Staniel Cay airstrip closed abruptly for safety

Mon, Apr 13th 2015, 01:28 AM

The sudden closure of the 3,000-foot airstrip at Staniel Cay, Exuma, during the island's peak season has "shut the economy down" and is "a slap in the face from the government", according to Exuma investor and resident Nicole Ferguson, who reported that the closure has already led to cancellations and other losses of business for the cay's business community.

Transport and Aviation Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin stressed that the government had no choice but to close the vital artery, citing safety reasons. While residents have offered to pave the strip themselves - as a temporary measure just to get back in business - it is not yet clear if the government has accepted that offer.

The Department of Civil Aviation (CAD) announced the temporary closure of the runway over the weekend, citing safety concerns.

"The closure will allow for the immediate repair of sections of the runway by the Ministry of Works and Urban Development. The ministry has undertaken to complete the requisite work within the shortest possible time," the CAD statement said.

Ferguson, owner of Embrace Resort in Staniel Cay, spoke with Guardian Business from Exuma yesterday about the government's decision to close the runway, which she insisted occurred without any prior warning or notice despite the CAD statement, which did not appear to have been circulated through the regular channels for news releases from government agencies. She and other residents and investors - who also expressed concern but were reluctant to be named - expressed uncertainty about when the runway will be repaired and reopened. The Staniel Cay runway is important to other cays including Bell Island and Sampson Cay as well.

"It was abrupt... They came in, inspected it and closed it [with] no notice," she said.

Hanna-Martin confirmed that the decision had been sudden; while she was not certain what prompted the investigation of the runway, that investigation revealed that as much as 2,000 of the 3,000 feet of the runway were in such disrepair that patching was no longer an option.

"It's a forced circumstance. The runway can't be kept open. It's a safety issue," she said.

Ferguson reported that there had been a meeting with residents on Saturday, at which government officials had apparently promised an answer by Wednesday as to when repairs on the runway would begin. It is understood that those officials intend for Hanna-Martin to raise the issue at Cabinet on Tuesday. Officials also reportedly said at the meeting the repairs to the runway would take six weeks.

"That's nonsense," Ferguson said, asserting that the six-week timeframe was deemed by all to be extremely unlikely.
Hanna-Martin could not say how long the repairs would take. She noted that the Ministry of Works was responsible for the actual repairs, and that that ministry was "mobilizing".

Questioned about the effect of the closure, Ferguson was irate, pointing out that the runway has been in disrepair for 20 years or more.

"[The closure has] shut the economy down. We're shut down for the rest of the season," she said.

"They brag about how much money Staniel Cay puts in the Treasury, but we get nothing back. This is a slap in the face from the government. This is the government squeezing the neck of the goose that lays the golden egg," she said.

She added that the issue was not political - not a PLP or FNM issue, but a government of The Bahamas issue.
Hanna-Martin also raised that point, telling Guardian Business yesterday that the decision to close the runway was not a political or policy decision.

While the airstrip is closed, travelers to Staniel Cay must fly in to Black Point, Exuma, and take a ferry-ride to Staniel Cay. In fair seas, it is a five-minute jaunt. In choppy seas, the crossing is difficult and dangerous. Consultants Stantec have previously pegged the price tag for rehabilitating a list of 28 critically important airports in The Bahamas at $185 million. Staniel Cay is on that list.

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