ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 75 CENTS – FRIDAY OCTOBER 12, 2018 SEVEN MILE BEACH WATERFRONT WALKERS ROAD TOWN CENTRE PLAZA RED BAY Cramped quarters restrict special-needs training Sunrise Centre operates out of residential duplex KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com It was an idyllic Wednesday morning when staff at the Sunrise Adult Training Centre took their special-needs adults on the “daily mile,” a walk aimed at keeping them in good physical shape. As they strolled along Premiere Drive, a puppy bounded by, drawing giggles from the group. Down the road, a farmer waved in greeting as the sounds of roosters and cows echoed through the grassy fields of the sur- rounding West Bay area. But upon finishing the walk, the class returned to a less-than ideal setting: a de- cades-old, four-bedroom duplex on a half- acre parcel of land that has served as the Sunrise Centre’s campus for the last 15 years. There, 20 teachers, occupational thera- pists and other employees tend to about 35 people – some of them high-functioning adults with potential for employment and a degree of independence, others severely lim- ited by physical and mental handicaps. Training adults to be functioning members of society requires functional facilities. To that end, the residential duplex has undergone a Art instructor Twila Rodgers and client Eric Trumbach, left, along with Faith Brandt and her caregiver, Sonia Allen, draw pictures in the Sunrise Centre’s art room, which was converted from the building’s garage. In the background, pictures cover the garage door. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » IGUANA CULL REGISTRATION BEGINS MONDAY Cull will start Oct. 29 JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Department of Environment will begin registering cullers next week with the aim of starting its massive nationwide green iguana cull by the end of the month. The DoE hopes to register all companies and individuals that will be involved in the cull and issue them with licenses in one week. Cullers must commit to killing at least 400 iguanas each month to be involved. They will be paid between $4.50 and $5 per iguana, with incentives built in for those who meet quota targets. The aim is to kill at least one million iguanas in the first year of the cull. A management company has been hired to count the iguanas, monitor the cull num- bers, and pay the hunters. The cull, which is expected to cost around $7 million in its first year, could continue for several years, ac- cording to the DoE. It is currently budgeted for around the first three months. DoE officials will have to provide a progress report to government that shows the cull is working before more funds are released. Fred Burton, the terrestrial resources man- ager at the department, speaking at a press conference Thursday, said interest from the culling community had been strong enough to suggest that enough hunters could be re- cruited to meet the ambitious targets outlined. Cullers use a mix of firearms, nooses and hunting dogs to target iguanas. Mr. Burton said police had agreed to re-issue amended firearms licenses to registered cullers to en- able them to use .22 caliber air rifles close to roads and buildings, where iguanas are typi- cally found. Cullers will be responsible for ne- gotiating with private landowners if they wish to cull on private property. Cayman’s green iguana population is cur- rently estimated at 1.3 million, though that is expected to increase as breeding season kicks PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » Sargassum invasion hits Cayman again JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Several Cayman Islands beaches were blanketed in foul-smelling sargassum weed again this week, with the Department of Environment warning periodic seaweed in- vasions are likely to continue. Beaches along South Sound, East End and Bodden Town were covered in sar- gassum at various points this week as strong winds out of the southeast pushed brown mats of the weed ashore. Tim Austin, deputy director of the De- partment of Environment, said there had also been similar reports in Little Cayman. He said if scientific assumptions that the abundance of sargassum in recent years was caused by ocean warming and nutri- ents from pollution were correct, then the trend could be expected to continue. “There is definitely potential for it to be- come more and more of a problem,” he said. He added that the Department of Envi- ronment, the Recreation, Parks and Cem- eteries Unit, Department of Tourism and others had established a sargassum task force to ensure beaches could be cleared quickly without impacting the environment. Sargassum seaweed is spread across the ironshore at Breakers Thursday morning. