By DENISE MAYCOCK
Tribune Freeport Reporter
dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
AS one drives through Freeport, derelict and dilapidated buildings stick out like a sore thumb in the city's landscape, and once iconic landmarks have lost their lustre.
Pineridge MP Fredrick McAlpine, who recently spoke out on the issue in Parliament, believes the buildings should be imploded because they are an "environmental hazard" and an eyesore to residents and visitors.
The MP was referring to the closed 900-room Royal Oasis Resort property, Casa Bahama, and the International Bazaar in Freeport.
In his contribution to the budget debate in Parliament, Rev McAlpine said that something should be done about these derelict properties and questioned whether the taxes and relevant fees are paid up.
"We urge the relevant authorities local and national, to step in and get something done as it relates to these properties," he said.
Freeport - once known as the 'Magic City' - is in a state of decline. The magic is gone, and now hope rests in the hands of the newly-elected Minnis administration to turn things around.
Freeport's decline began in 2004 when the former Royal Oasis Resort and Casino closed because of significant storm damage. The closure had a severe domino affect on the surrounding businesses and stores.
Landmarks, such as the red Tori gate at the International Bazaar no longer attracts visitors and is now a magnet for vagrants. The water fountain at the Ranfurly Circus roundabout has been shut off. And Casa Bahama - the tallest building in Freeport - has been vacant and decrepit for many years.
Irish based Harcourt Development Group acquired Royal Oasis for $33m in 2007 but has yet to find partners or an investor that could revive the 427-acre resort property which is now a crumbling eyesore.
Rev McAlpine said: "The people in Grand Bahama want to know how much longer we are going to look at these derelict monstrosities of buildings in the centre of our island. It's an eyesore for residents and visitors alike. The International Bazaar is virtually no more, with a bunch of empty, dilapidated buildings.
"Please give consideration to opening the road and getting the developers and owners to implode the buildings, they have become environmentally hazardous to the community," he added.
The MP said the properties don't have to be replaced with hotels again.
In downtown Freeport, Rev McAlpine also pointed out other buildings devaluing the island, including the dilapidated Professional Business Plaza, Savoy Building, Parker Building and Rolle's Furniture Store, which he said are all in the centre of downtown and the heart of Pineridge.
"These buildings have devalued the very nature and beautification of the island," he said.
"Compared to what we were used too, Grand Bahama is filthy. The place has become ghettoized if there is such a word," he said.
The FNM administration has pledged to also focus its attention on revitalising the tourism product in Freeport, once it has reached a deal on the sale and reopening of the Grand Lucaya Resort property, which is a matter of urgency for the government.
Minister of State for Grand Bahama Kwasi Thompson said that their second priority would involve revitalising iconic properties, such as the International Bazaar, the Royal Oasis, and Xanadu Beach Resorts.
The government, he said, intends to be working closely with the present property owners.
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