An artist's impression of The Pointe development. The Pointe is owned by China Construction America, a subsidiary of China State Construction and Engineering Company.
By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
SENIOR Vice President of China Construction America (CCA) and President of The Pointe Daniel Liu has said the greatest difference between Baha Mar and the Bay Street development is there is no shortage of money to fund construction and it will be completed on time.
Mr Lui suggested that The Pointe is in a different category from the stalled Baha Mar resort in that it was “not some private development that tries to keep the people away from the beach (or) tries to make it their own territory for their own ego”.
“This is not something that somebody can hold us up. It will not be,” he said during a media reception hosted by The Pointe to showcase its new authentic Chinese cuisine restaurant Summer Palace on Wednesday night.
CCA and Baha Mar have been fighting in court since the latter’s developer Sarkis Izmirlian filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last June. CCA was Baha Mar’s general contractor.
It has also blamed Baha Mar for “mismanaging” the $3.5 billion development, suggesting that it was never compensated for – or given adequate time to perform – more than 1,000 construction change orders.
“(Construction) will be operated by our company completely,” Mr Lui said. “Money has been funded. There is no short of the money. It will be done. It will be done on time.
“Second which is very important, The Pointe is a project designed not only for the tourists. It is also for the Bahamians. It is not some private development that tries to keep the people away from the beach (or) tries to make it their own territory for their own ego. No its not.
“It is located downtown in an area that Bahamian businessmen, young professionals and residents love to come. So you can see our design. It has amenities (and) movie theatres. We have the auditorium. We have the indoor performing arts and out outdoor performing arts. We are going to produce a Bahamian based Broadway show daily.”
He added: “So you will have young kids (and) we would love to have them join us. So that’s the major difference. So the point I’m making is that The Pointe project is quite different than the other project. It’s not only for the tourists it’s for all Bahamians.
“We welcome Bahamians.”
Mr Lui said developers also plan to price The Pointe’s new condominium hotel “reasonably” to attract young Bahamian professionals. It is hoped, he said, that this would create a downtown Nassau residential community.
Leslie Pindling, The Pointe’ director of external affairs, clarified that the property is keeping in line with its heads of agreement with the government, which he said dictates that there be 70 per cent Bahamian workers to 30 per cent Chinese.
On Monday, he told reporters that the agreement called for 60 per cent Chinese workers and 40 per cent Bahamians, but only during the development’s super structure phase or start up construction.
He said: “Contrary to popular belief, at this property right now we have 321 Bahamian workers . . . that work for the property.
“We have 135 Chinese working on the project at present. So therefore that brings us in line with what we are suppose to be doing with the government, which is a 70/30 split. Seventy per cent Bahamian (and) 30 per cent Chinese and we fall within the demographics of that.
“We would also like to say that we are building this property for tourists and Bahamians. We will not do what everybody else has done and say Bahamians are not allowed. Bahamians are more than welcomed because what we are doing is for Bahamians and tourists also.”
It is estimated that The Pointe will cost between $250m to $300m. So far, developers have spent $8m to $10m on the parking garage on the western end of the property.
The development is expected to open in 2017.
Comments
proudloudandfnm 8 years, 8 months ago
All Bahamians should boycott the Point in any and every way we can. These Chinese take us for fools. BOYCOTT ANYTHING TO DO WITH CCA......
BoopaDoop 8 years, 8 months ago
It is good that there are Bahamians employed on the project but there aren't any skilled tradesmen; only laborers.
B_I_D___ 8 years, 8 months ago
That's hysterical!! Do they even have all the proper building permits yet?
jus2cents 8 years, 8 months ago
Bahamian contractors need to go sit on a bridge!
This whole thing is unpatriotic, I can understand how they can get away with bringing 500 FIVE HUNDRED Chinese builders (And after they screwed up the last job!!??) whilst there are so many unemployed Bahamian contractors doing nothing.
And the contractors who never got paid from Baha Mar must be livid.
The same thing that happened to Baha Mar could happen to the Point.
