It’s all well and good that, according to Tourism Minister Charles Clifford, the capital outlay for the port development project will come from the investors and developers and not the Government.
As the Government is trying to tighten its belt during this global economic meltdown, the estimated expense of US$230 for new cargo facilities and the development of cruise berthing facilities would be too much to bear on the Cayman Islands.
But the fact of the matter is that the Government has put out a mandate to chief officers to reduce their budgets by six per cent across the board following predictions that governmental revenues will drop $15 million below estimates.
Now is not the time to be putting large amounts of money into projects like a cruise berthing facility.
While the developers and investors may be footing the capital outlay bill, what about the other costs associated with the entire project? Who is going to pay for the widening of Bodden Road so container trucks can get through from North Church Street?
Who is going to buy the properties and homes that abut Bodden Road so it can be widened?
Has there been a feasibility study as far as traffic is concerned; especially tourism traffic making its way to Seven Mile Beach.
There will be incidental costs associated with building a cruise ship berthing facility and we can safely assume that Government will have to pay for them.
The public should also be told which group is doing the environmental impact assessment and how much it is going to cost.
Why keep it secret?
This country belongs to all Caymanians and many have voiced their concerns about the planned berthing facility.
Both diving and environmental experts have spoken out against the project. We would think there are enough experts already in the Cayman Islands that could advise the Government of the environmental impact of such a facility. The staff at the Central Caribbean Marine Institute on Little Cayman comes to mind.
Do we want the tourism industry in the Cayman Islands to thrive? Yes, but not at the expense of our environment or our governmental budget.
BREAKOUT
There will be incidental costs associated with building a cruise ship berthing facility and we can safely assume that Government will have to pay for them.
Related Videos
