The government is considering three possible alternate routes to a road currently slated to plow through sections of undeveloped bush land in the Mastic Reserve in the center of Grand Cayman, Works Minister Kurt Tibbetts said Tuesday.
Premier Alden McLaughlin said earlier this month that the extension of the East-West Arterial Road from Newlands to Frank Sound would be unlikely to avoid a section of the Mastic Trail, which runs north-south through the heart of the reserve.
Mr. McLaughlin said the road extension was critical to the development of the US$360 million Ironwood golf resort property in Frank Sound, and that developers had indicated any change in the road’s current alignment would kill the project.
The premier and Mr. Tibbetts have been in the political hot seat since last week when it was revealed that both men’s families owned property on or adjacent to the path of the proposed road extension, which was gazetted – made public – in May 2005.
The government met with officials from the National Trust late last week.
“What ensued from the discussions [with the National Trust] … was that they discussed a series of alternate alignments [for the East-West Arterial extension],” Mr. Tibbetts said.
Currently, the road extension runs along the southern edge of the Mastic Reserve and would have to take some property owned by the National Trust before coming to the area slated for the Ironwood resort development.
The Trust proposed three potential alternates, Mr. Tibbetts said, including two paths that took the road slightly further south and one that rerouted it southwest and cut back across Frank Sound Road to get to the proposed development area.
Mr. Tibbetts admitted all options discussed by the National Trust had issues in construction. One route would go through a local subdivision, requiring government to purchase homes. Another route would require the widening of Frank Sound Road from two to four lanes, again requiring the taking of developed property.
At least one of the alternate routes proposed for the road extension still bisects the Mastic Trail, but Mr. Tibbetts said the Ironwood project developer had seemed “amenable” to raising a section of the road to preserve a pedestrian footpath along the trail.
“The government endorses this project and fully supports the project,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “The developer has said, and all of the evidence points to the fact … that he and they have relied upon this gazettal [the current proposed route] … for this project. “That doesn’t mean there can’t be tweaks or it can’t be changed slightly,” the premier said.
Contacted late Tuesday, representatives for the Ironwood developer said they had no idea what alternate routes had been discussed between the National Trust and the government.
Whether any road extension will be built from Newlands to Frank Sound remains a significant question. On Tuesday, ministers released a copy of the memorandum of understanding between the Ironwood developer and the government that was signed in late February.
The agreement, which is non-binding, seeks to set out terms for payment of the construction project. It appears that the government hopes to receive money up front from the developer for the road, which will then be paid back to the developer through the use of duty concessions on imports and the like, estimated at a minimum of $20 million to $25 million.
However, the full cost of the road construction was pegged at $40 million and Mr. Tibbetts admitted that additional financing arrangements might be needed to complete the project. He also admitted that the U.K. had not given its final blessing on the proposal under the Framework for Fiscal Responsibility.
Mr. Tibbetts said it had always been the government’s intention to release the memorandum and downplayed demands from Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush on Monday that the government release those records.
Mr. Bush has raised questions concerning Mr. Tibbetts’s and Mr. McLaughlin’s family land ownership in the area of the road and whether the ministers should have disclosed that prior to signing an agreement with the developer. He had demanded that the MOU be made public by noon Wednesday or he would seek redress from the Cayman Islands Governor, Helen Kilpatrick, via an inquiry.
Mr. McLaughlin reiterated Tuesday that the section of road now under discussion had been gazetted in 2005 and that his 87-year-old father’s land in the area would actually lose about three acres of the East-West Arterial extension ran along its current path.
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Looking at what’s currently built in that subdivision mentioned by Tibbett’s it seems to me that the road could be diverted south and lower than the homes there without effecting developed property. However that probably wouldn’t play into future plans to extend the road further east. It would also change the route of the road avoiding properties owned by certain folks who stand to make a lot of money via increased property values. Alden’s mention of his father’s land losing roughly three acres is meant to draw attention away from the fact the value of what’s left will increase 10 fold. He himself even stated that people’s land in that area would be worth more after the road is built.
It does seem that the current route may be the best route to accommodate future road development and with all the undeveloped land in that area they should be able to come to some compromise with the national trust for a land swap in their favor. It will also give them an opportunity to create a really nice clearly visible entrance with parking for cars and tour buses off the new highway and a nice kiosk that you can beverages or snacks from similar to what the Botanical Gardens has. This may actually attract more tourists to visit and walk the Mastic Trail. Has anyone considered this?