The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Agriculture and Marine Resources Minister V Alfred Gray toured Arawak Cay and Potter’s Cay dock yesterday, meeting with vendors and retailers to discuss issues affecting their businesses.

During the tour, various issues were raised concerning vagrancy, disposal of garbage, maintenance of grass, cleanliness of stalls and the presence of homeless people around the area.

The minister said “there are a myriad of issues” to be dealt with, “not least among which is the conditions of the various areas.” He said “Arawak Cay seems to be in pretty good shape. The grass is overgrown in some areas and we need to do better than that. In the next few days we will certainly ensure that the grounds of Arawak Cay, particularly the grass, is cut and we may need to change the kind of grass that is there. It looks almost like bush. We can get the grass to grow low enough to let the lawnmower cut it.”

“I’m also concerned, said the minister, “about what I perceive to be thieves breaking into certain areas of Arawak Cay, so security would be for me another issue particularly after the general places are closed for business. There is no security other than the police station which is close enough, but you know thieves, they know when police are on their beat.”

The minister was not pleased by the state of Potters Cay dock.

“Coming up to Potters Cay I am very unhappy with the conditions of the stalls. I’m advised that most of them are inoperable. I am asking vendors to assist us. I know the stalls belong to the government, but if you are supposed to pay leases, which are generally not being paid, I expect the least I could ask of you is to keep the stalls in good repair so that we don’t have problems. I think the public would certainly be able to help us, but some are so short-sighted it seems that they would rather dump their trash over board.”

Minister Gray said the Produce Exchange needs work. The issue of vagrancy is a social problem in need of being addressed, he said. “We are going to build three more rooms for storing what we buy.

“At the moment all of the produce are stored in one or two places and you know banana has a way of spoiling everything around so we’ll build more rooms so that we could put different produce in different areas of the Produce Exchange.”

“Vagrancy,” said the minister, “is a social problem. Social services may be the agency of the government and we may need to bring it to their attention and see what they can do to find a resting place for the restless and a home for the homeless.”

During the tour, vendors complained about issues, including restroom services and the illegal presence of foreigners.

Eddy Doreneus, owner of Welcome to Brother Eddie’s Kitchen, said “when there is a water shortage the restrooms are closed and no one has a restroom to use, so people, including tourists, have to pick up and leave to find a restroom.” Jeremiah Rolle, a fisherman, said “our biggest problem in this Bahamas is all the foreigners selling things and they don’t really have no papers, because if you should come out here and you ride to the end you would be amazed to see how many people have different stalls opened up and ain Bahamian.”

The Minister announced plans to open up an ATM service at Arawak Cay in the near future.