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 »2 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY OCTOBER 12, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS CARIBBEANCAFEA Lunch /Dinner 11am-10pm Daily A With First Response Accident and Roadside Assistance 365 days a year! Call 345-949-7028 | Visit caymanfirst.com CHOOSE CAYMAN FIRST. ALL AGES UP TO 4 YEARS OLD. WE HAVE EVERYTHING FOR YOUR BABY INCLUDING express Address: Cannon Place Formerly known as Mirco Centre 294 North Sound Road PO Box 1839 Grand Cayman KY1-1110 CORRECTION An editorial that ran on Oct. 10, titled “CINICO CEO fired: Government’s ‘silent treatment’,” incorrectly stated the amount of remuneration paid to the CINICO Board of Directors. The total remuneration budgeted in 2018 for seven of the eight board members is approximately $45,000. The eighth board member serves ex-officio and does not receive remuneration to serve on the board. KAABOO CULINARY LINEUP ANNOUNCED MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com Music and comedy acts at the KAABOO Cayman fes- tival have been getting the most attention but, among other things, the event is also about food. On Thursday, organizers announced the lineup for the Palate stage, where celeb- rity chefs will give talks and demonstrations. Several high- profile international chefs will share the stage with those from some of Cayman’s top restaurants. Both Michael Mina and Richard Blais – who appeared at KAABOO Del Mar, near San Diego, California, in Sep- tember – are scheduled for the inaugural Cayman event. Mr. Blais is probably best known for his appearances in “Top Chef,” where he won the program’s all-star com- petition and has served as a judge. Based in San Diego, he is the owner of Juniper & Ivy and The Crack Shack. Mr. Mina is founder of the Mina Group restau- rants, which includes both Bourbon Steak and Strip- steak in Miami. Other top, off-island chefs include New Orleans-based chef Nina Compton, winner of the 2018 James Beard Award for Best Chef South, South Florida chefs Michelle Bernstein and Thomas Ten- nant (formerly of Grand Cayman), and La Jolla, Cali- fornia’s Josef Felts. In addition, local Cayman chefs Cody Bush and An- thony Lawson of Smokin Bros BBQ, private chef Dylan Benoit, and Maureen Cubbon of BestLife Culinary are also slated to give presentations. Messrs. Bush and Lawson recently took home the Best Amateur Chef award from the Cayman Cookout, judged by top chefs including Eric Ripert and the late An- thony Bourdain. Joining that lineup are a list of restaurants, including Guy Harvey’s Bar Crudo, Catch, Agua, the Wharf, Grand Old House, the Bras- serie, Agave, Gelato & Co. and caterer Capt. Ceviche. Cristiano Vincentini, an owner of Catch and Agua, said the festival is another chance to show off Cayman’s culinary offerings. “Having all these celeb- rity chefs coming down and having culinary [aspect] high- lighted, it will help Cayman in its reputation as the culinary capital of the Caribbean,” Mr. Vincentini said. He said he believes the local restaurants and businesses will benefit from the additional influx of visitors during the event. “I think it will be big for all the communities on the island,” he said. “We’ve seen already, some phone calls from people with maga- zines, websites and travel agents. There’s already a big momentum.” KAABOO Cayman takes place Feb. 15-16. Opposition questions claims over port’s economic benefit JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Opposition politicians continued to argue against government’s cruise port plan at the latest in a se- ries of public meetings Wednesday night. The five-member political group took its road show to the Seafarers Hall in Pros- pect after a whistle-stop tour of the country that has seen presentations take place in every district. This time, Bodden Town West legislator Chris Saun- ders took the lead, seeking to debunk some of government’s claims about the likely eco- nomic impact of the port. He highlighted statistics from an industry report by Business Research and Eco- nomic Advisors which shows that, of the US$115 average spend by cruise ship passen- gers in Cayman, spending on watches and jewelry eclipsed all other spending. “That’s what this is about – watches and jewelry,” he said, suggesting that taxi drivers and tour operators had comparatively little to gain from a cruise port. He also refuted govern- ment’s claim that a port would allow passengers to spend eight hours on the island in- stead of four. This claim was made initially by Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell in a speech to the Legislative As- sembly, but was revised down to five hours when Tim Adam, the CEO of the Cayman Turtle Centre, spoke about it at a public meeting