After months of construction, the 100 residents on Current Island now have a new concrete dock, making the island accessible to all throughout The Bahamas.
In March 2011, the government signed a $214,959.30 contract with Robert Roberts of Complete Marine Services Co. Ltd. to reconstruct the dock.
The contract also included repairs to the nearby wooden ferry dock.
Harbour Island's administrator Don Cornish told Guardian Business that the Current Island dock was built to facilitate the arrival of mailboats.
He shared that it represents one of the gateways to North Eleuthera.
"The sea is such an important element when it comes to small communities like this. Small communities have always depended on their sea linkage to New Providence for resources, food items, services, hardware supplies and even transportation," according to Cornish.
Cornish emphasized that this linkage between Current Island and the rest of The Bahamas is critical, otherwise it makes it very difficult for residents to have a good quality of life.
He also outlined some of the challenges that the contractors faced during the dock's construction.
"We now have a concrete dock that is more durable. The contractors indicated to me that one of the biggest challenges in a community like Current Island is the fact that there are very little resources," Cornish explained.
"So they had to bring in materials from off island unlike in some areas where there is a hardware store or somewhere basic where you can get the materials that you need with wood and the like. So there were some challenges in that respect. I understand that most of the supplies came from Spanish Wells," he added.
Despite Current Island being mostly residential, Cornish believes that the completion of this dock now brings with it bigger economic opportunities.
"There is no commercial activity taking place on the island and  [the dock] is really only servicing the residents. There's very little activity other than homes, a few small churches and a school," Cornish said.
He continued: "So it gives that island opportunity for potential in the future. Now that it has a reliable location for interested persons to bring in goods. This could even open up the door for those who may be interested in operating domestic or international cargo."
Current Island Dock was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and was known as the main dock.
Public Works and Transport Minister Neko Grant said he is happy to bring relief to people of Current Island.
"The dock was merely a rock before," he said. "What we now have is a concrete dock which can withstand hurricanes. The wood pilings are bumpers for boats that will be tied up along with it.
"The dock is ready for use with only cosmetic work left to be done. Trimming of poles and a few other things are left to be completed," he said.
Meantime, he said he was also pleased with the quality of work underway on Three Island Dock.
Minister Grant, and a team of works officials including permanent secretary Colin Higgs and director John Canton, along with local government representatives inspected the projects during a recent visit to Eleuthera.

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