The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The next wave of downtown Nassau property demolitions will cost the Government nothing when they begin this weekend because the owners will cover the bill themselves, a Senator said yesterday.

Senator Randy Rolle, the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation's global relations consultant, who has responsibility for the downtown revitalisation efforts, confirmed at the Prime Minister's Office's weekly media briefing that the owners of the targeted buildings have opted to pay for the demolition themselves.

"Demolition is scheduled to commence this weekend, providing there aren’t any electrical issues. We are working along with owners on the logistics. At the moment, we are positive about four, possibly five, buildings east of East Street that are being eyed for demolition," he said. “The committee has met with the AMMC (Antiquities Monuments & Museums Corporation), and we are satisfied and agree the way forward on these moves.”

"We have drafted an action plan for the re-imagination of downtown Nassau through several key initiatives that we intend to roll-out over time. We have zoned downtown into four focal areas to allow for a focused approach on specific needs.”

The zones have been identified as zone one, Navy Lion Road to Frederick Street; zone two, Frederick Street to Parliament Street; zone three, Parliament Street to Elizabeth Avenue; and zone four, Elizabeth Avenue to the Paradise Island Bridge.

The Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation has also initiated a pressure washing initiative to address dirty properties as part the downtown Nassau clean-up effort. Pressure washing will be twice monthly on the 8th and 20th of every month.

“We know right now this may not be enough, but we have to start from somewhere,” Mr Rolle said. "The garbage bin on Junkanoo Beach has been repositioned and we have increased the collection times from weekly to daily, ensuring a cleaner environment.”

The Junkanoo Beach project is also proceeding as tourism, the Ministry of Works (MOW) and the Junkanoo Beach Association are “progressing with architectural renderings” and awaiting engineering and water and sewerage assessments.

The Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation is collaborating with the Ministry of Works to address flooding in the downtown area by finishing the sidewalks and ensuring more resilient infrastructure. It is also planning to have more entertainment in the downtown area by creating an “historical park” at the rear of Rawson Square and also an art district on the eastern end of Bay Street.

“We will be working with the creative community to create cohesive themed murals, enriching the downtown area with art and culture,” Mr Rolle said. A recently-announced valet parking imitative will be going into its second week, after which the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation will make a determination if they should keep the initiative.

Mr Rolle added that the company providing the valet parking has partnered with the owners of various downtown parking lot spaces which they use for parking vehicles. However, there is no plan for the Government to incorporate its own paid-parking for the area.