Officials last night started the demolition of buildings on East Bay Street, longtime eyesores in a largely abandoned area of Downtown Nassau.

In another time, the buildings had been a hub of activity and were a part of the charming architecture along the strip, but fell into decay and became a source of embarrassment and annoyance for many Bahamians.

The government views the project as a way to kickstart the renaissance of downtown, which has been promised for many years.

After 7 p.m., a tractor tore down the dilapidated old William's Shoe Store, not long after Prime Minister Philip Davis, Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper, Attorney General Ryan Pinder, Senator Randy Rolle (who is spearheading the effort on the government's behalf) and other officials toured the area.

In all, officials say nine buildings have been marked for demolition with four first in line to be taken down.

Cooper explained, "The first four that we are doing are being paid for by the property owners. We're going to do what we need to do to get the buildings demolished and we will figure out on the backend how we capture any funds that we spend on the demolition here on Bay Street. But we're not allowing anything to deter us, but we're going to let due process take its course and we hope to be able to get the job done and show some significant tangible works on behalf of the Bahamian people."

The old Pacific Restaurant, Hotel Corona and Union Wharf are among those set to be demolished.

"The idea is to ensure that we are making active progress in terms of changing the landscape here on Bay Street," Cooper said.

"What we propose to do once we've demolished the buildings is to turn them into green spaces. So, over the course of the next few weeks, you might very well see some picket fences and some green spaces in most of these spaces."

He added, "We are making active progress in terms of our plans. This is only one component of the plan to really reshape what's happening here on Bay Street."

The government's budget this fiscal year includes a $1 million allocation for beautification of the entire Bay Street area. A focus on East Bay Street is regarded as priority for the government.

"All of the buildings as you imagine are owned by different owners. This one here (the old William's Shoe Store) was a very cordial conversation," Cooper explained.

"The owners opted to demolish the structure. They're paying for the demolition. There was absolutely no contention. There are some of the owners who received notice. Some are concerned about demolition and have made alternate proposals.

"The bottom line is we want to work hand in hand with the stakeholders. We don't want this to be a forced operation, but we want it to be a partnership. Suffice to say, the four that are ready for demolition, they're not contentious."

The current owners will still own the properties - unless they decide to sell them.

"The government isn't taking anyone's property, but we're working along with them and we're going to work with them to beautify this space," Cooper said.

"We are fortunate that there is great cooperation. This level of cooperation, I don't believe we've seen in decades. There's much trepidation, if you will, about whether there will be tangible significant improvements and we wanted to demonstrate that we are making significant progress."

He noted that while the government intends for there to be green spaces, the property owners have the right to do with their properties whatever they wish subject to the usual approvals of Town Planning and the Ministry of Works.

"So, if they decided to build a new building, that's completely up to them," Cooper said.

He noted that the government owns some of the rundown properties.

"We're treating the government the same way we treat the individual property owners. Senator Rolle has also given notice to those respective departments and we hope to see some progress on government-owned buildings as well," Cooper said.

Rolle also said the revitalization unit within the Ministry of Tourism has been working closely with property owners to ensure a successful completion of the project.

He said work continues on preparing all the buildings for demolition and efforts are being made to ensure there is minimal inconvenience to the public, hence the decision to carry out the work in the evenings and on weekends.

Removing the dilapidated buildings is just one aspect of improving East Bay Street.

The area usually floods significantly when it rains.

Asked whether fixing that problem is a focus of the government, Cooper said, "Flooding has been a problem here for decades in this area with a moderate amount of rain. These infrastructural works probably happened in the '50s or the '60s.

"They've been maintained fairly well by the Ministry of Works and the Water and Sewerage Corporation ... but there is need for long-term work. That's a part of the longer term program to ensure the infrastructure in all of these areas would be upgraded. That's of course a significant undertaking."

Cooper said the government also plans to pedestrianize some streets downtown.

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