Cavalier Construction is well known in The Bahamas for building beautiful and high end homes throughout the islands. They have also built some of the country?s largest projects including: The Savoie Residence at the Abaco Club, Bayroc Condos in New Providence, and the Atlantis Convention Centre on Paradise Island, to name but a few.

During this time Cavalier has also developed three projects themselves, including Lyford Place, Harbour Breeze and the Pineapple Fields in Eleuthera.

Now they have set their sights on a small nineteen home development on Joe's Cay, Hope Town, Abaco. The ?Island Club? project is in keeping with The Bahamas Government?s desire to build small yet compatible projects in the Out Islands. ?Hope Town is a beautiful, idyllic location for a small development,? noted Vernon Wells, Cavalier?s Deputy Managing Director and Hope Town home owner himself. ?We are looking to build a second home club that is appealing to second homeowners while fitting into the lifestyle of Hope Town.?


Before they build though, the company is undergoing all the necessary approvals and will need to have an EIA (environmental impact assessment) to present to the government and the soon to be elected Hope Town local government council.

In keeping with the government?s desire for public consultation, Cavalier held a preliminary public meeting in Hope Town last week. During the meeting Chairman of Cavalier, Richard Wilson, took the time to explain the concept of the development, the estimated time line of the project, and the company?s building history. After he spoke, Ian Fleming, of Bruce LaFleur Architects, gave a brief overview of design elements for the project and the first set of conceptual plan alternatives. Included in the information was an overall review of the site layout, highlights about the home plans, the company?s choice to use as many native plants as possible, while assimilating their design to match the Hope Town island style.

The rest of the public meeting was devoted to a question and answer session and then one on one meetings between local Hope Town residents and the project?s representatives aimed at gathering community input and incorporating it into the planning process. These included the environmental consultants for the project, Michelle Bethell, of Bethell Environmental Ltd., and Keith Bishop, of Islands By Design Ltd., both approved to do work in the Bahamas by the Bahamas Government through the BEST Commission And who will work on the EIA on Joe?s Cay.

A large contingent of residents and second home owners turned out for the event and were eager to discuss issues about the development and some of their concerns about the cay. Some of the concerns noted at the meeting were the size of the boat basin for owners? docks, the number of mangroves that would be affected, keeping the "quaintness" of the island, the look of the project, the planned waste system, and the dredging that would need to be done.

The developers noted all of these concerns and others that came up at the evening meeting held at the Hope Town Harbour Lodge and are taking them into account in relation to the development. The developers also spoke to many of the homeowners after the presentation and many of their concerns will be reviewed during the EIA process and during the review of project alternatives. At the end of the meeting the executives and consultants viewed a mangrove video that had been arranged by the residents to help illustrate to the developers some of their concerns.

?We felt the night went well,? noted Wilson. ?The full time residents and second home owners had some very valid concerns that will be addressed in the EIA study that we are due to commence. We are excited about this project but we are mindful that we must respect the locals while also building a sellable development.?

Galaxy Group of Companies, which is headquartered in Nassau, is the parent company of Cavalier Construction, Bobcat (Bahamas) Limited and Solar Power Concepts The company?s history began in 1956 when they constructed the well known Peace & Plenty on Exuma and the company has grown over the years to become a household name as a premier construction company in The Bahamas.

Over the years, Cavalier Construction has successfully completed numerous projects on behalf of both the government and the private sector including offices, hotel resorts, airport facilities, schools, condominiums and luxury homes amongst others. More recently, it has expanded its operations outside The Bahamas, notably in the Turks and Caicos Islands. For the company?s complete bio please visit their website at www.cavalierbahamas.com.

Speaking at a public meeting in Hope Town, Elbow Cay, Abaco, Chairman of Cavalier Construction, Richard Wilson, presented his company?s plans to develop The Island Club, a nineteen villas and clubhouse project on Joe?s Cay, off Elbow Cay, Abaco. Wilson, with Ian Fleming, architect for the project, explained the details of The Island Club proposal. Mr. Wilson is pictured speaking at the meeting, with (left to right) Keith Bishop, of Islands By Design Ltd., and Michelle Bethell, of Bethell Environmental Ltd., environmental consultants for the project.

During a public meeting held at the Hope Town Harbour Lodge in Abaco, Cavalier Construction discussed their plans to build a nineteen home development on Joe's Cay in White Sound, Hope Town. After a brief programme and then a question and answer period the principals of the project spoke one on one to the locals and second home owners about the project so they could address any concerns. Pictured (left to right) are a home owner in Hope Town, Michelle Bethell of Bethell Environmental Ltd. the projects environmental consultant and Mr. Richard Wilson, Chairman of Cavalier Construction. The developers will now conduct an EIA (environmental impact assessment) of the cay and surrounding waters.

In keeping with the government's desire to hold public meetings on all proposed projects in the country, Cavalier Construction held a open meeting last week in Hope Town on a proposed development on Joe's Cay in White Sound. Hope Town locals and second home owners spoke to the developers about their concerns or suggestions about the project. Pictured are some of the seventy residents who attended the event. They voiced concern over mangroves, dredging and fish nurseries around the cay. The company will now complete an EIA, (environmental impact assessment) of the cay and surrounding waters, which will be presented to the Bahamian Government and the Hope Town local government council.