The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I just stopped by briefly to ask for your permission for this letter to be published because I believe that what I have observed may not have been brought to the attention of the Bahamian people.

Earlier this morning, I took a leisurely stroll along Woodes Rodgers Wharf and as I did, my attention was drawn to the advance work being carried on there, hopefully it concludes before the deadline, paying particular attention to the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has crippled many job sites, and caused considerable delay causing projects not meeting projected deadlines. But from the look of where the cruise port construction had reached, safe to suggest that it could potentially be completed on time, barring any unforeseen circumstances, etc.

Then as I began to take an in-depth visual inspection of the structures onsite I just couldn’t help myself being critical of the framing, yes, the framing and you know, the Bahamas sits in the Hurricane Belt and it is possible that New Providence could experience a storm – it is not out of the realm of possibilities - God forbid.

But the planning and construction of any building nowadays ought to take into consideration the materials and the wind ratings otherwise, it along with the human lives, could be catastrophically imperiled.

And now I think that it is time to remove the suspense about what I actually saw that required these writings?

Editor, the metal framing is cause for concern and I don’t see how using thin metal framing and fastening to them-other-soft paneling-affixed by screws-no-matter-the-lengths - will ever suffice.

And I wondered about the cost factors, had dollars and cents played any part in that decision? As I think about it, but the contractors were not from here, not Bahamians and how do we apply our building codes at a stated point in time?

As a person who has had some training in building construction, looking at the initial buildings I must say how apparently cheap they looked.

This desire to have value for the dollar is a widely accepted standard and, therefore, one must insists on quality for monies being expended/spent, especially if derived from the coffers of Public Funds. In other words taxpayers revenue, does carry, I think?

Now to the powers that be, could you mobilise a fact finding team of architects - staffers from Public Works to take a leisurely stroll on that site and to hear first hand the explanations from the site management and be able to point stuff out - proffers up questions and make-regulatory proclamation as the case might be, etc?

But, in all, we cannot allow people to complete a structure or structures without having inspected each and every stage or stages involved, otherwise?

Finally, as I think about it, it takes me back to the days of the Owens Illinois Logging Company - contracted by the United Bahamian Party (UBP government at the time), to work on three islands of our Bahamas:

1... North Andros at a settlement called Owens Town - latter 1960s.

2... Abaco Island and I believe the settlement there was Marsh Harbour, but I stand to be corrected.

3... And Grand Bahama Island, and I believe that the settlement was McCleans Town. Well, I grew up in North Andros and as my grandparents had fields, or farms in some of the areas where those lorries had to traverse daily on their way to have the pines shipped by barge to Jacksonville, Florida, via Morgans Bluff Harbour, or jetty – we liked to call it - they were seen frequently- 18-Wheelers and hailing from Lowe Sound, couple of the drivers were from my settlement, which made us residents from this small farming and fishing district, prideful.

Editor, fast tracking the point - what we found years later after the Owens Illinois company had packed up and left The Bahamas.

I went to Owens Town on a wild hogs hunting expedition and what I found blew me right out of the water. They had left about a ten-storey-high pile of sawdust and after the rains wetting and the sun drying, etc, we were able to scale to its summit and, no joke, I could see about 20 miles out. I also was able to see what the harvesting of Andros pine trees did to the immediate waterway - the crystal clear waters they met-there, had been replaced by this body of brown water...and as I submerged the right hand into it ( I know it was a dumb thing I did), but I literally could not see my hand.

What am I saying? Had there been the appropriate oversight by government’s technical staffers, it would have been brought to their attention long before now and the Bahamian people would have been able to file litigation for the damage, etc?

The Owens Illinois Logging Company is still trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

It is time to do right by the Bahamian people, no wonder the Public Treasury of The Bahamas lays bare.

FRANK GILBERT

Nassau,

October 17, 2022.