The tiny cottages have been built, the designs and colours have been chosen, and the locations where they will be placed have been picked, but the miniature Caymanian-style houses that would replace those that once dotted the roadsides of West Bay remain in limbo.
Fiona Jackson, who for two years has been spearheading a project to replace the quaint models, says they’re currently sitting in her driveway and she wants to either get them in place before hurricane season gets under way in earnest, or find somewhere safe to store them in the meantime.
Jackson says she had hoped government would help provide funding or some resources to help paint and move the little cottages, but despite initial indications that this may happen, there has been no developments on that front for some time.
“We need sponsorship to the tune of about $900 for the paint and wood to create the winning designs of the three houses, and about $650 to put the houses into the ground in concrete by the roadside,” she said.
She’s hopeful some corporate or individual sponsors will help out.
In October last year, judges, including the then Minister of Culture Bernie Bush, chose the three winning entries from more than 100 submitted by schoolchildren in Cayman, who had been invited to colour in pictures of the cottages.
Jackson said, following the Cabinet reshuffle late last year, her group has approached other ministers, but “sadly, we have not been able to secure the funding needed to buy the decorative paints for the three little houses and the money to secure them back roadside in West Bay”.
She added, “We are devastated – we have three young artists eagerly awaiting the moment when their winning designs are transferred to the little houses and they are back out on display for all to see.
“If anyone can help at all with these costs that would be amazing.”
The little houses would be placed at their original locations – near the West Bay Fire Station, by West Bay Cemetery and by West Bay Public Beach, she said.
The original structures were built as planters, according to Alice Mae Coe, who was the driving force behind them. She had arranged to have the houses built by David Smith between 2005 and 2009 when she was a member of the Cayman Islands Beautification Committee.
Over the years, the houses fell into disrepair, and Jackson, in 2022, decided to gather a group of volunteers to repair or replace them. Smith came back on board, and built replacement cottages for them.
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I am encouraged by the incentive to do this and am very grateful for all the volunteers to get this done. I would like to make some suggestions for future projects of this type.
Please remember that the siding was shiplap and applied horizontally rather than vertically.
Also the roof was zinc. I understand that this is not the best solution but there are plastic equivalents.
We are trying to preserve our heritage. Shouldn’t we take time to make it correct!