Minister of Transport and Aviation Glenys Hanna-Martin yesterday said that she is "painfully aware" of the impact on Exuma businesses caused by the abrupt closure of the Staniel Cay airstrip last month, stating that repairs on the currently closed airstrip would commence in two weeks.
Hanna-Martin told Guardian Business that the government intends to issue a letter of intent by the end of the week, with the total repaving of the strip expected to take between one and two months.
"We are painfully aware of the impact that's being felt in that area. The member of Parliament for Exuma [Anthony Moss] is distraught. This is not the kind of circumstance that we would have wished for, but the [airstrip] deteriorated so much.
"It could take up to two months, which is not very comforting because that's a long time. We're just hoping that it can be completed in the shortest possible time to mitigate any continuing losses," said Hanna-Martin.
Minister of Works Philip Brave Davis advised Hanna-Martin that the exact cost and plan for the repaving are still being finalized and will begin, at the earliest, in two weeks.
"Discussions are being engaged in about the final cost of the repair, which is going to be the complete resurfacing of the runway. A letter of intent is to be issued on Friday once an agreement is arrived at. Assuming all of these things fall into place, work is to commence within two weeks," she said yesterday.
The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) announced the temporary closure of the airstrip in early April, citing safety concerns. While the deteriorating runway had traditionally been repaired with quick fixes, a pair of engineers from the Ministry of Works and CAD determined that the airstrip could not be patched and must be closed immediately.
Hanna-Martin previously told Guardian Business that the Ministry of Works had advised that the repairs would likely cost $1 million. The closure and subsequent slow government response caused considerable ire among the cay's business people, who argued that the lack of notice had led to numerous cancellations and losses.
When asked if her ministry was applying enough pressure to the Ministry of Works to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, Hanna-Martin stated: "We're pressuring them. They may be pressuring themselves, but the Ministry of Works is the technical arm of the government, and they're responsible for repairs. It's something that's on the front burner in aviation for us because it has impacted the local economy."
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