The Tribune

By ANNELIA NIXON

TRIBUNE Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMA Rock employees yesterday staged a public demonstration as Grand Bahama residents opposed to its proposed Freeport Harbour expansion accused it of using the imminent temporary lay-offs of 69 staff to pressure the Government into approving its project.

The demonstration occurred after Bahama Rock confirmed that it will cease aggregate production on September 18 and temporarily lay off its 69 hourly employees for up to 60 days from September 21, citing the depletion of its existing aggregate reserves and uncertainty over approvals to access a new source at the former 515-acre Bahamas Cement Company property.

Residents in Eight Mile Rock and surrounding communities, however, questioned whether the impending job furloughs were being used to pressure the Government over the project, which has faced opposition over the feared impacts from blasting, plus groundwater, environmental and community concerns.

Eugene Duncanson, an Eight Mile Rock resident, said he believed the threatened job losses were being used to influence the Government’s decision.

“Absolutely,” he said. “The Government got to be smarter than that. If you don’t give it to me, I’m going to lay some people off? You cut off your nose, spoil your face. I’m not for it. It’s going to create a lot of damage.”

Harold Curry, another resident, similarly accused the company of using the workers’ employment as leverage to secure approval for the Freeport Harbour expansion. “They using that to try get the Government to give them the OK to do the blasting,” Mr Curry said. “But more people getting effects from that.”

He said the issue was particularly difficult for his family because his son is among the workers facing imminent lay-off. “But let’s look at the big picture,” Mr Curry said. “Sixty-something people getting let go, but you’re hurting thousands of people in a different way. My son is one of them getting laid off. My son works there.”

The residents’ concerns centre heavily on the effects they say previous blasting has had on homes and the surrounding environment.

Mr Duncanson said cracks have appeared in his home, and claimed the company’s activities could further affect groundwater relied upon by residents who do not have access to city water.

“My house on both sides of the street, the walls are cracked,” he said. “You have to realise that most of the people in Eight Mile Rock, and Hepburn Town, a lot of people don’t have city water. They have well water from a pump. And when they pump their well water from the pump, the water will come in even more brackish.”

Mr Duncanson argued that excavation and blasting could also affect underground water movement between Eight Mile Rock and the Fishing Hole.

“The water from the north side to the south side goes underground from the south-west side of Eight Mile Rock to the Fishing Hole,” Mr Duncanson said. “In the holes in the Fishing Hole, you can see it bubbling when the water comes back. You can see the water goes underground from here to the Fishing Hole and back on a daily basis as tide goes up and down. That’s going to impact the environment, basically.”

Mr Curry also said his house was damaged by blasting, and asserted numerous homes in the area had suffered similar damage. “My house crack up as well from blasting,” he said. “And a lot of houses in the area damaged from the blasting.” 

Mr Duncanson further questioned the economic justification for the proposed Freeport Harbour excavation, arguing that Bahama Rock’s operations were primarily benefiting the company rather than surrounding communities.

“Listen, they’re not doing anybody a favour dredging a harbour,” he said. “They’re going 70 feet deep. There’s no ship that draws 70 feet of water. Digging deep to get aggregate to sell abroad.

“This company is based in this Bahamas, and they’re making money millions and millions of dollars. They’re not doing us any favours. These people are billionaires and making money from The Bahamas.”

Bahama Rock has repeatedly rejected claims that it is holding employees’ livelihoods over the Government as leverage.

The company previously told Tribune Business that characterising the situation as a choice between project approval and employee job losses was “simply incorrect”, maintaining that its existing limestone reserves are finite and approaching exhaustion.

Bahama Rock said the Bahamas Cement Company property, which it acquired last year, could provide access to adjacent limestone reserves and allow it to continue operations, preserve employment and maintain the supply of aggregate and limestone to the wider Bahamian economy.

The company has warned that a failure to secure approval could ultimately force it to “close permanently”, while asserting that the loss of its production could create shortages and increase aggregate costs for Bahamian businesses, government and consumers.

The proposed extraction project is also tied to plans for the near-270-acre expansion of Freeport Harbour, with Bahama Rock maintaining that extracting limestone from the Bahamas Cement property would eventually facilitate a new turning basin and deep-water berths.

The project has still faced significant community opposition, including concerns over blasting, groundwater, flooding, wetlands and other potential environmental impacts.

Mr Curry said the economic benefits being cited by Bahama Rock must be weighed against the number of people potentially affected by the project. “They’re damaging more people than helping,” he argued.

The Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce, meanwhile, said it was aware of the concerns surrounding the employees and had been in discussions with Bahama Rock.

Ralph Hepburn, the Chamber’s president, said he was speaking with company representatives as recently as last night. “I was speaking with representatives from Bahama Rock up until almost 8pm last night,” he said.

Mr Hepburn added that the potential impact on employees had been discussed. “Employees played a part in that in terms of how they would be affected. As to what happened today, I knew nothing about it,” Mr Hepburn said, referring to yesterday’s demonstration.

The Chamber has previously acknowledged both sides of the dispute, saying the jobs and economic activity generated by Bahama Rock are important to Grand Bahama while stressing that environmental and community concerns must also receive proper consideration.