Acting Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis has acknowledged that the East Street post office building requires "major renovation", and pledged that the government is "actively pursuing an alternative for their accommodations" as a matter of urgency. He was speaking in the context of a discussion on public buildings and assets at a special roundtable discussion with Cabinet ministers and family island chambers of commerce.
Davis, minister of public works and urban development, said in The Bahamas, as with most countries, the demand for public infrastructure far outstrips the budget allocations.
"We must also ensure that public buildings are maintained with robust preventative maintenance systems to prevent the rapid deterioration of public assets.
"Only yesterday, we saw the walkout of postal workers, citing unsatisfactory working conditions. Suffice it to say, the building requires major renovation. Government is actively pursuing an alternative for their accommodations. Social Services, National Security, and the Attorney General's Office have already been relocated. The challenge has been the accommodations for parcel post. This issue is urgent for government," he said.
Fundamental truths
Davis shared what he called "some fundamental truths" about infrastructure in The Bahamas. First, that The Bahamas is specially challenged as a sparsely populated chain of islands; secondly, none of the Family Islands are self-financing, meaning there is always a net inflow of public funds to sustain them, and finally, the Bahamas government operates on "a very narrow tax base" compared to most countries.
"These are the realities of a country where 70 percent of the population lives on New Providence, where, I would estimate, an even larger percentage of its GDP is generated. This explains the fact that Hurricane Sandy, a much smaller and less powerful storm, generated over $700 million in economic cost compared to the $100 million generated by the mammoth Hurricane Joaquin.
"Our Family Islands, therefore, represent some of the greatest potential for growth. Together, they are the "sleeping giants". With this in view, this government commits to their awakening," he said.
The acting prime minister noted that until recently, The Bahamas was solely dependent on its docks and ports for the movement of people and goods. Through the Hurricane Restoration Unit led by Melanie Roach, he said, the government has given priority to ensuring functionality to areas devastated by Hurricane Joaquin. Pointing out that airports are now a standard for family island transit, Davis said that with 61 airports, the costs to operate them must be rationalized in a comprehensive manner to match economic activity and to encourage prospective economic activity. Here he mentioned the studies estimating family island repair cost needs at just under $160 million.
"Master plans have been commissioned for the busiest airports in the Family Islands, namely Exuma, North Eleuthera, San Salvador and Governor's Harbour. Those master plans include topographical studies with 20-year projections based on the anticipated economic growth of each island and its infrastructure, including other airports.
"We have also commissioned master plans for Deadman's Cay, Long Island, North Andros airport and airports in Crooked Island and Acklins. We have also engaged consultant architects and engineers for the proposed International Airport Terminal Building at New Bight. We have in hand a preliminary plan for the new airport. Cabinet has already approved expenditure in the sum of up to $11.5 million for the new terminal and runway rehabilitation to complement the PGA development. Construction will begin within the first half of this fiscal period and be complete within 18 months thereafter," Davis said.
Davis also spoke to the roads throughout the country, saying the roadworks in New Providence were "much needed... notwithstanding the painful process to completion".
"In respect of Family Islands, road works on the devastated islands are government's priority. We have begun works on all of the affected islands and expect that these works will assist the residents to some semblance of normalcy. My ministry is progressing toward completing a master plan for the development of all of Cat Island, which includes the Spine Road; the study is funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CBD). Sand seal repair works to the roadway in New Bight, Cat Island is complete. Abaco is now the beneficiary of a critical addition to its infrastructure to include the upgrade of all roads in Marsh Harbour, Dundas Town, Murphy Town, and Sandy Point settlement roads," he said, adding that roadworks in North and Central Andros to include the repair and reconstruction of the main and settlement roads are underway.
The way ahead
Davis told the meeting that the government is intent -- "as far as is possible" -- on securing private sector involvement in building roads, bridges, airports and other structures, which should lead to both better quality services and lower cost services.
Still, in terms of meeting challenges, he said human resources considerations are critical, and that proper planning will help integrate various elements of infrastructure.
"As with any issue, we must ensure that we have an adequate number of people with the right skills to manage the country's infrastructure. We have great people working already, but we know that we will need more specialists to manage a modern infrastructure program for the country.
"We are going to have to develop a strategic master plan or a capital planning process to enable decision-makers to prioritize investments across ministries and sectors. There must be a proper balance of environmental and development issues. Development must be approached holistically. Significant infrastructural development must accompany development. Again, the capital plan will assist with this decision making," he said.
Davis also asserted that when locating major infrastructure projects, the climate and geography must be considered. Roads, seaports, airports and power plants are often located in areas vulnerable to coastal hazards. The placement of these assets, he said, must be reconsidered.
K. Quincy Parker
Guardian Business Editor
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