WORK on the Village Road Improvement Project is making progress.

The project is designed to bring upgrades to buried utilities on slightly less than a mile of roadway on Village Road between St Andrew’s Drive and Montagu Beach.

New traffic signals, the removal of existing pavement, installation of new pavement, electrical ducts, water mains and services and construction of junction improvements are included.

Proposed changes include widening to three lanes from the New Providence Road Improvement Project - at the approach of the Village Road Plaza, a median lane near Queen’s College, which will make turning easier, the addition of a turning lane at St Andrew’s Drive and the removal of a silk cotton tree at Parkgate and Village roads for the provision of a turning lane.

According to the Ministry of Works and Utilities, the completion date of the project is September 2022.

PRIME Minister Philip Davis and members of Cabinet toured the construction site of Aqualina on Cable Beach yesterday to view the progress of the 11-storey skyrise.

Jason Kinsale, president of Aristo, said he believes the development signals a dramatic change in high-end property.

“The greatest change in the luxury real estate market in The Bahamas may not be visible to the naked eye, but the experiences that accompany the physical assets,” says Kinsale, whose latest development is adjacent to Aristo’s ONE Cable Beach on the strip of much sought-after prime waterfront within walking distance of Baha Mar Resort.

“What we want to offer at Aqualina is a total lifestyle package where you can revel in the pleasure of your home or get away for a day at an island you always wanted to visit.

“The decision to move in this direction was based on our research that showed a demand for the highest quality of construction, overall size and comfort, attention to detail and unique lifestyle features.”

Expectations, he said, especially to a high-end market, have changed since he began building multi-family developments over 15 years ago. Though every project his company has completed has been a sell-out, client expectations have increased.

“It used to be enough to offer a waterfront view, storm-rated doors and windows, high ceilings and highest quality kitchen cabinets, but today’s standards are even more demanding,” he said. “Now, that’s just a starting point and you ask yourself, where do we go from here?”

Aristo marketing director Matthew Marco agrees.

“So when we were designing Aqualina, we asked ourselves, ‘What can we offer that makes this property so special, so desirable that a potential buyer anywhere in the world, from Switzerland to North America to the deepest border of South Africa, will look at the brochure or video and say, that’s it. ‘That’s where I want to be.’ We wanted to create more than a luxurious residence. We wanted to create magic.”

From the sheer size – residences range from 3,200 to 5,100 square feet with the penthouse coming in at 7600 square feet, each of the 27 residences in the 11-storey building is accessed by a private elevator. The lobby and welcome area is staffed 24/7 with a concierge and has three private beach villas overlooking the infinity pool, vast deck and generous hot spa pool.

But the ‘magic’ Marco mentioned may just be in something that takes owners off the property – the Aqualina Boat Club.

“We know that most people who will live at Aqualina will want a boating experience without the hassle of owning and maintaining their own vessel year-round, so we created a membership club for boating and some 12 different experiences which will continue to evolve,” said Marco. “Whether a couple wants a private beach picnic day or they want to take guests to Exuma to swim with the pigs, there will be a boat and a trip available.”

Asked if he was surprised that only eight of 27 residences remain with completion still more than a year away, Kinsale answered without hesitation. “Not at all, there’s never been anything like Aqualina on Cable Beach, the market is steaming hot for the finest in luxury and given that we want to be the leaders in ease of doing business.”

Following his tour of the property, the prime minister noted that Aqualina’s economic impact is expected to be significant.

“They will be employing at least 100 persons or more through this project, and then thereafter, there would be at least 60 permanent employees or more,” Mr Davis said.

“What we see is a win-win situation for The Bahamas.”

Noting that the majority of the units in Aqualina have already been sold, Mr Davis continued, “It’s already having its impact.

“As you have heard, 60 percent of the condos have already been sold.

“What does that mean? It means that we were getting our VAT on those sales.

“We hope to see those purchasers visiting and putting heads in beds here.”

A $1M road works project is being undertaken by the Grand Bahama Port Authority Limited as part of an initiative to resurface roadways in Freeport.

Work is expected to start on Sunday, May 22, at the Fishing Hole Road, and West Atlantic and Adventurers Way roundabout.

Troy McIntosh, GBPA Deputy Director of Building and Development Services, said the City Maintenance and Management section is excited to begin this initiative to resurface roadways within the city.

He said: “Our city has been through many challenging storm events which did catastrophic damage to infrastructure around the island, including our roads.

“But our community is resilient, and we are seeing a positive shift in the economic tide,” Mr McIntosh said.

“Excitement for future opportunities and anticipation of new investments is palpable through the city, so we knew this was the ideal time to start this aspect of Freeport’s much-needed makeover to which GBPA is fully committed.”

Mr McIntosh indicated that roadworks will include main thoroughfares and a number of residential roads.

In addition to the Fishing Hole Road, West Atlantic and Adventures Way roundabout, work will include West Atlantic Drive at Rayvin Mall roundabout, Beach Way Drive, Bahama Reef Boulevard, Pioneers Way, Waterfall Drive, Tarrytown Street and Grand Bahama Highway.