in September. Asked to clarify Thursday, Mr. Kirkconnell said his ref- erence was intended to re- flect the maximum amount of hours available to cruise pas- sengers to spend on shore if a port were built. He acknowl- edged projections for the av- erage number of hours they were anticipated to spend on shore was closer to five. Mr. Saunders said of all the ports in the Caribbean, including those with cruise berthing, no port got eight hours, according to the BREA report. He said the highest of any port was five hours. He also questioned claims that the port would help double cruise passenger spending to US$230 a day. He said Cayman’s per passenger spending was already the sixth highest in the Carib- bean and there was no port in the region where passen- gers spend more than US$200 a day. The highest is Saint Martin at US$191. Mr. Saunders repeated the oft-expressed concern that there was not enough infor- mation out there for people to make an informed choice and said he was concerned that spending on the project could balloon. “We don’t want another John Gray [school construc- tion project], we don’t want another mess like we have at the airport, or another situ- ation where we can’t get the garbage picked up.” Alva Suckoo, deputy leader of the Opposition, also spoke at the meeting, highlighting claims from the government’s own National Tourism Plan that he said refuted sugges- tions that the cruise port would be good for Cayman. The plan states: “The Cayman Islands are being promoted as an exclusive, luxurious destination and many of the accommodation providers are delivering on this promise. These efforts are undermined when large numbers of cruise ship pas- sengers visit the beach areas of these properties and over- crowd the attractions.” Mr. Suckoo said this showed that building the piers was a bad idea. “I didn’t write this. It is government’s own tourism plan – they are identifying a serious flaw in their own plan,” he said. East End legislator Arden McLean, citing his experience as a seamen and an engineer, also gave a presentation on some of the layout and engi- neering aspects of the project and Courtney Platt, a diver and underwater photogra- pher, gave his presentation on the reefs at George Town harbor. Both presentations, previously reported in the Compass, have been a reg- ular feature of the Opposi- tion meetings. On this occasion, Mr. McLean also took aim at Premier Alden McLaughlin for comments in a radio in- terview that he was “insin- cere” in his opposition to the dock. Mr. McLaughlin told Radio Cayman that many in the Opposition, including Mr. McLean, had previously sup- ported the dock and said he believed they were now op- posing it for political reasons. Mr. McLean said he was not against a dock in prin- ciple but did not support this plan and this design and felt the project should be decided by referendum. Citing Mr. McLaughlin’s previous condemnation of China Harbour Engineering Company as a company with “serious reputational is- sues,” he said it was the pre- mier that was insincere for now apparently entertaining bids from the same company for the new iteration of the cruise project. Mr. Platt focused on the environmental impact of silt from the dredging, saying it would kill neighboring reefs. He dismissed suggestions that the coral reef could be “relocated” – part of the gov- ernment’s environmental mit- igation plan. He said bits of coral could be snipped away and placed elsewhere, but wholesale relocation of a reef was impossible. Showing pictures of the Balboa reef, within the dredge pit, he said it stretched 80 feet across. “What they are proposing is like taking the light fix- tures from The Ritz-Carlton, moving them somewhere else, and then knocking The Ritz- Carlton down and saying you relocated it,” he said. East End MLA Arden McLean said he was not against a dock in principle but did not support this plan and this design and felt the project should be decided by referendum.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY OCTOBER 12, 2018 Disclaimer : FIN Grand Cayman features and amenities are based on current development plans and concepts and are subject to change without notice. Some services and amenities are subject to service-based fees or homeowner fees. ART DECO INSPIRED RESIDENCES WITH UNIQUE FIVE-STAR AMENITIES Only 6 residences remain priced from US $1.8M Reserve your private tour and discover the last word in luxury + 1 345 326 1400 fin@fingrandcayman.com Guest suites Owners private Aquariva Private wine locker with sommelier service Personal car service & two parking spaces per residence Full service business centre FIN.cayman fingrandcaymanThe islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. Earlier this week the Cayman Compass published an