The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

BIMINI residents say they are not pleased with the pace of Styrofoam clean-ups on that island and are again calling on the government to "make things right."

Tensions between Resorts World Bimini and residents have worsened in recent weeks due to what some have described as the resort’s "irresponsible environmental practices."

Jenny Cook, a spokesperson for the Save Our Home protest group, on Friday told The Tribune that she, like many other Bimini residents, is still to see the "extensive clean-up operations" touted by Resort World Bimini (RWB) when Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis visited the island following Hurricane Irma.

The spokeswoman said residents have watched every aspect of the clean-up closely, and are now concerned that without the national spotlight focused on Bimini, RWB may not feel inclined to "finish the job."

"We are waiting," she said. "But we have waited for some time now to get all of this properly sorted out. The issue now is, we've given them the time to get this in hand, but chunks of Styrofoam are still washing up on shore daily."

Ms Cook added: "Anyone that has taken a tour around Bimini over the last two weeks will tell you, mounds of Styrofoam are still in the water; mounds are still on the shores and what was collected, is piled up in trash bags near the resort.

She continued: "This is horrendous. This is horrible. This is a tragedy that hasn't let up since it happened."

A government delegation to Bimini late last month was greeted by Ms Cook's protest group.

She used the opportunity to corner the Prime Minister and detail how decades of mismanagement and poorly sanctioned developments led to the destruction of 450 acres of mangroves along the coastline of northern Bimini.

Ms Cook also stressed to Dr Minnis that flaws with RAV Bahamas/OPAC and its partner the Genting Group, led by Gerardo Capo, allegedly resulted in a critical environmental issue developing on the island.

Repeating that claim Friday, Ms Cook said the Minnis administration is "aware of everything," adding that the time is right for the government to "step in and make things right."

She stated: "We can't fall asleep on this issue and we can't relent. We have to do all we can to make sure that this resort does right by our community and our environment."

Ms Cook concluded: "(RWB) were in a rush to re-open and get people back on the property, all we want is for them to give the same energy in fixing this very serious problem."

Damage suffered during Hurricane Irma forced RWB to temporarily shutdown in September. However, the resort re-opened to guests on September 27.

In a statement Friday, RWB said it had gone to extraordinary lengths to clean-up storm debris and immediate damage.

The resort said debris was quickly gathered from the damaged marina and surrounding areas, and is now "temporarily" being stored on property while it waits an "appropriate contractor" to dispose of the materials in an "environmentally neutral manner."

RWB added that the vendor who originally provided its marina docks, has agreed to place skimmers in the marinas for long-term remediation.

The statement concluded: "We appreciate the assistance and concern of our neighbours and the government of the Bahamas as we work together to recover from this disastrous storm."