Then What!?
lobsta 8 years, 8 months ago
Ah, very professional Mr Liu, with ad hominem attacks. Keep it classy! This is exactly how you can gauge who is who in this fight.
TalRussell 8 years, 8 months ago
Comrades the PLP cabinet seems to have opened a “drive-thru permit granting window” and that anything they tell the public is “completely staged.” Only The Point vehicles need lineup.
McDonald's menus says burgers and fries. The PLP Cabinet's reads - rubber stamping for 500 fill in the names later Chinese nationals work permits, town planning permits, ministry of works and environmental permits, labour code permits.
I guess the government does not respect a policy that if you didn't honour your past financial and contractual obligations - we will not do business with that corporate identity.
Comrades you couldn't even try make this stuff up that a foreign corporation can came to Bahamaland and turn local supplies millions of dollars into worthless pennies - and the people's government keeps doing business with that exact same corporate identity.
Normally, i would say Pindling must be turning over in his grave but how can I under the known The Point personalities circumstances, dare mess with the spirits of the graveyard.
Sickened 8 years, 8 months ago
Not sure what the Bahamian workers are doing but so far (I pass there everyday) I have seen 3 Bahamians workers sweeping the sidewalk, 3 Bahamian workers sitting on the wall near the entrance gate and most of the time there is 1 Bahamian worker opening the entrance gate (I assume the Chinese man the gate when they are toting materials to their other projects). That's it. I have also seen the Chinese painting the scaffolding, along the road, white. Don't tell me a work permit was given to a Chinaman to paint scaffolding. Surely we have qualified Bahamians for that!!!!! But then again, the Chinese paint is probably full of lead (poisoning) so it may be best that Bahamians don't mess with it.
MonkeeDoo 8 years, 8 months ago
Somebody should find out exactly how much Steffan Christie and Jimmy Mosko were paid above and beyond the normal Real Estate Commission. These people have bought and paid for the Bahamian people. I do not ever want to hear anyone even mutter the word SLAVERY because what Christie and the PLP have done to the people of this Country, is far far worse than what the Tribal Chiefs did to the Africans that they sold them into Slavery. The white man paid money for the people and kept them healthy so they could work for him. Is anyone looking out for the Bahamian people today. No frigging way.
Sickened 8 years, 8 months ago
The slavery today is almost exactly the same as the slavery years ago. The black man (Perry) selling out his black people. The only difference this time is that our tribal chief is selling his people and his land to the Chinese.
MonkeeDoo 8 years, 8 months ago
Mr Lui suggested that The Pointe is in a different category from the stalled Baha Mar resort in that it was “not some private development that tries to keep the people away from the beach (or) tries to make it their own territory for their own ego”. This is rich coming from a Chinaman working for the Chinese Government which has an abolinable Human Rights record: *Human rights campaigners say that China continues to target activists and their family members with harassment, imprisonment and torture. The government has frequently imprisoned people who have spoken about politically sensitive topics. In July, there was a crackdown on lawyers who worked on cases involving free speech and abuses of power. Amnesty International says that 245 lawyers and activists have been targeted since July. One of the best known, Li Heping, is still missing. Amnesty says there needs to be more awareness of cases such as that of Cao Shunli, a human rights activist who died in police detention last year. Her family said that she had been denied medical attention and that they had been refused access to her body. The government has denied any mistreatment, saying that the activist's "lawful rights and interests have been protected in accordance with law".
MonkeeDoo 8 years, 8 months ago
Sickened: Perhaps Leslie is counting the Bahamian staff in the Hotel. These PLP bitches could stretch the truth further than a - "I won't say what" !
asiseeit 8 years, 8 months ago
I wonder if the reason they will have enough money to finish is because they are not buying golf clubs, wine, and cigars? They got straight on that stuff from their last job.
cuckoo6 8 years, 8 months ago
Sorry Mr. Liu but actions speak louder than words. If you are so concerned about and "welcoming" of Bahamians and their families then you can start now by employing a far more "welcoming" ratio of Bahamian construction workers.
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