editorial (“Insuring the fu- ture of our water sports,” Oct. 8) which voiced concerns re- lated to the regulation of the water-sports industry. The safety of our visitors and residents on the seas is something we all must be concerned with. At the same time, the editorial makes some generalizations about the role and function of the Department of Commerce and Investment in regulating local industry. Liability insurance has never been a requirement to obtain a licence under the Trade and Business Licensing Law. The Trade and Business Licensing Board is tasked with issuing licenses to busi- ness owners who meet the requirement[s] of the Trade and Business Licensing Law. The board and the depart- ment cannot however replace the standards that would normally be established by the industry-specific associa- tion or regulators. My Ministry and the De- partment of Commerce and Investment have worked hard to cut back on reg- ulations that hold back the progress and growth of small business owners. We are proud of our and the wider Government’s ef- forts to cut red tape, and better serve the people of the Cayman Islands. We are committed to working with all stakeholders to grow local industry in a way that provides the best service possible to our people and visitors. Hon. Joseph Hew Minister for Commerce, Planning and Infrastructure A fundamental reason why humans organize into societies – and accordingly adhere to restrictive forces such as taxation, laws and governments – is to ensure, through the collective, protections and advantages that cannot be achieved by the individual. Among the noblest of these objectives is to care for those who cannot care for themselves: the very old, the very young, the infirm, the disabled and the otherwise vulnerable. Here in the Cayman Islands, enshrined in our Constitution is the ambition to forge “a country committed to the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom.” When considering today’s front page story on the Sunrise Adult Training Centre, certainly there is dignity to be found in the mission of the center for disabled adults, in the efforts of staff and in the aspirations of the clients. There is, however, little that is digni- fied about the physical conditions of the overaged and undersized facility tucked in an out-of-the-way corner of Grand Cayman in West Bay. But “out of sight” should not mean “out of mind,” whether we are talking about the center itself, or more importantly the clients who, possessing sometimes serious physical or cognitive disabilities, are with the support of Sunrise staff (and the greater community) striving to reach their full potential as individuals and our fellow members of Cayman society. Since it has moved to what was intended to be a “temporary home” some 15 years ago, Sunrise has significantly outgrown the aging duplex that serves as its headquarters. In 2014, the government com- missioned a study of the center’s needs. That report recommended a new center be built between George Town and Prospect, and Premier Alden McLaughlin announced that $8.5 million would be earmarked for a purpose-built facility. But plans have been delayed, derailed and – effectively, perhaps – discarded. Still, Sunrise director Kim Voaden retains her optimism. “What do I have if I don’t have hope?” she said. The center’s 20 employees are doing their best to make do with what resources they have, with the center’s cramped rooms serving many purposes. Even with significant modifications, there are serious security and fire safety concerns, inadequate kitchen facilities and a single handicapped-accessible bathroom. There is no room for parking, and the center’s “fleet” of five buses is in need of maintenance or replacement. Its West Bay location creates long journeys for clients from North Side or East End, and potentially health- or life- threatening delays in response times by emergency services vehicles. Occupational therapies and other program offerings for Sunrise’s 35 current clients are limited by struc- tural realities. On a waiting list are 60 more potential clients. Within the next decade, without significant new resources, that number is expected to exceed 150. Ms. Voaden said that graduates of the Lighthouse School – Cayman’s school that trains youth with disabilities – must often wait years before Sunrise has a spot for them. After that much time away, much occupational therapy and learning must begin again from scratch. The Compass is a strong advocate for the virtues of free enterprise, limited government and self-reliance, and against “mission creep” in the public sector, as well as social services programs that entrap able adults, and their families, into a generational lifestyle of dependency. But for the vulnerable members of our community