The Tribune

By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

Berry Island residents yesterday voiced concerns about road paving delays, a lack of infrastructure and unreliable telecommunications services.

Lawrence Rolle, owner of White Water Bar and Restaurant, said residents have grown frustrated over delays with a road paving project that has been ongoing for two years coupled with communications issues.

Mr Rolle, who owns a number of companies and commercial real estate properties, said he has had issues with the service provided by the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) for years with customers often unable to reach his operations via telephone.

He said he disconnected the service as it took three years for a technician to come and fix the issue, and he received a bill for the period when services were down.

“We can’t even get calls into the restaurant. When the phone actually rings you can’t hear the person on the other end. That’s been going on for years. Our landline was down for almost three years before they came and fixed it. And then they wanted us to pay a bill for the three years it wasn’t working, over $1,000, so I cut my line off,” said Mr Rolle.

He added that BTC’s Internet services were just as poor as the telephone services, so he decided to make the switch to Starlink. Mr Rolle said the Berry Islands’ economy is growing due to second home owners and boaters that visit the cays, but said the Government has been lax in undertaking infrastructure improvements.

“As much developments that are here, and as good as the economy is, the Government really treats us bad. Everybody comes in and gets what they can and leaves us right here,” said Mr Rolle.

Erica Knowles, a Berry Island resident, said the telephone service interruptions have led many businesses to operate using cellular phones but the greater concern is if there is an emergency and locals or visitors cannot communicate with emergency services.

“If you could find four or five landlines that are on consistently, I’ll be in shock. All the businesses are trying to use cell phones just to have communication for their business. It’s a serious problem. Sometimes we have communication. God forbid if there is an emergency. The cell service is better than the land lines, but there are parts of the Berry’s where you don’t even get a signal,” said Ms Knowles.

She estimated that the roadworks are about 25 percent complete, and the contractor does not appear to be actively working on the project. 

“The road project should have taken six months and now it’s been two years and we’re not near completion. Last year they said the project would’ve been completed by the end of the year and I’m trying to give the benefit of the doubt, but right now but I don’t know if it will be completed,” said Ms Knowles.

“Who is being accountable for the people’s money? It’s like they just give these contracts out without any timeline for completion.”

Ms Knowles said the condition of the roads has left many residents with costly mechanical repairs, and this issue has been made worse as as the Road Traffic Department is expected to visit the island and collect retroactive licence fees over the coming weeks.

“Everybody’s car undercarriage is shaking from how bad those roads are. Two of my sisters had to send their cars to Nassau to get fixed. That’s $400 one way to send the car and the mechanic fee, just to bring it back to these same bumpy roads,” said Ms Knowles.

“Now road traffic is coming down, they haven’t been here in three or four years, since COVID, so we haven’t been paying and they want the fees now retroactive.”

Leonardo Lightbourne, MP for North Andros and the Berry Islands, said he is “just as frustrated” as his constituents about the delays in the roadworks.

Speaking to Tribune Business, Mr Lightbourne said the contractor had issues with “materials and logistics” and will be putting a plant in place over the next three to four weeks to source materials to complete the project.

“I’m just as frustrated as them to be honest. I spoke to the contractor. He told me in three to four weeks he will have his plant in place to go all the way through with the completion. Material and logistics have been his delays,” said Mr Lightbourne.

He added that the telecommunications issues his constituents face are an “overall agency issue” that BTC has on all Family Islands, and he is still in communication with the company to improve the service.