entire project had to be funded by the BNT.

The BNT prospectus called the Botanical Gardens a “shadow of its original glory”, adding “the site appears abandoned, with plants surviving rather than thriving”. The document, however, suggested “the Gardens can easily be restored as a prominent national resource and visitor attraction”.

The site off Chippingham Road dates back to the 1780s, when it was a rock quarry for the construction of Fort Charlotte. Former agriculture director Oris Russell established the gardens in 1951 but the site has received a lot of negative attention in recent months – reported in February by The Tribune – due to the lack of upkeep and development.

The BNT’s three-phase proposal was scheduled to commence in 2013 with the construction of a new, modern, energy efficient $5m facility for the Trust at the site.

The ministry source claimed that, shortly after the PLP took office after the 2012 election, Mr Dorsett received, reviewed and rejected the $7.8m prospectus despite “okays across the board by the previous administration”.

“The FNM accepted the proposal because they knew it was the best financial plan moving forward. Dorsett came in and squashed it; apparently he had something better on the table,” said the source.

According to the BNT prospectus all of the $7.8m needed to “reformat” the 18-acre Fort Charlotte compound would have been generated by private donors at no expense to government.

Executive Director of the Bahamas National Trust, Eric Carey confirmed to The Tribune that his organisation did present the proposal to both the FNM and PLP administrations. Mr Carey said his group compiled the prospectus because they wanted to assist the government with improvements at the site.

“We got an okay from the FNM. When the government changed in 2012 we did what we thought was best and provided the new minister with a copy of the proposal to consider. His reply was simple; he wanted to go in another direction. He didn’t give BNT any reason why. All we knew was he had other plans for the site.”

Mr Carey added that, despite the rejection of his organisation’s prospectus, he and his associates remain onboard with the minister’s plans, “whatever it might be”.

“We are fully behind the Minister,” he said. “We want the best for the property.

The Tribune’s February report, Lost in the Wilderness, can be read at tribune242.com.