The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Sir Franklyn Wilson yesterday said Arawak Homes “takes serious umbrage” with Dr Hubert Minnis’ assertion that a southern New Providence community it is developing is “set up for disaster” and was started without the necessary permits.

The Arawak Homes chairman told Tribune Business that the ex-prime minister had now “accepted an invitation” to tour the Pinecrest subdivision so he could obtain “a better understanding of the facts on key aspects of this matter”.

He hit back after Dr Minnis, during his House of Assembly address on Wednesday, asserted that the subdivision Arawak Homes is constructing in a public-private partnership (PPP) with the Government’s Ministry of Housing is situated “in a flood zone” and was begun without the required Town Planning Committee approvals. He also questioned the construction methods being employed on the homes.

“We are aware of the remarks made by the former prime minister in Parliament yesterday,” Sir Franklyn said. “We take serious umbrage with certain aspects of that, but we have no desire to get into a public dispute with the former prime minister. 

“We are pleased he has accepted an invitation from us to visit the property at a time to be mutually agreed such that he will have a better understanding of the facts, and we look forward to hosting the former prime minister at an early date.”

Asked which particular aspect Arawak Homes was taking “umbrage” with, Sir Franklyn replied: “I have promised the former prime minister to have that discussion with him void of the press, so I ask you please to respect that. We will explain to the former prime minister information which we believe would be useful to him in terms of ascertaining the facts on key aspects of this matter and look forward to meeting him very shortly.

“He made a whole series of statements, a series of allegations. We have no desire to focus in on one aspect of it. We wish to show him information we have that may make him revisit his statements in certain aspects. He said a lot, he said a lot.” Executives involved in Pinecrest’s design, engineering and construction will be available to talk to Dr Minnis during his visit, Sir Franklyn added.

Pinecrest represents the Davis administration’s first housing venture since it took office. Some 47 homes are due to be built in the first phase, and construction on all is being targeted for an October completion. However, Dr Minnis, during his Wednesday address in Parliament, argued that the Government had failed to follow the statutory processes and obtain the necessary approvals before construction began.

“Madame Speaker, the Government should lead by example. The Government should follow the law,” Dr Minnis asserted. “How is it, Madame Speaker, that so many houses - and I agree that we need houses for people, I do not object, I do not object to building and ensuring that people have accommodation and housing, but how is it that homes could have been constructed so that the roof levels in the south......

“You don’t know yet; you’re hearing this one for the first time. Pinecrest area, yet there was no approval from Town Planning. Does the law not require approval? Houses have been constructed. Is that the new norm? We build without approval or we build and then approve later? Now Madame Speaker, no approval. Approval has since been submitted, but I won’t go into any detail at this particular point in time. I will elaborate at a later time.”

Explaining that he was familiar with Pinecrest and the surrounding south New Providence area because his sister lives there, he added: “I would have hoped that Housing would have asked people in that community about the given properties. It’s a flood zone. I spend a lot of time there. It’s a flood zone. Heavy rains, and I passed through there during the last rain, and water was already settling between the houses.”

Disclosing that he conducted his own personal inspection of these conditions, Dr Minnis alleged that there were several design and construction flaws. “The houses, the blocks were laid like bow, but when you put the roughing on it you camouflage the bow,” he added. “There were no columns. Blocks were inter-connected, no columns. There were no belt courses.”

Belt courses are a continuous row or layer of stones and brick set in a wall, running horizontally across the face of a building. “Madame Speaker, it’s a set up for disaster, flood and hurricane. Those homes are problematic,” the former prime minister alleged.

“I would ask, I would urge the minister that there were plans drawn up for that entire area by one of the former prime ministers under the FNM government. I would ask them to review such plans so they have a better idea of what was planned for the area, some of the problems they may have encountered, and seek again what was the opinion of the architect at that particular time.”

Dr Minnis said the Davis administration was “falling into the same trap” it encountered when developing the Carmichael subdivision. He added that his administration had to fill-in three to four feet because the area, and its then-four homes, had been constructed in a flood zone that was below sea level. The four homes already built had to be demolished as a result.

“Pinecrest, I have no objection, but at least we have to set an example. We cannot build houses without approval. Town Planning has a system,” Dr Minnis said. “We cannot build houses without putting in the necessary infrastructure knowing that the area floods. Let’s do it right, and put in the necessary drains so that people stand a better chance. Let’s do belt courses, let’s do columns so houses can withstand hurricanes. Don’t go back to the three little pigs.”