who truly need protection, assistance or support from the collective, we just as strongly advocate for rea- sonable and robust public services to enable them to become the best people they can be, and in doing so, make Cayman the best society it can be. A good start to this noble but difficult endeavor could begin, appropriately enough, with a new Sunrise. Seeking a brighter future for Sunrise Centre FRIDAY OCTOBER 12, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS The fourth industrial revolution Now playing on your handheld devices and in more robust growth is the Fourth Industrial Revolution – mo- bile computing, intelligent and remarkably dexterous robots, and the gradual fu- sion of human intelligence, artificial intelligence and machines. It will profoundly alter how the economy grows and American politics. The first three waves of in- dustrialization were terribly dependent on massive invest- ments in plant and equip- ment. Robust economic ex- pansions have been defined by consumers’ willingness to splurge on big-ticket items like cars and homes, and businesses’ appetite for grand projects – Fulton’s steamboat, railroads, auto factories and highways, and most recently, shale oil and pipelines. All that is changing. The economy is now on track to register 3 percent growth in 2018 for the first time in a dozen years but auto and home sales are flat and corporate investments in hard business assets are hardly rocketing. Businesses have learned to use capital and human re- sources much more efficiently. Productive young profes- sionals seem more interested in being near the hubs of in- tellectual activity and buying new gadgets and streaming services than owning a home and the latest hot car. Businesses are dropping requirements for college de- gree or technical school cer- tificates for many positions. Kids seem to be learning as much that is useful in this new economy playing on their smartphones and laptops as they do in the classroom. Productivity growth is taking off again. This per- mits businesses to offer low- skilled workers opportunities for bigger pay increases, often through in-house training programs. As businesses au- tomate, they are training semi-skilled line workers to maintain machines and be- come software engineers. All this is happening just as Generation Z – those born after 1996 and raised in the jaws of the financial crisis – is entering the labor force. They are more focused on ca- reer and financial success and even more tech savvy than Millennials. Little more than 50 percent are white. Raised by Baby-Boom moms, they are more comfortable with women and men working side-by-side and in racially mixed groups. All this spells change for universities, busi- nesses and the political class. Young folks are bargaining with colleges and often se- lecting value over prestige – or skipping college – forcing universities to trim costs. Some MBA programs and law schools are downsizing. Businesses cannot dis- criminate – workers and good skills are too scarce and young employees will not tolerate it. That will be bad news for new age Dem- ocrats’ identity politics. Sim- ilarly, the anti-Trump wing of the GOP’s obsessions with the WTO and tariffs on au- tomobiles and agricultural commodities are tragically misplaced. Just about any- thing of value can be made or grown on any conti- nent these days. What really matters is the artificial intelligence that goes into cars, the genetics of the seeds, and the apps in your palm. That is what is driving Trump’s trade policy – look at the protections for American intellectual prop- erty in the deal just struck with Mexico and Canada. The GOP may well get skewered in the midterms and Trump denied a second term but history tends to focus more on presidential accomplishments than on character flaws. It will speak of a man who saw a new age coming but was vilified by those in- vested in the past. Peter Morici is an economist, business professor and national columnist. © The Washington Times, LLC. PETER MORICI PUBLIC STATEMENT Insuring water-sports businesses PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way”5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY OCTOBER 12, 2018 KEVIN MURRAY BSc (Hons), CPAM, HCPC, MISCP CEO and Registered Physiotherapist Neck or back pain Osteoarthritis Muscle or joint pain Tennis elbow Achilles tendonopathy Plantarfasciitis Rehabilitation after surgery, for example, hip, knee or shoulder surgery 247 Smith Road • www.infi nityhealth.ky • info@infi nityhealth.ky • (345) 233 0280 CONDITIONS TREATED: SERVICES OFFERED: Joint mobilization Deep tissue massage Trigger point therapy Myofascial tissue release Dry Needling Ultrasound therapy Exercise prescription Education & advice KEVIN MURRAY BSc (Hons), CPAM, HCPC, MISCP