Trust joins protest against beach ‘enhancement’
(CNS): The National Trust for the Cayman Islands issued a statement via social media on Tuesday morning stating clearly that the NGO does not support plans put forward by the Cayman Islands Government to “enhance” Smith Barcadere. The Trust’s post echoes concerns from the People for the Protection of Smith Barcadere, a group formed to protest government plans, which is holding a Peaceful Protest Picnic this Saturday.
The so-called enhancement at the popular beach include creating a large car park in the lot next to it, which will include clearing and paving the area.
The Trust stated that it is “concerned that once again land will be cleared and paved thereby destroying the natural beauty of the area that Caymanians have enjoyed for decades.” Noting that some of the trees in the area that CIG plans to clear to make way for a beachside parking lot are protected under the National Conservation Law, the NGO asks, “[W]ill these be destroyed, again ignoring the laws of the land?”
The Trust called on its members to join the protest on Saturday “to show support for leaving Smith Barcadere in its natural state”.
Three members of the group opposing the plans, Berna Cummins, Shirley Roulstone and Alric Lindsay, appeared on Rooster’s morning talk show, Cayman Crosstalk, on Tuesday to push back on some of the claims made by MLA Barbara Conolly and others on Radio Cayman the day before.
The panel said that the initial plans for the beach had included arches and an observation tower and eight gazebos. But knowing that they were coming on the radio on Monday, government had issued a release on Friday which appeared to scale back some of the features, they said.
But the members of the panel were skeptical, wanting to know which plans were tendered and suggesting that government was misleading the public about what they intended to do. People opposing the plans have said it may cost $2 million in total, which was flatly denied on the Radio Cayman show.
However, Cummins explained that this figure was put forward at an initial meeting about the plans.
She said that the ‘enhancement plans’ are apparently in two parts. When they met with MLA Conolly on 18 January, she shared the original plans, which had arches and “this big fabulous parking lot” that was talked about on Monday, which has been designed by a civil engineer and is to be paved and incorporate drainage.
She said that when they asked how much it was going to cost, “it slipped that it was almost two million. ‘Oh, but don’t say that because it’s going out to tender.’ That is where we arrived at the two million. We’re not lying; that is where it came from.”
Cummins said that if you look at the plan, you can see how it will cost that much. “That parking lot alone is probably going to cost five hundred thousand to do, with all those boulders, drains, pavers, the wall that they want to build.”
She noted that her brother AL Thompson, who is chair of the Central Planning Committee, did not approve those plans.
“This is where the government makes their rules and they break their rules,” she said, explaining that the plans did not go to the CPA but to the director of planning and he approved them.
“What went out to tender appears to be the first part and includes the wall, the parking, the sidewalk and some other features,” she said, noting that it is in the second part where the real expense comes in. This will include new bathroom facilities and an office.
“What are we doing with bathroom facilities on the beach?” she asked. “You go to the beach, you swim, you brush off the sand, you get in your car and you go home. So why do we need all these elaborate changing houses and water, an air-conditioned office with WiFi for a security guard? Let him sit under the trees like everybody else. How is he going to see what’s going on in a locked up office?”
She said that government keeps saying they are so transparent. “But we have yet to see them presenting any plans. So, it’s so confusing! All these plans, which one are we supposed to believe?
Roulstone also noted that there was no Mobi-mat, which provides easy access to the beach for the elderly and disabled, in the orininal plans. Although Conolly is now seeming to brag about how the enhancements will make the beach accessible to everyone, the Mobi-mat was actually a private sector donation via the Rotary Club. When initially asked about disabled access, the response was that they could just go somewhere else because you couldn’t please everyone, Roulstone said.
She stressed that this is not a South Sound issue. “It affects all of us and we all have to stand together against what’s happening here.” She said there are only two beaches left that are truly for Caymanians: Smith Barcadere and Governor’s Beach on Seven Mile Beach, which is why they get so overcrowded.
Roulstone noted that hardly anyone goes to Public Beach because it’s “not an enjoyable experience anymore”. This is why they must fight for the beaches they have left, she said, as she invited all residents to get involved.
