TRAFFIC outside The Pointe yesterday. Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Senior Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
DEPUTY Prime Minister and Minister of Works Desmond Bannister said yesterday his ministry ordered staff at The Pointe to stop the work that resulted in the closure of Dorchester Street.
“Only the Minister of Public Works may lawfully close a road,” he told The Tribune. “The works on Dorchester Street were not authorised by the Ministry of Public Works. Accordingly, yesterday the ministry ordered that the said works be immediately stopped and the road reinstated.”
Workers installed steel poles on Dorchester Street earlier this week, blocking access to traffic. However, by yesterday afternoon the poles had been removed.
The $250 million Pointe project is nearing completion. The project includes 141 ocean view condo units, a 155-room hotel, a 40-slip marina, a parking garage, a water park and other amenities, including a spa, restaurants and movie theatres.
The Pointe is no stranger to controversy. Last year, Labour Minister Dion Folks said the government was “very disappointed” over the disproportionate ratio of Bahamians to non-Bahamians who were employed at the development at the time.
He said: “I think the percentages are around 30-70 in favour of non-Bahamians. It is supposed to be the exact opposite. We have been in talks with management at The Pointe. Their explanation is they have some 22 Bahamian subcontractors working at The Pointe and they are including those employees as part of the Bahamian component.
“We are sitting down with them, we are talking to them. We did a survey as early as last week. It is not something that we are pleased with.
“Their figures conflict with our figures and it is something we are trying to work out. Their argument is that depending on where you come and depending on what the project is the Bahamian component is much higher. For example they are doing their swimming pools right now.”
Attempts to reach officials at The Pointe for comment yesterday were unsuccessful.
Comments
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 10 months ago
"Workers installed steel poles on Dorchester Street earlier this week, blocking access to traffic. "
this is BEYOND odd. How do you go into another country and just decide to block a road??? There has to be more here. Someone maybe used to carte blanche in other areas so naturally assumed they could do this too??? or someone with all paid access?
SP 2 years, 10 months ago
The Chinese know they have the government deep in their back pockets, so they can do whatever they want, and Minni's crew of clowns are powerless to stop them!
It's the same story throughout Africa. Chinese went in, bribed government officials, and did as they pleased thereafter.
Don't get things twisted, thanks to Perry jackass Christie, It's the Chinese time!!!
Dawes 2 years, 10 months ago
So now this has become political traffic will be a mess in that area for a long time. Once the pointe gets fully operating and cruise ships are back that area is going to be a nightmare. But seeing as that's the future no need to think how to create situations that will alleviate the problems. All those side roads should be either closed or one way going away from Bay street. Only Nassau street should be a road that people can access Bay. This would at least do something to help. But nope its the silly season and this has become political so that won't happen. Also if anyone thinks they blocked that road without any OK from Government they are most probably wrong. If we ever get to see the heads of agreement its probably right in there.
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 10 months ago
you know whats wrong about your scenario? Once again Bahamians are being inconvenienced. Its not enough that theyre systematically buying up islands and blocking off access to beaches, Albany blocked the South, Bahamar blocked the west, RCB is attempting to block the North, now theyre telling us which of our roads we can drive on. Soon theyll be telling us what hour of the day we can come out of....uuuhhhh
Dawes 2 years, 10 months ago
Bahamians are the ones being unconvinced by the traffic to get to work. How many people benefit from those roads, except people using it as a shortcut. That shortcut makes the traffic worse for all. Unless only foreigners are in the traffic and Bahamians take those shortcuts. Same everywhere there is gridlock, it is made worse by all the side streets.
The_Oracle 2 years, 10 months ago
It was Ingraham who kicked Taiwan out to invite the Chinese in.
stislez 2 years, 10 months ago
Trust me people of the world especially the ones who visit our country call us some of the worst names yall cud imagine. The most harmful and accurate is" uneducated". Only crazy people would allow their country to get sold dime on a dollar, complain about it but elect the same two parties over and over who continues to sell out. Is it smart to sell out so much of your country to one entity, so much so that you can't control the amount of people they bring over. Instead of infrastructure you build hotels smh when china is the number one infrastructure builder. Is it smart to sell just about all of your outskirts on the islands to foreign investors to build marinas an shit now the public beaches at risk.....at risk of us not seeing them again. What country in the sun don't have a major solar farm......the bahamas don't. I remember i was making medicine from the sheppard needle a few years ago and i found out about the lab in freeport that has been studying sheppard neddle for years and its cancer healing abilities. This lab treats people from around the world........but not bahamians.......shitttttt bahamians dont even know its been there all dis time. All i saying is sometimes we need to look in the mirror, then we could get a better glimpse of who running the country. Either that or continue complaining without fighting.
sage 2 years, 10 months ago
First they caused the US Embassy to relocate by blocking their line of sight communications to the ships in the harbour. Second... they insisted that the Ministry of Transport move the Jitney pick up spot from in front of McDononalds because it was unsightly for them.... to hell with the Bahamians who had routinely used that stop to get back and forth for a generation. Third..they created alake in front of the location because they dammed up the water that flowed freely to the ocean...and no one demanded that they fix this issue despite its impact of the free movement of people and vehicles passing that area. Having done all of the above...now these nasty creatures who no county wants...but are foced to endure...put up their own road blacks to the free flow of vehicles near their facility.... vermin... that is what we have to deal with. A culture of people who have no respect for outs; who could care less about our needs...may God deal harshly with them wherever they show their faces.
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