RADIO ABACO NEWS

April 2001 Table of Contents

RADIO ABACO NEWS

Hotels Inspected: Hotel Inspector Anthony Price was on Abaco during February with officials from Environmental Health and the local government Hotel Licensing Board. They started with Spanish Cay and Tangelo at Wood Cay, then went on to Great Guana Cay. Hope Town, White Sound and Lubbers Quarters were next on their ag Cay. After Mores Island, Sandy Point and Treasure Cay, most of the rest of the time was spent in Marsh Harbour. There are 761 hotel rooms on the island. Towards the end of the inspection period Mr Price said he was pleased with the standard of rooms on Abaco. One property, however, was required to close its restaurant because it fell below the minimum standards required.

Stop Wasting Your Money! At a meeting for residents of The Mud and Pigeon Pea where the crowds spilled into the parking lot from the Court Room in Marsh Harbour, those present were told by Island Administrator Everette Hart on 19th February not to waste their money by doing any more construction in their home areas. The Mud and Pigeon Pea developed without permission and without any planning and are settled mainly by Haitians. A new sub-division with 310 new lots will be developed between Joe's Creek and Marsh Harbour for the Haitians. In addition to the 310 residential lots "You will have to do what the rest of us have to do," Administrator Hart said. "Apply for your licence, pay your licence and run your business." The sub-division will also have five churches, a community centre and number of parks.

Increased Airport Security: Security is to be tightened at Abaco airports. During a visit to Abaco by a team of civil aviation experts, workers at the Marsh Harbour and Treasure Cay International Airports were provided with new security ID's which will allow them restricted access to the ramp area. Many of the ID's were withheld until current police records were provided. The new initiatives are a response to the downgrading of Bahamian airports by the US in January of this year.

Help for Abaco Farmers: Many of Abaco's farmers were left devastated after Hurricane Floyd and found it difficult to rebound. Godfrey Eneas, national consultant to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, said the farmers will not receive cash but seed and fertilizers. "I was extremely impressed with the acr Mr Eneas. "I think there's a tremendous future here for Abaco to be a major supplier of bananas in The Bahamas." The distribution of seeds and fertilizer will be performed through the local office of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Action Against Crime: The Citizens Against Crime Committee, which was formed during a visit to the island by Commissioner of Police Paul Farquharson, is already in action and ready to make a dent in crime. The committee has received a donation of two 2001 Hyundai Accent vehicles which will be used in central Abaco to patrol zones. Zone One Patrol Area will include the Marsh Harbour business district and points north east including Little Orchard and Pelican Shores. Zone Two Patrol Area will include Dundas Town, Murphy Town, Forest Drive, Crockett Drive and Government Sub City. According to Randy Key, the chairman of the committee, they are looking for volunteers to man the programme, which started on 1st March.

Immunise Your Child: Child immunisation on Abaco is below the national average according to Deborah Fox, the National Immunisation Coordinator for The Bahamas. Children who are not immunised, said Ms Fox, stand the risk of becoming brain damaged. "It all depends upon which one of the diseases the children may get. Diphtheria and other diseases can lead to death." Children should receive their first shot at the age of two months and a final shot at age four before entering primary school. The shots are given free at all government clinics in The Bahamas.

Reconstruction on Abaco: Speaking in the House of Assembly on a bill to provide funds for capital works projects, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said the seawall and road repair in Sandy Point will cost over $800,000. The new seawall at Coopers Town will cost more than $1 million and it will extend for the whole length of the settlement. Fox Town dock will be repaired and work will also be done on the ferry dock for Green Turtle Cay. The dock at Coopers Town will be relocated while the old dock will be repaired for use by small craft. Altogether, 12 docks will be rebuilt or repa Mores Island and Sandy Point.

Money for Sports: Funds have been made available for the upgrade of sporting facilities on Abaco which were destroyed by Hurricane Floyd. Senior Island Administrator Everette Hart said $100,000 has been provided by government and asked the Sports Council and administrators on the island to prepare estimates on the required work.

Teen Pregnancy on the Rise: On 26th February District Education Superintendent Jackson McIntosh appeared on Radio Abaco to shed light on the Ministry of Education's rules pertaining to discipline in government schools. Corporal punishment remains and must be administered with a bamboo cane. Only the principal can give corporal punishment with the exception of one other delegated person. Boys must be punished by a man and girls by a woman. "Teen pregnancy is really up this year," said Mr McIntosh. "We had five girls who became pregnant at one of the high schools on the island." He said this trend would continue if young girls at school were allowed to leave the premises in cars driven by young men. He hoped that Social Services would make examples of some of the men involved in these pregnancies.

Plans in Progress: In an interview with Radio Abaco, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said there would soon be a new central primary school for Abaco. It would be situated near Fire Road and accommodate the students from Coopers Town and Treasure Cay. Construction was due to start before the end of this year. There would also be a mini hospital for central Abaco which will be built on a five acre lot between Crockett Drive and S C Bootle Highway, Marsh Harbour. Also due to be started this year, the mini hospital would have 12 beds and be fully staffed. Building would be funded by the National Insurance Board. A start was expected by July on the construction of the Marsh Harbour dock. Covering 12 acres, the project will cost over $7 million. The new dock will have a minimum depth of 13 feet at low tide. There will be both domestic and international docks, with road access to S C Bootle Highway. The project should take between 11 and 13 months to complete.

Long Time No See: Abaco was visited by a director of Fire Services on 6th March for the first time in over 25 years. Alexander Rolle was on the island for three days to visit volunteer fire departments in Hope Town, Man-O-War, Great Guana Cay, Green Turtle Cay, Dundas Town and Marsh Harbour. He also travelled from Crown Haven to Sandy Point during his three day visit in order to see how his department could assist.

Happy Birthday to Us! Radio Abaco celebrated four years of reporting the news and entertaining the Abaco public on 14th March.

Bahamasair Scare: Shortly after its take off from Treasure Cay Airport on 14th March, a Bahamasair plane carrying 40 passengers had to turn back and make an emergency landing. Five minutes into the flight to Nassau, passengers reported the smell of burning wire. The plane made a bumpy descent back to Treasure Cay and landed safely. One of the passengers on board was Freddy Gottlieb, Chairman of Bahamasair. The passengers had to stay in Treasure Cay overnight and a crew came in from Nassau to repair the aeroplane

April 2001 Table of Contents