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Category: development, Local News
We were so worried about the Central Mangrove at more then 10,000 acres, no one was worried about the beach. Swamp owners had already given 2000 feet from the sea in North Sound. But were still impacted as they wanted more and more. Environmentalists groups offered so little that most people won’t sell.
What has happened as the public was led to believe is that 2500 feet from the sea was creating sea life. They kept the emphasis on swampland where no one goes to visit to see mosquitoes. Beaches was left off the list to protect. Over the years I kept trying to tell people worry about the beaches not swampland. They have secretly blocked half the swampland in the middle of the island.
If we had developed the swamp like 7 mile beach area you wouldn’t have been driving so far from each side of Cayman to get to work.
Decentralize George Town and have Government buy at least of mile in East End and Frank Sound and make public beaches. Do the same in North Side.
You cannot stop people from using Public Beaches!!!!!!
The best thing that could happen would be if Barbara showed up to say that Government was going to buy the land behind the current parking lot from AL’T…Would make both of them heroes in their own constituency….
Instead Barbara will probably not bother to show up or will want to play her ridiculous video..
There are so many other pressing things that could use money and she just doesn’t see it. We are feeding hundreds of the elderly and shut-ins through Meals on Wheels. Many kids are going to school with breakfast. Our schools are a mess and the big elephant in the room, “the dump” continues to burn and pollute or air…
Paving roads in Windsor Park and giving them free wifi and water and once a year turkeys and hams are not what the majority of people want..What they need is a hand up not a hand out…Educate and create jobs that these folks can have. Make them feel proud that they are working for a living and can stand on their feet alone and stop keeping them uneducated and dependent on politicians for their survival.
MLA Barbara Connolly cancelled her radio show space with Woody today.
I have to say, I’m not impressed, at all.
It seems to be the Modus Operandi with this government.
I hope you are ALL paying close attention.
I would like to hear her speak on her own. Not with ALT and Kurt with her to prop her up. Does she have her own options or just doing what PPM wants her to do? That’s what it seems like. Same with her support of the Port. It’s not what her constituents want. Just saying.
I agree and I would also like to know why she won’t attend a public forum.
She is an MLA, her job is to be in front of people, fielding the hard questions, openly and honestly. Instead she chooses closed door meetings.
Terrible.
People, dont be fooled. This development of Smith Barcadere is for more tourists to come and visit there instead of SMB, as the vendors are harrassing the SMB tourists too much.
But, what do you think will happen when the tourist go to Smith B?? The vendors will follow them there too and it will be like SMB ALL OVER AGAIN.
This is also a development plan for Smith B so that our next Premier McKeeva can sell the SMB to Dart for another hotel.
The two Brac Ministers Moses and Julianna have authority to stop this but they dont care what happens to Grand Cayman, or what Dart wants to do in Grand. They dont care what ALT does in Grand either.
So dont let them develop Smith B. If they do, there will be no peaceful beach left in Grand for residents.
This land is deeded to the CROWN, so it’s not even the people’s land where any Caymanian can tell the Queen what to do, especially to demand that the Queen violate the rights of the elderly and disabled.
Globally, it is basic common sense and humanity to respect ACCESS RIGHTS of the elderly and disabled in public spaces like these enhancements are trying to achieve by alleviating the effects of their limited mobility so they don’t have to painfully walk across lanes of busy traffic just to appease these unconscionable activists.
Locally, the hatred of these activists stinks of entitlement and segregation by them trying to prevent a vulnerable segment of the population from enjoying Smith Barcadere ON A SEPARATE PIECE OF LAND THEY DON’T HAVE A SAY ABOUT.
This is no different that rich expats blocking beach access from Caymanians!
EXCLUSIONARY AND ILLEGAL!
Good luck with a Grand Court JUDICIAL REVIEW on this one, which WILL FAIL UPON APPLICATION.
These activists will be scorned out of the Appeal Court and Privy Council, and become a beacon of disgust at the European Court of Human Rights.
Right on!!!!! Well said.
Oh, please!
Humanity, respect, exclusionary my a$$!
Enforce human rights for healthy environment first! Or the entire island would become disabled soon.