CEO and Registered Physiotherapist GEOLOGY EDUCATION WEEK STARTS FOR CAYMAN STUDENTS Cayman students are about to learn about the Earth. Cayman will stage its sixth annual Geology Educa- tion Week starting Monday and ending Friday, and it will feature lessons for local high schools and a profes- sional development course for educators. A field trip to Cayman Brac will be one of the main events on the schedule. During this year’s Ge- ology Education Week, which is hosted by the Water Au- thority – Cayman, Brian Jones, geology professor at the University of Alberta in Canada, will lead a series of lessons and lectures. “Not only is Dr. Jones a world-renowned geologist, his career includes more than 30 years of work right here in the Cayman Islands,” said Hendrik-Jan van Genderen, the resources engineer for the Water Authority. “We are very pleased to announce that Dr. Jones will be able to lead this year’s program of events and the level of interest from local schools and educators is greater than ever before.” The courses offered as part of Geology Education Week are limited to high school students and educa- tors, but the public can learn through the Water Authority’s social media accounts. “This is our way of sharing Dr. Jones’ wealth of knowledge with the wider public and engaging with our followers on social media,” said Hannah Reid, the Water Authority’s corporate com- munications officer. Geologist Brian Jones leads the participants of a previous professional development course through the Pedro quarry. Judge queries package contents in resort robbery CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The housekeeping man- ager at Morritt’s Resort was the first witness called in the trial of three men charged in connection with a rob- bery there on Christmas Eve last year. Marvin Gregory Grant is charged with the robbery; Fred Allon McLaughlin and Al Elford McLaughlin are charged with aiding and abetting him. All three are charged with conspiracy to supply controlled drugs. The witness, Rupert Scotchman, explained that he also assisted general manager Jose Kirchman when Mr. Kirchman was not on the premises. He said he received a message from the security guard around 4 p.m. on Dec. 24 and went to an area of the beach where the guard was. He said there was a package under the chair where the guard was: it looked like a gray or silver bag with barnacles on it. There were also other pack- ages, black with green tape. Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Patrick Moran asked him what he thought. “That they were drugs,” Mr. Scotchman replied. Defense attorney Anthony Akiwumi rose to interrupt. Justice Roger Chapple then said he should have asked if there was any dis- pute that the packages contained drugs. Mr. Akiwumi, who repre- sents Mr. Grant, replied, “For my part, yes, there is. The Crown is put to proof.” When Mr. Moran had opened the prosecution’s case the previous day, he explained that “several packages” had been stolen by force or threat of force against the guard. Those packages were never recovered. One package was left behind, however. It was analyzed and shown to con- tain about one kilo of cocaine. Mr. Scotchman said he took a picture of what was under the chair and jurors were given a copy of that picture. It appears to show several packages within a bag that is falling apart. The witness said he waited with the security guard for police to show up. Several resort staff mem- bers came, looked and left. He named four. While he and the guard were waiting, a masked man approached with a machete and spoke in patois, indi- cating that the bag was his. He took the bag and ran back toward the car park. Mr. Scotchman said the guard followed the masked man and he remained with the one package. He described the robber as wearing shades, having his head covered with something white and the bottom part of his face covered. He agreed with Mr. Akiwumi that he did not see any facial features. Asked about the size of the bag, he agreed it could have been 18 to 20 inches wide, that the length was more than the width, and it was about 17 inches high. Mr. Scotchman said he did not count the number of packages. Attorney Laurence Aiolfi asked questions on behalf of Fred McLaughlin, who has ac- knowledged driving his truck to the Morritt’s beach that af- ternoon. Mr. Scotchman said the way the truck had blocked the guard’s path as he was following the robber, so that he had to change direction and go around the truck. The second witness was Mr. Kirchman, the gen- eral manager. He said he viewed CCTV clips from the incident. He saw a man with cov- ering on his face. Then he saw a man wearing what appeared to be the same clothing as the robber but without the face covering. He said he recognized