If Infrastructure Minister Arden McLean has his way Elmslie Memorial Church on the waterfront in George Town will remain there forever.
‘Whatever I have to do as Minister to prevent that property from falling into commercial hands, I will do it,’ he told a small gathering at the William Allen McLaughlin Civic Centre in East End Tuesday night.
The district meeting was one of a series being held to get public input on the National Tourism Management Policy.
East End issues were discussed, but a significant portion of the two-hour session was spent talking about other districts, mostly George Town.
Mr. McLean asked about one of the policy objectives presented by Director of Tourism Pilar Bush – Regenerate George Town.
He listed some of the work planned to enhance George Town. He said he wanted buildings like the post office, library, town hall and Elmslie Church to never be removed.
‘If we have to do something with its landscape and keep it, that’s the price we must pay to retain some of our heritage and culture. It was wholly and solely designed by Caymanians. As long as there is breath in my body, it will stay.’
Ms Bush said a lot of people would breathe a sigh of relief to hear his comments. As a member of the church, she could confirm there is a movement within the church to sell it.
Mr. McLean said he could not speak for his colleagues in Cabinet, but his feelings were not much off from theirs.
‘I would prefer this country to drive in potholes before losing Elmslie to any developer,’ he said.
Every dignitary who comes to Cayman, from the Queen on down, has visited Elmslie, he said.
‘It should stand there as a beacon of hope and culture for this country among all the seven-storey buildings,’ he said.
After the meeting, Mr. McLean was asked what might be done about the church. He suggested a church representative could go to the Government and a law could be passed that the church cannot be sold and then Government could contribute money to help maintain the property.
He emphasised that he was sharing his personal opinion, not an official position.
Another district that got attention from East Enders was Bodden Town. Several businessmen said tourists wondered why the main street still showed so many signs of damage from Hurricane Ivan. The sight does not reflect well on the Go East initiative, which is an attempt to drive tourists to the Eastern Districts.
One man said he would personally go and give some of the structures a new coat of paint, but he didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes.
Ms Bush suggested that a check be made with the Land Registry to see who the owners of those properties are. They could then be contacted and asked if they would improve their properties or should tourism volunteers do it.
Another tourism objective discussed was the development of nature-tourism. The Mastic Trail and Botanic Park were cited as good attractions in the Eastern districts, but there were other possibilities that could be looked into. These included a natural cistern on an East End farm and caves in North Side.
Mr. McLean said he wanted a road that would come within a couple of hundred feet of the Salinas Reserve so people could walk in and see the area’s natural beauty.
There was general agreement that a new Development Plan has to address issues of inappropriate and/or poor quality development.
The minister, who is also East End’s sole representative in the Legislature, said he opposed heavy industry or a port in the district.
If two planned resorts are built in East End – the Mandarin Oriental and The Island Resort and Residences — they will add almost 600 rooms to the tourism product, Mr. McLean said. As high-end properties, they would require some 1,500 to 2,000 employees coming into the community because East Enders, by and large, are already employed. He wondered where the accommodations for workers would come from.
At the same time, their presence would provide additional business opportunities for the people of East End, he said.
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