Don’t exploit elderly and disabled to promote your agenda.
And don’t skip your anger management program sessions.
We ARE the elderly and disabled whom YOU are trying to keep from fully enjoying Smith Barcadere.
Have you forgotten about that poor young man from Argentina KILLED some time ago in a HIT AND RUN when he was riding his bicycle not too far from this exact spot?!
Imagine…you claim to love the trees so much but HATE INDIGENOUS CAYMANIANS and would rather have poor old Granny hobble across lanes of reckless drivers when she wants to drive her lil self to Smith Barcadere for a dip and enjoy her lil self for hours when others might be otherwise indisposed due to employment, etc. where it’s difficult to drop and pick her and her other friends up?!
HANDICAPPED PARKING IS SAFEST AT THE CLOSEST ACCESS POINT TO THE BEACH RIGHT WHERE GOVT IS GOING TO PUT IT!
If govt can’t fix up Smith Barcadere for people like sweet lil Granny and hundreds of elderly and disabled people and put in HANDICAPPED PARKING for us here, who we fixing up Cayman fah to come here and enjoy when we can’t?
1.04pm For the entitled living in South Sound
@Anonymous 13/02/2020 at 10:20am,
If you are the spokesperson for these activists, any judicial review application being considered by your group will be lost quickly since you posted earlier that you wanted to “Enforce human rights for healthy environment first!”
Clearly any reception school child has the understanding that you cannot enforce human rights on a tree because a tree is not human and, by extension, a tree does not have any human rights to enforce.
So there’s that.
@Anonymous at 10:20am
And the only ultimate agenda appears to be spun by the activists trying to create a new petition database of supporter contact email addresses and numbers that they didn’t collect the first time around by now threatening government with another people initiated petition, which THE SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS IS DUTY BOUND TO REFUSE TO ACCEPT FROM YOU SINCE THIS PETITION IS ILLEGAL.
Our Constitution in Section 70(1) PEOPLE-INITIATED REFERENDUMS states that “Without prejudice to section 69, a law enacted by the Legislature shall make provision to hold a referendum amongst persons registered as electors in accordance with section 90 on a matter or matters of national importance THAT DO NOT CONTRAVENE ANY PART OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS OR ANY OTHER PART OF THIS CONSTITUTION.”
Feel free to confirm with your legal advisors that THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED ARE A PROTECTED CLASS OF PEOPLE UNDER THE BILL OF RIGHTS SECTION 16(2) who you are trying to bully government into refusing to provide handicapped seaside parking at Smith Barcadere.
So then there’s that second problematic matter for your group of activists also.
This piece of land was bought under false pretenses, raiding the Environmental Protection Fund. If Govt had paid for it with all the other “Money for People” that it collects every year they might have an argument. As it stands no EPF money should ever be spent buying land that cannot / will be immediately designated protected under the Conservation Law.
“Pave Paradise and put up a parking lot.” My place is in East End. We love Smith Barcadere. There is parking with good crossing facilities and changing and bathroom facilities. It doesn’t need more clearing and additional parking.
We used to love Starfish Point. A couple of years ago it was generally quiet and there were actual starfish. Now there are 10 boats and a jungle jim there. Any starfish would be trampled. Hope that doesn’t happen to Smith Barcadere.
And Rum Point. Soon Beach Bay too. Ruined.
changes will happen, nothing remains the same!
yes, and we the people should have a say on what changes take place on our island. Our MLA’s were elected not born into royalty.
Don’t forget to join the protest against this and the South Cove condos on Saturday
You are twisting the words.
“Accommodate” is the key word. Thousands of natural wonders around the world come without parking lots.
Leave your car in GT, ask friends to drop you off etc.
Do the taxi drivers have a place to wait? Visitors would need a drive there and back so….
No, taxi drivers should stay away from SC. Short walk from GT
Extremely dangerous walk from GT.
What about 1 mil. boardwalk?
This is a response to 4:40 comment.
Take a look at this folks; from a CNS poster who obviously lives within walking/ riding distance of the cove. “Exactly!
