Remarks by Rt. Hon. Hubert A. Ingraham
Groundbreaking Ceremony for PGA Village, Old Bight, Cat Island
Cat Island Partners Development
24 April 2009

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is my second visit to Cat Island in connection with the development of the first PGA Village outside the United States of America and just the third in the world.

When I met with you at our Town Meeting last June I said that I did not usually travel the country with prospective investors but that Mr. Southward and his partners had satisfied me that they had the means and the will to carry out their multi-million dollar development notwithstanding what we thought then were weak economic prospects internationally.

I think it is fair to say that the global economy has performed even more poorly than we expected then, with significant negative impact on our economy, particularly since September last year. The result has been a measurable decrease in visitor arrivals on our shores and a sharp increase in unemployment levels.

Mr. Southward told all of us last June that Cat Island Partners had the financing in place for this project and that the global financial crisis would not alter that.

I was especially impressed when he said that Cat Island Partners believed and worked on the principle of using periods of economic slow-down internationally to ready its properties for the upswing that always follows.

I agreed to come back to Cat Island with Mr. Southward and his partners today to mark the groundbreaking for what is to be a premier hotel, residential, casino and golf club because Cat Island Partners have kept their word and their commitment to the Government and people of Cat Island and, indeed, The Bahamas; and this notwithstanding the considerable further deterioration in the global economic situation and the less than bright projections for economic recovery in the short term.

I am pleased to advise that this week my Government agreed, subject to the completion of the appropriate environmental studies, the addition of a marina component to this development at a proposed Port Howe site.

The development of the marina would provide for us an excellent opportunity to pursue the stabilization and conservation of the historic Farquharson Plantation Great House and for the safeguarding of the adjoining historic one-room original school house in Port Howe.

This groundbreaking today is a singular development in the history of this island. It is a new and never before experienced economic shot in the arm for one of our least developed Family Islands which is also one of our richest islands in terms of natural beauty and cultural and historical legacy.

Cat Island was the site of a number of plantation estates during early colonial times and just in the near vicinity of this site can be seen the historic ruins of the Farquharson, Bourbon and Armbrister Great Houses.

We meet almost in the shadow of Cumo Hill, made famous as Mount Alvernia by the Roman Catholic hermit Father Jerome when he built a small chapel at its peak -- the highest point in our country.

Cat Island is the home of rake ?n? scrape music, quadrille dancing and flour cakes. It is, nowadays, the host of two important annual cultural events -- the Labour Day Weekend Rake ?n? Scrape Music Festival and the Emancipation Day Weekend Regatta.

And, this island ? in a settlement further north ? is the ancestral home of the internationally acclaimed Oscar winning movie and stage actor, Sidney Poitier.

The residents of many of our islands claim to have the best beaches in our archipelago; certainly Cat Island is rightly placed among the finest in that regard.

I say all that to say to Mr. Southward and his partners:

In choosing Cat Island as the site for your investment, you have chosen well. I hope that as developers, you will tap into this rich and varied cultural and historical background and that some aspects of the culture of Cat Island will be incorporated into the PGA Village.

Cat Islanders are proud of their island and its history and we trust that you will be deserving stewards of this, one of our precious as yet unpolished jewels.

I note in this regard, that this development is being held to the highest ecological standards so as to safeguard the environmental integrity of the landscape and marine resources and to ensure the environmental and hence economic sustainability of the development.

I take this occasion also to say to Cat Islanders, whether resident here on the island or farther afield in New Providence or Grand Bahama, the location of this upscale development provides myriad opportunities for those qualified, skilled, interested and willing to work.

In the near term, the construction of the resort is expected to create some 200 construction jobs. During this time of uncertainty in the employment market, it is important that those of you resident here in Cat Island take up the challenge to fill as many of these job opportunities as possible.

I assure you that construction workers, idle in New Providence and Grand Bahama, will have a keen interest in availing themselves of these opportunities.

As the property enters into operation, hundreds more jobs -- projected by the developers to amount to as many as 900 -- will come on stream for the management and operation of the hotel, casino and golf course and, potentially, marina.

Additionally, hundreds and hundreds of spin-off jobs will also be created in the local economy whether in supplying locally-grown fruit and vegetables, fish and other marine products, jams and other condiments for the restaurants and homes of the development.

Expanded opportunities will also come for those engaged in the production of quality souvenirs, straw work and artwork for sale to visitors to the village. Increased opportunities will also arise for persons providing ground transportation, offering land tours, and sea excursions including sports fishing.

I stress in this regard that this is designed as an upscale resort. The standards expected and, indeed, demanded by the developers, hotel and resort operators and by their patrons will be high. I fully expect that Cay Islanders and Bahamians from further afield will do themselves and all of us proud by meeting and exceeding those expectations.

It now gives me great pleasure to join in the groundbreaking activity for this multi-million dollar development. I say to Cat Island Partners, welcome and may you enjoy the greatest success in and satisfaction from this your first venture into the islands of The Bahamas.