The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I just stopped by to indulge you in allowing me the small space in your letters column to highlight several points worth mentioning – and in the interest of Bahamians.

Moving right along, for years now I have been trying to prick the conscience of those managers and the hierarchy of the Beach and Parks Section of Environment Health concerning the deplorable condition of the sidewalks on Bay Street, downtown Nassau – coupled with the overwhelming number of old, unoccupied buildings in the city centre – it is quite an eyesore, I might add?

And the proclamation by the powers-that-be that the Bahamas is open for business is really an affront to every decent and God-fearing Bahamian as they sought to promote a “dirty and filthy tourist” product - unashamedly, I might add. This is cause for concern - it cannot be that all you care about is getting tourists’ money and to hell with the condition of the product. This is problematic and unfair to visitors. It is also an insult to me and my family as a disciple of fairness.

Well, earlier on today, Wednesday, 21st September 2022 as customary, I was tracking through town to hire the Jitney Bus Service - needing to get to my place of work.

But, suffice it to say, on reaching Frederick and Bay Streets, and awaiting this particular Route jitney I just couldn’t help myself as my attention was drawn to the garbage bin at the corner street - next to one of the columns holding up the building that houses business ‘A Baker & Sons’ and while the bin had recently had its garbage bags changed, oh, those tiles around and upon which that garbage sat - words cannot adequately depict the deplorable and inexcusable condition of that immediate area.

This is the same story all along Bay Street where trash receptacles were deployed.

And I wondered about what kind of people The Bahamas Government has working for it in the Beach and Parks Department? Better yet, have they not checked in on their employees, these supervisors to ascertain what if anything was being done, or needed to be done?

As I think about it,I am left wondering, could it be that those supervisors who are not supervising may need to be supervised themselves, and is it fair to deduce such?

Maybe something is wrong with the principles and standards that I try to live by and that I, apparently, am trying to impose upon these people who, while Nassau sleeps were supposed to be out there preparing the environment to receive, not only locals, but, more especially, our tourists -this level of dereliction of duty has me feeling ashamed of the keepers of the tourist product – and forced me to formulised in my mind’s eye the solution to the problem. I contemplated that the only resolution was to hire the right staffers and relieve those currently holding those positions. And this complaint is not new, this has been a sore point for many months now and is it getting better? I don’t think so - tourists squirm anytime they arrive at those intersections where the trash bins are located.

Really, I despise pointing fingers because ideally it achieves nothing. What I will do now that I have identified the problem, being the disciple for fairness that I am, here is another solution:

1. Why won’t the Beach & Parks Ministries acquire several of those Steam Cleaners? The likely cost per cleaner under $200, plus say 5-units should suffice, I think?

2. And after the garbage bag changers get done doing that, the steam cleaners come along and spray clean those tiles?

3. Those vagrants that frequent Bay Street just sitting near the liquor stores hustling the next drink and disposing of residue of the alcoholic beverages - spilling onto the sidewalk tiles - before entering garbage bins contributes to the decay. These people sit by them practically all day - and drink, harass passersby, etc.,therefore, the police need to see to it that they are introduced to an orderly system, which penalises wrongdoers - especially those blatantly giving the Commonwealth of The Bahamas a bad name.

There is a legal obligation to have them removed and the various charges are plainly stated in the Books for which they could be tried?

Something should be done about the rundown and deteriorating condition of the main access point for our visitors...and they should not be introduced to this level of filth, etc.

Finally I am really not one that gripes for the least little thing, but I am convinced that small can lead to big - and if no one complains, then the tolerance likely will destroy us ultimately, I think?

Submitted with love and for what it is worth.

FRANK GILBERT

Nassau,

September 21, 2022.