the man as “Marvin,” but did not know his last name. One of the details that helped his recognition was the man’s goatee. (Mr. Grant is clean-shaven.) Mr. Kirchman said he was “Facebook friends” with Marvin and had a photo of him on his phone. Jurors were given copies of that photo. It was agreed that the photo was from about five years ago. The next witnesses scheduled to be called were police officers who re- sponded to the scene. The trial continues.The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 FRIDAY OCTOBER 12, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS raft of modifications, including tem- porary ramps fashioned throughout the compound, walls erected to form makeshift administrative offices, a tub removed from one of the bath- rooms to make room for a hydraulic lift, and a portable trailer added on the land to serve as an occupational therapy room. Compared to when Sunrise op- erated out of a tiny cottage in the parking lot of Sir John A. Cumber Primary School from 1986 to 2003, the current property is in many ways an improvement. Still, Sunrise director Kim Voaden said the aging and cramped quarters impose severe restrictions on how well she and her staff can serve their “clients” – the term the center uses for its special-needs adults. And the limitations impact far more than Sunrise’s current employees and clients. Due to a lack of space, Ms. Voaden said she has a waiting list of some 60 people who cannot be served. Within the next five to 10 years, that list is projected to balloon to 150, according to Ms. Voaden, who has a special-needs child of her own. Government officials have dis- cussed building a new center for years, but little tangible progress has been made outside of studies being commissioned – even though Sunrise staffers said they were told in 2003 that the duplex would be a “tempo- rary place” for them. Ms. Voaden said she holds out hope that the government will shift its focus from other capital project priorities to constructing new facili- ties for Sunrise in the near future. “What do I have if I don’t have hope?” she said. After Wednesday morning’s walk, Sunrise clients dispersed to all areas of the property to begin their daily training activities. In one of the kitchens, an instructor worked with several students to make snacks for everyone. The food preppers included Chalice Smith and Tessa Terry, who will likely represent Cayman as athletes in the Special Olympics next summer in Abu Dhabi. While the build- ing’s two residential kitchens are ad- equate for making snacks, they are not on par with an industrial kitchen needed for making lunch for 30-plus people, Ms. Voaden said. Near the kitchen is the garage, which has been turned into the center’s arts-and-crafts room. Paintings and other artwork cover the walls and ga- rage door, making it difficult to tell that the room was meant to store vehicles. Down one of the hallways is a room used as an office by three staffers who work with Sunrise Cen- tre’s 23 employed clients – nearly in- dependent adults with jobs, who do not attend the center unless there is special training or another specific reason for them to go there. Attached to that office is the food pantry and the building’s only hand- icap-accessible restroom, which was made by tearing out the shower fa- cilities so a hydraulic lift could fit in the room. When Ms. Voaden worked out of that office, clients going to the bathroom or pantry would often stop to chat with her. She said it came to the point where she could hardly get any work done, so she put up a giant cardboard partition for privacy, deco- rated with Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night” that a client painted for her. “I was getting nothing done be- cause I had constant flow through the room,” she said. “I said, ‘I need a bar- rier to remove the visual distractions, because all the clients coming through wanted to come in and stop and chat.’” Now, Ms. Voaden’s office is in a corner area of the building, with win- dows that look out over the front yard. This helps her watch for any clients who exit the duplex without permission – something that has happened in the past. “We don’t have push-buttons for the doors. We don’t really have a se- cure compound,” Ms. Voaden said. “I worry a lot. We have clients that have absconded because of emotional dys- regulation or a variety of reasons. Luckily, my office sees outside, but it’s a reactive situation.” Another office, used by the trans- portation staff, will soon be turned into a classroom when a Caymanian who recently completed a master’s de- gree in education joins the center, Ms. Voaden said. While the director said she’s excited to have the new instructor and another classroom for teaching cli- ents, the lack of space for