GT spruce up beginning with roads
(CNS): The much-anticipated rejuvenation of the country’s capital is due to start within the next few weeks on the roads, the premier has stated, beginning with Godfrey Nixon Way, the first road to be upgraded, widened and improved. The premier has promised to breathe new life into George Town, with upgrades to Smith Road and Humber Lane, and improvements to the Linford Pierson Highway with the creation of two lanes in either direction.
George Town, Grand Cayman
Alden McLaughlin said that the roads were the catalyst to the revitalisation project as they will facilitate the efficient flow of traffic in and out of the business district. In addition to the roads, the PPM administration is also planning to create public green spaces in the capital, which will be a significant element in the overall project.
Speaking at the Fidelity CEO conference last week, the premier stated that they were currently in discussions with the private sector to create a park on the site of the now closed and dilapidated old government administration building, the Glass House on Elgin Avenue, which will soon be demolished.
He also revealed plans for a recreational park and public beach next to the South Sound launch ramp, which, he added, would help preserve that pristine area for long-term public enjoyment.
The promised rejuvenation will include changes to the type of development that will now be permitted in the capital and the possibility of residential areas in the downtown area to change the dynamics of George Town. McLaughlin said government was planning on changing the building codes to include mixed-use development, and said the amendments are expected to go before the PPM Caucus and Cabinet next month and should be before the Legislative Assembly by mid-year. He said government has already been meeting with businesses and developers interested in the revitalisation project to discuss potential unique developments for George Town.
“Should these projects come to fruition, they will not only lead to more jobs in the construction industry, but will enhance retail, commercial and tourism offerings in George Town,” he said.
The airport improvements, the creation of cruise berthing and the solid waste management project, he added, were also part of the revitalisation of the capital.
He told the audience that the $50 million airport terminal expansion at Owen Roberts International Airport was the furthest along of any of the promised projects, with temporary improvements already completed.
“We expect substantive construction, which is being funded with $35 million from the Airports Authority, to begin this summer following the usual tender process,” he said. “Cabinet has pledged $15 million over two years to fast-track the project to bring relief to the traveling public.”
Meanwhile, he said, government was “on track” regarding the cruise docks. However, he revealed that the tender would not be ready until the summer of 2016.
McLaughlin said after the environmental impact assessment, public consultation and an approved environmental management plan was completed, the design development for the facility was scheduled for completion early next year. Only then would the tendering process begin.
Another major project that is inching along is the waste-management solution, and construction is now unlikely to begin for another two years. McLaughlin said his government would deliver an integrated solid waste management facility but physical work on creating the solution would not begin before 2017.
“This is expected to have a major recycling and composting component and we anticipate that it will also use waste-to-energy technology. But this will all be determined once AMEC UK Ltd. has completed its work and delivered a strategic plan to the country that will serve as a roadmap for an overall waste management solution for the next 50 years,” he said. “I am hopeful that physical work on creating the solution can be started by 2017.”
In the interim, he said, operations at the existing landfill had improved with the reinstatement of good landfill management practices as well as replacing old and used landfill equipment and vehicles.
Not forgetting the capital’s high school, McLaughlin also revealed that work was restarting on a new John Gray High School hall. But private sector projects are also expected to help with the boost to George Town.
McLaughlin said that Cayman Enterprise City would be developing its long-awaited campus shortly, with 140 companies now in real estate all over the capital and almost 400 more potential IT firms wanting to take advantage of the package offered. CEC has bought a 50-acre site that will become the Special Economic Zone’s permanent home.
The planned campus will be located on the outskirts of George Town, just minutes from the airport, and he said government was working with them on completing an already gazetted access road, which is on crown land.
In addition to sprucing up the capital and boosting business, the various projects are expected to create jobs and help to tackle the ongoing local unemployment figures, Although these are better than they were when the PPM took office, McLaughlin said the situation was still not where government wanted it to be.
Category: development, Local News, Politics
The wind was blowing from the N – NW yesterday and I could smell the stink from the dump in Red Bay. This dump is an embarrassment to everyone in the Cayman Islands.
