The Tribune

TO say that a transformation of Downtown Nassau is overdue is an understatement in the extreme.

So as we hear about another meeting to discuss another plan for another revitalisation, we fight the urge to say yes, yes, but enough talk, get on with things.

When the FNM last gained office in 2017, this column called for progress in dealing with the problems of Bay Street, in which we said that “the good bones of Nassau’s historic architectural treasures so frequently mentioned by the late Jackson Burnside are still there, but they are shrinking”.

When the PLP gained power before that, we wondered if the enthusiasm for Urban Renewal might extend to cleaning out the side alleys and passageways abandoned to waste and rats.

And on and on before. Truth be told, this is a matter that has gone on for decades of steady decay.

Nassau Cruise Port’s top executive, Michael Maura, warned yesterday that “time is not on our side” when it comes to meeting the expectations of the cruise ship passengers currently flocking in record numbers again to our shores. Rightly so – as many Bahamians who have been cruise passengers themselves are able to compare with other destinations with a more polished welcome on offer to arrivals.

It’s not just for visitors that we need to fix Downtown, however, it is for ourselves. Once upon a time, this was one of the jewels in our crown not a cause for shame.

There are businesses still striving to put their best face forward, but they are not helped by other buildings left to run down and rot.

Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper put the problem into focus yesterday when he said: “Just this past weekend we had six ships in port, on a single day. There were thousands of guests here and I often hear taxi drivers and vendors tell me how embarrassed they are to have tourists walk past Victoria Avenue going east to see the raft of abandoned buildings, overgrown spaces and desolate areas that scream for guests to speed past as opposed to enjoying the local fare. It is the one area we get consistent complaints about. It is poorly maintained and not adequately managed.”

Identifying the problem is not hard – we can all do that. We have eyes to see the broken balconies, the cracked walls. We have noses to smell the garbage in the side alleys.

What we didn’t hear yesterday was the solution. There was talk of the government stepping in if the private sector doesn’t get on with fixing the area, but what that meant, or when that would happen, remained unclear.

What wasn’t addressed were the concerns of property owners over such things as zoning restrictions that limit the height of developments to five storeys, or that if owners do spruce up their properties, they might be hit with a higher tax bill for having raised its value.

Then there are concerns over the cycle of criminal offending with people arrested but back out on the streets again and able to cause trouble all over again in no time at all.

So while Mr Cooper hinted that the government might have a stick to ensure progress happens, we didn’t get a nibble of the carrot to encourage people to take the first steps.

Without clearly stated deadlines and defined goals, it is hard to see Downtown taking a great leap forward – but improving it is at least on the agenda, and that feels at least one step further forward than we have been in a long time.

Will we see change actually happen? Or will another administration come and go while the weeds in the back alleys grow longer?