The developers behind a proposed $220 million golfing community on Cat Island are back at the negotiating table with the government, more than three years after the groundbreaking on the stalled project.
 
Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe confirmed that the multi-million-dollar development is now being discussed at the cabinet level.
 
"The prime minister is undergoing a series of meetings with the developer.  We are discussing changes and the possibilities of moving ahead," he noted.  "We are unable to speak about when that will take place.  However, discussions are ongoing.  We are now back at the table.  The developers say they are ready to build.  Once the legal matters are completed, where all of the i's have been dotted and t's have been crossed, then an official announcement will be made to the public."
 
Wilchcombe said he is pleased with the progress that has been made so far and believes a project of this magnitude will undoubtedly create linkages that will stimulate economic growth.
"Cat Island is one of those islands that requires a tremendous amount of focus, because if we have an anchor project, it would create linkages that cause economic growth.  We want to make it happen," he shared.
 
Ground was broken on the proposed 1,906-acre oceanfront resort in April 2009, originally set to open in May 2012.  However, since then very little work has been done on the development.
The government and developers have yet to reach a formal agreement on the final product.
 
If approved, Cat Island could be the site of the first ever Professional Golf Association (PGA) village outside of the United States.
 
It was in 2008 when the PGA of America announced it entered a licensing agreement with Cat Island Partners Ltd., developers of the Cat Island Golf and Beach Resort.
 
The PGA-licensed property would be owned by Cat Island Partners Ltd., and operated by Southworth Golf, a subsidiary of Southworth Development LLC, of Newton, Massachusetts.
The proposed village would include two 18-hole championship golf courses, a five-star hotel and a variety of residential properties. A tennis center, casino, apartment complex and full-service beach club have also been proposed for the development.

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