They should build pay parking garage at the old tower building site. It would pay for itself and maintain itself.
Good to see work being done on George Town.
Yep a new road will fill those empty buildings.
Perhaps if Govt didn’t mess with business so much with their socialist agenda business would be coming to cayman instead of leaving.
Your third world actions hurt people and the world is wide awake to the games played with people.
Over 100 of my friends will not come to cayman not even my father will visit
He refuses to give one dime to this economy.
So sad for us whom love it here that outsiders just cant understand
Socialist Agenda! Get real. If this government has a socialist agenda then it has failed miserably. On judgement day your fathers refusal to “give one dime to this economy” can be discussed at length with his maker. Also the precise number of 100 of your friends is questionable.
Open your eyes how many Govt employees are their? the free housing, the govt airline, the mentality of entitlement. Overpaid leaders, Free heathcare saying whom can be hired whom must leave. All a failure
Perhaps I have more friends than 100 more like 1000 that wont come and increasing everyday
My father knows It & he remembers the USSR and Germany and Cuba.
My fathers maker will be happy.
Can anyone show me one project that was completed by the CIG efficiently, on Budget and On Time.
I don’t think so, All they do is talk and pay lip service and get nothing done. All these time frames are laid out conveniently before the next election so the PPM can talk about the stuff they have in the works during their campaign. Which is what this is all about, getting reelected.
I have no faith in the Public Sector to correctly complete anything in a high quality fashion. A good example of this is the sea wall on Seaview Road in East End. Why would they put all that money into building those walls and them put crappy landscaping in the planting areas that were created. It looks like they dug up any old trees and put them there. Every time I drive through there I am disgusted. How hard would it be to have planted a single coconut or Palm tree in each one to enhance the shoreline. This is a testament to the quality of work done by the CIG, compare that to the things done by the private sector. Compare the road built by the CIG to the ones built by the private sector, compare the green spaces created by the CIG to the Green spaces created by the private sector. Need I say anymore..
Thanks largely to the efforts of the late Jim Scott, the Government Administration Building was completed on time and within budget.
Built it by himself?
Compare and contrast! Where would I start. Perhaps with the private sector doing an inspection of schools in Cayman when not one inspector has ever been in a state school, or an accountancy firm doing a report in parallel that has at its heart the hidden agenda of C4C. Or maybe again look at how efficiently billions passes through Cayman by the private sector but actually never touches or impacts on the economy in any significant way. Yes, CIG or all persuasions is a poor performer but the private sector is not necessarily the answer.
Don’t expect real issues, like parking, to be addressed. This is just another mouthful of lip service from Alden. Note, Government is already taking credit for the sidewalk by the fish market – private property.
They won’t want any credit after the first person falls through the ridiculous railing and breaks a limb. Won’t be long now.
Good, this is desperately needed in GT. It’s currently a dive and I feel sorry for the cruise-shippers wandering aimlessly around.
It’s a shame they can’t find a way to put some green space around the waterfront. They seem to close the water front roads off often enough without it causing too much of a problem.
Parking and a lack of sidewalks are also an issue.
all form the guy who was too afraid to bring in sunday trading…….back to sleep….zzzzz
What ever happened to the environmental impact assessment that was to be done for the cruise ship berthing facility?
i did not see where the parking downtown is addressed. I would hope that it is included in the plan.
very good point
Would both of you plus your family & friends be willing to pay for parking in GT? Say $1 per hour?
I would be willing to pay for readily available, safe and convenient parking downtown. However I would expect it will cost a bit more then one dollar an hours. Most likely 5 Dollars an hour which in turn will just make Camana Bay with it’s abundance of free parking more attractive. They would need to build a large multi-level parking garage downtown in order to compete with that.
We are going to spend a fortune on so called waste management technology but this will not remove the dump. Waste to energy is not cost effective but it seems Government have been seduced with all these costly ideas which will not cure the problem, but line the pockets of the providers, and leave us with masses of equipment will no doubt suffer from lack of adequate maintenance and end up back in the dump.
Shhhhhh. Soon come!