Walk or bike if you want to get to Smith Cove. It doesn’t have to accommodate everyone. Can’t find parking? Tough life, Smith Cove comes without it.
PROMOTE WALKING! ” Get it? Smith Cove is not for everyone. In other words ‘ Smith Cove is not for all of you ( It belongs to us).
Who is us? The Thompson family? Ms. Berna says that’s all their family land around it, so I guess that’s what you mean, huh?
Barbara can most likely be trusted, she just needs some ‘grey matter’.
Green matter.
I listened to the entirety of Woody’s show (and Philip, hi Philip!!) on Monday. Unfortunately, I had to listen to it in spurts and just finished the end of it today.
While I respect Ms. Berna, Ms. Shirley, and Mr. Alrick, I have to say, I am quite disgusted by what I heard.
This group is upset that the DoT and Cruise ship lines have this beach on their websites!? A caller phoned in and was unhappy that he saw 15 cruise ship people (how he knew, I don’t know?) on their way to the beach! My gosh!
To the panel on Woody’s show on Monday I ask:
* Are you for tourism or not?
We are in 2020. I understand that these panelists are mostly seniors but I would like to inform them that Smith Barcadere/Cove is one of the most photographed places on Grand Cayman.
Simply Weddings marries tourists at this location!! It’s on maps and apps! It is far from a secret. South Sound is one of the most travelled roads, how do you think people wouldn’t see such a beautiful beach beckoning them and stop?
Moreover, anytime someone takes a picture at any location, usually the picture is taken with a phone, and usually that picture has their location services ON. That means that the picture is automatically geo-tagged.
That means that if someone uploads that picture to Instagram, SnapChat, FB, Twitter, an app, or what have you – the pin is on the map, right there, for everyone to see, and for people to make plans to go and experience it for themselves.
That, alone, is better advertising than the DoT has ever done since their inception!
There are not any “secret spots” anymore anywhere in the world. Sorry.
I suggest that if you do not want to welcome visitors to your shores, you shut the airport and stop the cruises from coming in.
If you want to be selfish and greedy, on YOUR beaches, stop everything TODAY.
The main crux of EVERY problem going on in Cayman is TOURISM. The port, the airport, SMB, the permit holders, the beaches…
You don’t want it. You don’t want the dollars. You don’t want the hassle. You don’t want any of it. So just STOP.
Put Cayman back the the Islands time Forgot.
I will also pose the following question to the panel:
* There has been a lot of coverage in the news about Beach Access points around Grand Cayman. People blocking them off, people not allowing people to use them etc. Don’t you all find it highly hypocritical to go on a radio show and bemoan visitors going to Smith Barcadere/Cove and about the DoT and cruise lines having the beach on their websites, when all you have been doing lately is screaming about public beach access and how beaches should be for everyone.
I have to say, I am more than disappointed to hear these people entertained in such a fashion the other day. Not to be called on such hypocrisy.
If you don’t want the beach to be developed, that’s one thing; and, I happen to agree with you. But if you have a problem with the people who are enjoying the beach – that’s a completely separate issue.
Let’s start focusing on solutions.
Cayman is the most xenophobic and hypocritical place I have ever seen.
I respect everyone but I do not trust everyone.
I implore people to THINK.
Is Smith Barcadere/Cove unsettling to this panel because ALT did not get to sign off and “his beach” right across the street from his home and his family land will no longer be just from “them”?
Ever wondered why Amsterdam is running a new campaign “This is our home, we live here.”
No, I don’t. The campaign specifically is to get people there, to enjoy their home with them!
One of the DoTs slogans is CaymanKind! I just wonder, if all the rude comments were splashed out for the world to see, how it would affect tourism? Nobody wants to be where they are not welcome and tourists are NOT welcome in Cayman.
I may make a site that shows the whole world just what exactly Caymanians think of tourists. Maybe social media accounts with all the rude sound bites.
Before you all diarrhea down my back, your rude attitudes and words are just as destructive as tourists being robbed (a growing problem as we speak). Pages and pages of news articles with comments about how you all don’t want tourists, and if they do come, you seem to want them to please stay in their rooms or on the ship. Radio shows, blogs like CMR, people see them. Prospective visitors see them.