Mr McIntosh said those locations were selected using their Road Rating System, which allows inspectors to assess the condition and rideability of roads annually.

The GBPA roadworks project went out to bid in December 2020. In March 2022, the Bahamas Hot Mix (BHM) that specializes in heavy civil engineering projects, including major highways, was awarded the bid.

Mr McIntosh said that motorists should be careful while driving in areas where roadworks are taking place.

“We ask motorists to drive with due care and attention while roadwork is underway,” Mr. McIntosh advised.

He noted that there will be flagmen and temporary traffic lights will be in position to direct traffic.

Mr McIntosh urged motorists to obey the speed limit and the posted signs to help ensure the safety of all motorists and crews as they work.

He said delays are expected because there will be partial lane closures in some areas.

On Monday, May 23, Bahamas Hot Mix will proceed to the roundabout at Freeport Bible on West Atlantic Drive to resurface the road there. The work will start at 9am and end at 7pm.

Mr McIntosh said the crew will then proceed south to Rayvin Mall to carry out major undertaking there as well, which will last for a period of three days.

The next location is Beachway Drive from East Sunrise Highway to San Salvador, just short of the Castle. At Bahama Reef Boulevard, from Beachway to Cove House. Then at Tarrytown from Seahorse Road to Westminister in Windsor Park, and from Waterfall Drive to King Neptune to Seahorse Road. The last two locations are Pioneers Way and Grand Bahama Highway.

Ramdeo Ramdass, operational manager at Bahamas Hot Mix, said that they plan to complete the work as quickly as possible. He said the contact is short term.

Sean Geiser said people will be at sites to ensure safe traffic management. He said some roads will be fully closed, including the roundabout at West Atlantic from 9am to 7pm. He said traffic lights will be used at some roads, and at the dual carriageway one lane will remain open.

The Grand Bahama Port Authority said the road resurfacing project is scheduled to be completed at the end of June 2022.

#For the latest updates and information on redirected travel routes, residents can follow any of the Grand Bahama Port Authority’s social media sites or visit its website at www.gbpa.com.

A search on the government's online portal for contract notices and contract awards under the Department of Public Works, which has a large capital works budget, reveals just four contract notices since the Public Procurement Act came into force on September 1, 2021.

The contract notices include one for IT consultant published on October 18, 2021 – the only notice published by the department between September, when the act came into force, and December 31, 2021.

The three notices from this major department of government for 2022 include a contract notice for a public private partnership (PPP) for the general post office, published on February 8; a PPP for the port development project published on February 7, and another PPP for the port development project published on January 31.

Section 61 of the act states that a procuring entity shall publish within 60 days of the award of a procurement contract, information on that contract award, including the name and address of the awarded bidder, the contract price and the selection method of procurement.

Our search did not produce any contract award notice being published by the Department of Works since the act came into force.

We also searched several other departments with large budgets.

The Department of Education produced just three entries: A contract notice for provision of professional certification (October 4, 2021); a contact notice for certification training (October 25, 2021) and a contract notice for building materials (February 2, 2022).

Our search did not produce any available data for Water and Sewerage Corporation.

Bahamas Power and Light published five contract notices since last September: notices for energy supplies, vehicles, appliances and a gas pressure washer.

There were 16 entries for the Royal Bahamas Police Force since the law came into force, mainly what appeared to be minor contracts, including roof repairs, exterior lighting works, general A/C works, furniture, cleaning supplies, and vehicle tires.

Public procurement specialist Daniel S. Ferguson, who led the drafting team for the development of the Public Procurement Bill 2021, and managed the development of the e-Procurement Supplier Registry, observed in an op-ed carried by The Nassau Guardian last July that only four agencies were at the time actively using the system: The National Insurance Board (NIB); the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources; Bahamas Department of Correctional Services and Royal Bahamas Defence Force.

Since the enforcement of the act last September, the RBDF had 20 contract notices for items ranging from generators to vehicle parts, to footwear, antigen tests and paint supplies.

NIB published 20 contract notices, including notices for roof repairs, external lighting repairs and paint jobs. It published no contract awards.

Since September 1, 2021, the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services had three contract notices: a notice for electrical supplies and services; a notice for the replacement or repair of a freezer and two ice machines and a notice for grocery.

The Ministry of Agriculture had 20 contract notices, including notices for the cleaning and hauling of conch shells/garbage from Arawak Cay, collection and disposal of bio-hazardous waste from the animal control unit, security services for Potter’s Cay Dock and Arawak Cay, office supplies and air condition maintenance.

The Ministry of Agriculture published one contract award notice for a $30,500 contract to Earth Design Landscaping for landscaping and garbage removal.

Since September, the Ministry of Health published 19 contract notices. It published one contract award – a $25,060 contract to Ports International for antigen tests.

It is apparent through multiple searches of the portal that most government agencies are treating the publishing of contract notices and contract awards as completely optional.

After exhaustive searching, we could only find a few contract award notices.