Officials out in force to handover church shelter in BT
(CNS): What began as a church hurricane shelter project decades ago, which has since been largely funded by the public purse, was handed back to the congregation last week with a ceremony that attracted a huddle of MPs and government officials. Planning Minister Jay Ebanks made the official handover of the newly constructed Bodden Town Church of God Multi-Purpose Hall last week.
The Cayman Islands Government subsidised the funding of the state-of-the-art facility by several million dollars because of the desperate need for more shelter space in the fastest-growing district.
Prior to the completion of this facility, the Bodden Town Primary School was the only shelter in the area. This new hall, which will be used by the church except when it’s needed as a shelter, received around $1 million, its first cash supplement, from the controversial Nation Building Fund in 2010 and 2011.
After that, despite local fundraising efforts, the project stalled for many years. It was relaunched in 2019 but did not get very far until 2021, when the PPM agreed to provide more funding to complete the project because it was seen as a cheaper alternative than building a new centre or attempting to convert the existing civic centre into a shelter. It is understood that the civic centre has many problems as barriers to it being converted.
Since 2021, the church has received at least $2.5 million more from the public purse.
“This building embodies our commitment to building a more resilient and safer future for the people of Bodden Town,” Ebanks said at the handover ceremony. “It is a crucial community asset that will provide vital support during times of crisis.”
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Category: Local News
Also the Brac Hilton on the Brac Bluff has no use. completely waste of tax payers money. And the 8.5 million for the 2 houses for the workers to build the school. Those workers where ever they was living could be living there to build the school. By the way Brackers contractors say they could built those 2 houses for one million. Saving tax payeres 7.5 million.
OMG. This was discussed in detail every time there was a finance committee since before 2021! Are you all seriously saying you do not listen to those meetings on YouTube and on Radio Cayman? This, Juju’s school, Mac’s school coming for WB, everything — everything!— is discussed in dollars and cents in Finance Committee. The people employed by the mental health place; the size of the civil service, Cayman airways; WORC…
Then we wonder why we do not have quality candidates?! Voters are truly asleep at the &*# wheel! Absentee shareholders for real. It is your money, and you do not mind it. Shame on unnah!
If prudent governance iin Cayman is exemplified by sitting in the car, on employer time, passively listening to schemes that circumvent procurement law on Radio Cayman, then no. Nobody should have time to give credence to that.
11:15 am It is your money. If you don’t care about it, that’s your problem. Btw, Radio Cayman broadcasts them at night. If you work evenings it is understandable.
I think we need to conduct a study as to why Caymanians put on at least 50lbs when they win a seat in government. Like seriously, what the heck is that about?
….something to do with ‘trough’…
Did he put on weight? always looked obese to me
BT needed a shelter, as it has been clearly established that it is GC’s fastest-growing district. As for the many other questions raised by the church/govt arrangement (parking, public events venue, insurance cost, etc.), I wonder as well.
Welcome to the Church of Suicidal
We’ll have a sermon and a wonderful recital
But before we go on there’s something I must mention
An important message I must bring to your attention
I was in meditation and prayer last night
I was awakened by a shining bright light
Overhead, a glorious spirit
He gave me a message and you all need to hear it
He said to
Send me your money
That’s what he said, he said to
Send me your money
Now if you can only send a dollar or two
There ain’t a hell of a lot I can promise to you
But if you want to see heaven’s door
Make out a check for five mil dollars or more
Send me your money
Do you hear what I said?
Send me your money
Here comes another con hiding behind a collar
His only god is the almighty dollar
He ain’t no prophet, he ain’t no healer
He’s just a two bit goddamn money stealer
Now how much you give is your own choice
But to me it’s the difference between a Porsche and a Rolls Royce
I want you to make it hurt when you dig into your pocket
Cause it makes me feel so good to watch my profits rocket
So whose gonna be the next king of the fakers
Whose gonna take the place of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker?
See my momma, she didn’t raise no fool
Cause you can’t put a price on a miracle
Amen
Marvel at his tricks, need your Sunday fix
Blind devotion came, rotting your brain
Chain, chain, join the endless chain
Taken by his glamour
Fame, fame, infection is the game
Stinking drunk with power, we see
Time for lust, time for lie
Time to kiss your life goodbye
Send me money, send me green, heaven you will meet
Make a contribution and you’ll get the better seat
Bow to leper messiah
Witchery, weakening
Sees the sheep are gathering
Set the trap, hypnotize
Now you follow
Given who paid for it, the handover should have been the other way around.
It is a crucial community asset that will provide vital support during times of crisis – like propping up Dwayne’s vote during the coming election.
Long overdue, Bodden Town had no Cat5 shelters up until now!!!
Turn out in force? How about turning out in force to do their job?
Thank God it’s finished. The earth movers for such a project would have been such a magnet for cars in BT to hit!
Did the 2.5million of public money include the parking lot and paving works carried out by the NRA? If not, then the public paid a lot more than 2.5million
Also, what are the rules for the public in using this “asset”?