We don’t want to come anymore.
You all think Cayman is such a great place. It’s not anymore. Even the cruise lines are warning you.
Trust me when I say more than a healthy handful of Caymanians would like this overtourism to stop. We, the middle and working class, live here and are sick and tired of the traffic, general congestion and overdevelopment of our country. However it’s seems because we don’t carry as many decimal places in our bank account, our say doesn’t matter. We who can’t afford to go live somewhere else are stuck here in 2 hour daily morning traffic surrounded by concrete structures as we drive to work for little to nothing. We are tired. And nothing against you personally but we wish at least 50% of visitors and residents would stop coming.
I get it.
It must be a hard pill to swallow when the woman who was a realtor and who is the sister of the Chair of the CPA and the biggest building supply store is on the radio lamenting guests to your country enjoying what they think is their beach.
You guys all sold out over the years. This is your payback. You elect your government. You allowed all of the over development to happen! Heck, you’re all still allowing it! Every day this government stays in power, you allow it.
Now the world is seeing Cayman for how it really is: backwards and third world and dirty and greedy and selfish.
A whole nation built on excess now crying about it. Tough luck BoBo.
Well me nor my family sold out so there’s that. It’s just that the majority did.
Your problem is that you think all Caymanians live and aim for excess when that is hardly the case. It is the few who rule the roost and I’m not talking about the politicians either – its the merchant class who decide all.
Wrong.
I Live Here – A community-driven campaign.
The aim of the campaign is to make visitors more aware that normal people live in the Red Light District and to take this into account.
In Amsterdam, Even The Tourists Say There Are Too Many Tourists.
The cruise lines paid the government to redevelop Smith Cove so tourists from the waterfront have a beach to go to in close proximity. Don’t be fooled Caymanians! They’re doing it for them not us! Government could care less what happens to Cayman, as long as they’re getting paid to let it happen. Just like Jamaica, the government sold out to the Chinese, and now Jamaica’s gonna be in debt for the next 50 years, but the politicians don’t care because it won’t affect them.
Cig has sold out to Dart, the cruise lines, and other billionaire investors. They’re letting them destroy our home right in front of our eyes. We live on a VERY corrupt island you wouldn’t even begin to imagine. I just hope the Brac and LC are left alone.
A failing education system, a high Caymanian unemployment rate, this is not a coincidence, cig is purposely not investing into Caymanians, the billionaires don’t like us, so cig can’t either, we’re not good enough for them, so we have to be phased out. What better way to do so than to hold us back academically, financially etc.
Close mean proximity. Proximity means close. Close proximity is a redundancy.
i think you mean a tautology
The Disabilities Law is BINDING ON THE CROWN, which means that the Cayman Islands Government has a mandatory obligation to act to put HANDICAPPED PARKING at the CLOSEST POINT to increase the experience of the elderly and physically challenged.
Lol
Keep reading. They, the elderly and disabled, said they don’t want it.
Keep reading.
Other elderly and handicapped generational Caymanians DO need it and will sue for our right to use and enjoy THIS PUBLIC SPACE as any able bodied person has the right to use and enjoy it also!
Keep it natural and nothing else is required. You dont need to have ramps, spaces, etc unless you start building a bunch of eyesore buildings and parking places.
This is why I married a French woman
Whatever. I love french men
Honestly, the place is a shithole overrun by minimum wage work permit holders every weekend. Go see for yourself.
Believe it or not, some of those people are dark skinned Caymanians, you racist prick.
Cool story, those dark skinned Caymanians speak fluent Tagalog?
It may not fit your narrative but the evidence is there, profiling works. #bloombergwasrightsowaslegge
So the inverse is true also to assume that every white middle age male is a racist bigot who sees no value in a black male no matter the circumstance. So follow bloom berg and let’s all start profiling and assuming, see where that will lead us. As if we don’t have enough problems already.
That would be an awesome retort, were I a white middle aged male.
We have lost the public beach to commercialism and big investor – no longer is it a safe and tranquil place for families to enjoy. You can’t even view it as a scenic drive anymore.