Can the public use it for public meetings and community engagement events?
Or will the public only be able to see it when they have to run from their homes in severe bad weather?
The current existing Church near Guard House Hill is already used for public meetings so one would assume that the same arrangement would continue (the most recent that comes to mind were the meetings on the Cargo port proposals last summer)
The issue is – you need the approval from the Church for those meetings and they can simply say no despite the Government contributing millions to the project – they should have only done so once securing guarantees that public interests and events given priority
Cayman is already inundated with Churches we need community spaces, local events and ways to tie us together not more pulpits and pews
That huge monstrosity of a church on the Anton Bodden bypass should never have been allowed unless they offered it as a hurricane shelter. Where do these various Church of Gods get all their money from?
Exactly.
I hope to see it available, at No Cost, for various community activities, even Pirates Week!
Why is the parking lot of this Church/hurricane shelter so small? Anyone?
There are 12 people in the congregation.
Congregation will magically swell as a hurricane approaches.
Separation of church and state? Anyone?
(Cue the sound of crickets… or chickens crossing the road, hoping for an Orochi convoy to show the way—because who better to lead than a corporation infamous for orchestrating major catastrophes across a multitude of locales and offering their field agents a retirement plan that looks suspiciously like a body bag!)
That is what is wrong with the Cayman Islands now!!
We need more prayer, higher moral standards and to slow down and in some instances stop this thing called PROGRESS. We may have more concrete and cars but we have lost our Christian Values. Our National Anthem speaks of the “Creators Glory and the Bible is still used in our Court of Law. No there should be NO separation of Church and State.
You mean the Nation Building Fraud that absolutely no one was held accountable for which was run by Bababushka and his cohorts ? The fleecing still ongoing it seems, now it appears to have been milked for everything it could give, so they have handed the mess back to church who are going to clean up the site no doubt ! Election photo op the last act of this indecent Con plan !
“The God I know isn’t exactly short of cash”
Bono
$2.5million parking lot.
for 12 cars
6 cars
A school with no pupils in the Brac, and a ‘hurricane shelter’ run by the church with utterly insufficient capacity for the population of BT. Things that make you go, hmmmmmm?
Will the church be responsible to upkeep the building and pay for insurance?Insurance over that sized building will be at least $40k if not more.
Shushhhh nah!
Of course not but pre-election ‘contributions’ AKA vote buying in regard to that church and its tiny membership will go on for the next 100 election cycles.
Translation:
“This building embodies our commitment to ever more vote buying involving the people of Bodden Town,”
He needs the Lord that’s for sure. He lies with such ease and is so lacking in integrity. He needs to now build a gym and attend one.
Easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Unfortunately for jay – he has problems with both sides of that quote.
To 7:27 am 😂
Can Government build me a building? Great deal if you can get it. Guess you can buy your way to heaven! 🙂
GOVERNOR!!!!jesus christ.
…the brits will do nothing…….
Why should they 10:09? We’re in charge. We’ve been bitching about it for years and calling them limeys and blaming them for everything. So our politicians changed the constitution and got more powers given to us to run things. Fair enough. But how is it working out for us? No use us complaining now.
Hard to call it a ‘community asset’ when the Church of God holds the deed.
Owned by the church, funded by the public purse, and open to all… but only when the weather turns biblical. Sounds more like a public-funded private upgrade than a true shelter for all.
Church of God Ministries is a USA Megachurch mission based out of Anderson Indiana. “Our mission is to make disciples of all nations.”
https://www.jesusisthesubject.org
https://chogglobal.org
Cayman’s five CHOG Chapels boast a membership of just 1000 parishioners.
Why are we giving this billion dollar global right wing enterprise a nickel of our government money, considering the means their cult has available?
I went to a good old friend’s funeral at that church, and the preacher spent 90% of it castigating people who smoke and drink (both of which the old man did) as sinners, and about 5 mins discussing the deceased. It was inappropriate and disrespectful to the deceased and I will never go near them again, even in a storm. And only God knows how they will deign to allocate spaces in a storm. What will we do to avoid ‘favourable’ treatment at such times? I mean, there certainly isn’t anywhere near enough room for the population of BT.
Because that’s a 1000 obedient votes in a country where a handful of votes in each constituency makes the difference between loss and getting to manage a billion dollar budget with ample room for give away’s, to say nothing of the additional income opportunities from “political donations”.
Are they though? How many Triple C high school finishing alumni are there? Surely that number alone ought to sum to more than 1000? CHOG have a serious retention problem if they can’t even retain their high school graduates.
Value for Money? What a disgrace.
Good the shelter has double doors as Jay would otherwise not make it through.
Lol. Wuhloss. Too true and funny.
the gospel cant be bought with man’s money!
…but CIG think its worth a try…….
A shelter of Souls. Regardless
Handed over by a bunch of our souls.
should have been a community shelter owned by government which can be rented to community groups looking to use it for church, recreation, banquets etc
100%