This is exactly what will happen to this national treasure. Next it will the Spotts beach.
Leave it as is!
Use the money to pay down the national debt or invest it in other critical infrastructure needs.
If there is a problem with parking enforce the traffic laws. In fact, if you have to park illegally that means it is full and will only add to overcrowding and attract other crimes and anti-social activities.
To 8.45am ,” if you have to park illegally that means it is full and will only add to overcrowding and attract other crimes and anti-social activities” . With that backward way of thinking isn’t it great that we don’t have you running the Government. Instead of trying to provide facilities for your people you try to run them away from existing facilities
Yesterday, during the talk show on Rooster, Mr. McLean mentioned of the Thompsons developing a condominium/apartments in South Sound which Mrs. Berna advised that they were her family. He went on to inform the public that graves were removed from the site to enable the project to progress.. Don’t want to get this out of context, however, I would like if Mrs. Berna would like to respond to this before I post anymore.
Its all another lie, The big picture is that Carnival need a beach near to George Town for the cruise visitors. Smith Cove will be another beach with large tour buses and taxi’s dropping cruise visitors for the short visit. This project is all part of the port expansion so the Government is and has been misleading the people all along. (THIS IS WHAT THEY DO). Just don’t vote for them anymore XXXX. All crocked politicians who have been paid by carnival. If this project is done, soon you will see jewelry stores and fast food restaurants and others selling to the tourist. SHAME that government don’t invest in education, OHHH that means no more work permit fee’s ….so lets keep the people dump so we can make more on work permits and build more for visitors and work permit holders.
Leave it alone or it will become another attraction for the cruise lined where them big busses can park. Enough disfiguring the natural beauty that is left.
Where is the Department of Enviroment on THIS?
What… if you are paid by Gov.ky you have to support destruction and Oceanside parking lots?
Outrageous that our paid civil servants in the DOE are silent.
8:08 you remember when upper government kicked the DOE out of the port consultations and refused them to speak at meetings? Same thing here bobo. You cant blame them. By the civil service code of conduct they arent even allowed to attend the peaceful protest on the weekend. Everyone in that department is against this. Stop stirring the S£&t pot..
Against it in what, real life or CNS comments? …cant believe your paid to be a sheep as powerful of a set of human beings that we all are.
@6.00am We have to provide proof. If we are hoping to encourage others to join our cause , we can’t afford to come on here and make unsubstantiated claims. So if you have documents that support your claim , lets have them.
To 8.53pm A cove is a small inlet or bay. If some trees are removed it is still a bay. However the correct name is Smith Barcadere. A barcadere is a landing place for ships or boats. Again removing some trees won’t change that definition either.
Okay here’s the guy who bothered to google the terms that I knew would reply. Congrats to you, you have the internet. There are no boats landing at Smith COVE anymore, and honestly Smith Cove just sounds so much better. Clearly also, that’s the name the majority have their attachment to. So leave the abracadabra to the magicians.
Cayman’s latest cruise ship attraction.
No beaches left for residents…government keeps selling us out to line their POCKETS !!!
I refer the Trust to my post under the prior article on this subject. The Trichilia trees are Part 2 of Shedule 1 and have effective protection whatsoever. Govt will not be breaking any part of the NCL if it tears them out.
“No effective”
Wow. A development that Al Thompson doesn’t approve of! Guess it’s a coincidence it’s opposite his house 😉
ALT owns the land behind the existing parking lot!! Why the ef does he not sell a 1/2 acre at the market price and allow the extension of the current lot!! XXX ALT – help out Caymanians for once instead of getting rich off us!!
Because the government don’t want to buy it but use the seaside lot which has already been paid for – and not by them.
No more EPF money for nature.
Berna for Premier!!
Better not say that too loud though..Alden might get rid of AL’T…wait that might be a good thing too..
Give em hell Berna! Drain the swamp!!
Bernie is Altee Sister
So?? She is a woman and can speak her own mind..Their is still a few of us left..
Don’t get it. People are complaining that Smith Cove will be overcrowded… but isn’t already overcrowded? And plus think about governments aims of increasing the population. I understand the car park is not taking any of the property that we have now. The car park will be on newly purchased land. So, why the whole fuss …. THIS WHOLE EMOTIONAL ISSUE SOUNDS MORE POLITICAL THAN COMMON SENSE.
Government does not own the land, the people do and yes it was newly purchased to save it from the same thing the government is trying to do now. As far as I am aware and despite the government trying to make it seem like it is two separate parcels it is supposed be altogether as part of Smith Barcadere..
Yes it is emotional and the reason is because we are sick of our so called Government selling out what little we have left. If you think it’s overcrowded now…you wait till we get 2.5 million cruise passengers ….you will not be able to move. Wake up and smell the coffee..
I think we need to change the name of these islands to the Complain Islands. Government is doomed if they do or damned if they don’t. There is a set of people who keep showing up in the various protest groups and I believe there is a hidden agenda that does not bode well for the future of Caymanians. Take a look for yourself at this Smith Barcadere protest group, the Save eden Rock swim Group, CPR, Save our reefs and on and on. The South Sound Posse looks like it wants to rule and they are not going to stop until they get rid of our local MLAs even if it means direct rule by the UK. Again look at the comments section on CNS and see how many times direct rule is mentioned or voting rights for Brits or statements saying they should be allowed to run for elected office or inferring that they are better suited to hold elected office and Caymanians are inferior.
No taxation without representation.
6.49 No taxation here. Just living expenses. And living better than you ever did back home.
Wow. You’re not even trying to hide your racism.
Caymanian’s are finally speaking up. It’s about time.
Its been coming just like how the island wa going to the dogs well guess wat shes gone WE NEED TO SAVE HER FROM BEING PUT DOWN ALLTOGETHER
Unless there will be signs that say “No Tours”, then you know who this is for. Hint–it’s not for you.
Exactly. They want to do this and then tell us the extra cruisers won’t be a problem because some of them will go to Smith Cove, which is why you need a parking lot (tour buses), security guard (trained in CPR and first aid for the 70 year olds who will have heart attacks in the water), etc. Also, how is it NOT changing the beach to remove the trees separating it from the road? How is it still a cove if it’s wide open?!
Yeah but let’s not forget that when she started to talk about her brothers lot behind the parking lot that could be extended she diverted to wanting to sell the persons lot next to them. Not theirs. these rich people are selfish as fffffff.
The land belongs to AL’T not Berna..and trust me, she is not a woman to be easily diverted…She can’t force AL’t to sell his land but Kurt made it sound like it wasn’t even AL’T’s and AL’T was very quiet when Kurt brought it up…
The Trust would do a better job at running the country than this government!
Is MLA Barbara Connolly, Colin Lumsden, Tristin Hydes and the real leader of ppm Kurt Tibbetts prepared to call Berna Thompson Cummins and Shirley Roulstone liars or political wannabes after the revelations in this morning rooster show?
Ms. Berna really popped all of the balloons and exposed their lies and spin they put out to deflect form the reality. Kurt and Barbara have no shame!
Take a look at the Spotts Public Beach that was expanded recently to accommodate additional parking. This quiet beautiful stretch of beach is now overwhelmed. The same will happen at Smith Cove if this plan goes ahead and swimmers will need to queue to get into the sea!
Smith Barcardere Sir please. We want to keep the traditional name and not Cove for the Johnny Come Latelys convenience.
Sorry, but I’ve been coming to Cayman since 1964. It was not until the 2015 time did I ever here it called “Barcardere”. I’d only know it to be “cove”.
Wow, that’s very sad. I was Born and bred on Walkers Road and it was always called Smith Barcadere. Sorry you hadn’t heard.
And I grew up swimming in Smith’s Cove. – Can we all agree that the name is a non-issue. The question of the day is develop or don’t develop or develop what?
Barcardere. Cove. Wow – I’m so much more Caymanian than you. Look at me! Blah, blah, blah…
Some of us are though and that’s a fact. Get over yourself
Classic Expat entitlement. So because YOU have never heard it described as such it can’t be so.
South Sound Caymanian, 10 generations. I swam and jumped off the rocks during my childhood at Smith COVE! I never heard the word ‘barcadere’ (which seems to have been made up right here in Cayman from Spanish and French words for ‘landing place for boats’ – Google it and all the results relate to Cayman) until a few years ago, and I refuse to call it that, and I’ve never heard anyone else call it that either. It’s not a landing place for boats anymore, it’s a cove for swimmers. End of story.
8.59pm Sorry .Not sorry but you will not be allowed to rewrite history. Smith Barcadere was indeed a landing place for boats and hence the name. Some late comers decided that cove was more romantic and started using Cove.But Smith Barcadere it is and shall be. I am not sure when you arrived in South Sound but ask around you will find out that you missed out on something.
31 years ago is when I ‘arrived’ in South Sound, after my birth. I didn’t miss out on anything, because the place is the same no matter what you call it. I’m sure long before that when Cayman was a frontier society and we had primitive names for things it was called barcadere because boats landed there. But for me to have not heard the word barcadere my entire childhood tells me no one called it that for a long time before I was born. It sounds to me like the name changed to cove long ago, and some people in an unnecessary and misguided attempt to reassert this particular unimportant piece of Caymanian history, revived the old name. It’s still the old name, and I’m not going back to it, because I didn’t grow up swimming in a landing place for boats.
4.37pm There’s none so blind as she who refuses to see
Thank the Lord that there are people who will stand up to this kind of craziness. $2 million budget (and that is if it is on budget – and let’s face it – we are great at overspending!!!) when education budget is being cut! Pave paradise and put up a parking lot! What for? Oh I know…. somewhere to put the 2.5 million cruise passengers who will have nowhere else to go….Wake up and smell the coffee Cayman. VOTE NO!!!!!!
“What are we doing with bathroom facilities on the beach?” Errrr…… is this a trick question?
The context was changing rooms. Which resident needs a changing room? But cruise ship tourists would. Same issue with a security guard, office and wifi. It’s not for us – it’s for the day trippers. Bet you the parking is laid out for buses as well.
You’re too smart for them, Jotnar.
All I know is they are too dumb to represent me.
2.13 That was Berna and some are asking her to run and she can’t see the need for restroom facilities at a public beach.Really? She also said that the security guard could shelter under trees? wow. That is some real backward thinking.
CNS, you keep publishing the intention of a peaceful march on Saturday. Do you think you can find out and publish the time and location? Thanks.
CNS: There’s an ad at the top of the page (click the link for more details) with the time but I’ve now inserted it into both stories so it can’t be missed. Hope that helps.
again, what do these bright sparks want to tamper with Smith Barcadere for? leave the place alone, Simple as that.
Maybe a certain member of the ‘planning’ haha board want to change his view.
If you read the article he did not approve the plans, it bypassed CPA
Smith Barcadere is there for all Caymanians. It needs to be upgraded by adding a safe parking lot and other small changes so that more of us ( not just South Sounders) can have access to our beach.
P.S . The average South Sounder today is more likely someone who arrived on island mid-seventies or later.
Thumbs up if Barbara should resign and take these “enhancements” with her.
I don’t want to make this political but wouldn’t Berna make a good representative for GTS… I know she won’t do it but boy does she have the fire in her belly for it…
She already served as an MLA in the 90s
Well that’s been done already.
We need prudent, educated, socially and environmentally aware individuals to stand up for office. Things will never change for the better until then. They’re only getting worse.
Government is seriously out of step.
Smith Cove will become a cruise ship tourist attraction if any of this stuff is done.
Cayman doesn’t want it – leave it alone !
Build a sidewalk and move the bathrooms to the side and be done with it !
And please stop clearing all the leaf litter. Large areas need to be left intact as critical habitat. This was all paid for by the environmental protection fund, after-all. Can we please have some environmental protection?
There is no critical habitat for anything in this area. It needs to be kept clean or it will start looking like Dart park which is a dump.
Smoke, mirrors and ulterior motives my friend. This was always the plan.
Please resign Barbara!
I trust Barbara Connolly as far as I can throw her.
I trust her as far as I can throw Dwayne!
Me, as far as I can drool, that’s a lot less.