administra- tive work affects employee morale. Throughout much of the building, water stains mar the ceilings. Though Sunrise’s air quality has been declared as clean by health inspectors, multiple people there complain about sickness they think could be related to mold. “We get tested every year and are told we are a sterling example of fan- tastic air quality,” Ms. Voaden said. “And yet, I have people that are sick.” Most rooms have windows, al- lowing for natural sunlight to pour in the building. However, those win- dows also have steel-barred frames that would make escape during a fire nearly impossible in the rooms with no emergency exits. “Maybe I could get through here, but how could I get a client?” said workshop supervisor Brigitte Conolly, showing the Compass one of the barred windows. Walking out of the duplex, a Sun- rise client held the front door open for Ms. Conolly and this reporter. The client tried to latch the door open with a hook, but the weight of the door pulled the hook right out of the wall. “It’s been like that,” Ms. Conolly muttered. Behind the duplex, the backyard teems with mint, basil and other plants, as well as fowl in a recently constructed chicken coop. A client filled a bucket to water the beds, many of which were still dormant from the summer break. Sunrise sells the pro- duce to fund these types of activities. Next to the duplex is a portable trailer that serves as Sunrise Centre’s occupational therapy room. Inside, a therapist worked with a client with cerebral palsy-like symptoms, rolling a medicine ball over his body to stim- ulate neurological input in his skin, muscles and joints. At a nearby table, other clients worked on a counting ex- ercise, while another client walked on a treadmill – located right next to a puzzle and other mind games. Across the compound is a yard that employees use to park their ve- hicles, since the campus has no parking lot to speak of. The yard is owned by an individual who allows Sunrise staff to park there. Philanthropic people, companies and community organizations help the center to function, and also provide the times of “real delight,” Ms. Voaden said. Past charitable acts include the Ca- ribbean Utilities Company taking the clients to the cinema, Rotaract mem- bers visiting the center for a “crafts day,” and Digicel donating a television and a wheelchair-accessible table. “Learning is funded by government, but the times that make everybody re- ally happy are because of donations from the community,” Ms. Voaden said. Back inside the duplex, life skills instructor William Delgaty showed a video on how to make an omelet to a group of students in one of the bedrooms. Later that day, the group was scheduled to travel to Foster’s to pick up ingredients for their own breakfast food. However, that trip was canceled at the last minute due to issues with busing, which has been another major challenge facing Sunrise. While the center has five buses, they are not all in service at any given time – Ms. Voaden described them as all running in “different capacities.” On Wednesday, two of them were at the mechanic to fix roofs that sprung leaks after the most recent torrential rainfall. The road-worthy buses run two routes: one in West Bay and George Town, and the other from south of the airport to as far east as the North- ward area. Sunrise has a client that lives across the island in North Side. To get to the center, he must wake up early to travel to a Northward pickup point, where the bus will take him and other clients the rest of the way. Ms. Voaden explained that even if her drivers could start earlier, there would be issues with carrying a large busload of special-needs adults for such a long distance, facing the usual traffic delays on the way. Ideally, the Sunrise Adult Training Centre would be located in central George Town to mitigate these and other issues that come with having Sunrise tucked away in the far corner of West Bay, Ms. Voaden said. Other problems with the center’s remote- ness include the time it takes for emergency responders to travel there. “I love our EMTs, but I have had instances of people having seizures and it taking the ambulance 40 min- utes to get here,” Ms. Voaden said. Relocating Sunrise in George Town would align with a 2010 consultancy report by Deloitte, which recommends the new center be located somewhere between George Town and Prospect. The report was commissioned after then-Premier McKeeva Bush promised in 2009 to set aside money in govern- ment’s budget for Sunrise to get “a much-needed new permanent home.” Deloitte analyzed the country’s dis- ability provision in 2010 as part of the research into the possibility of building a new center. At the time, funding was not available to imple- ment the recommendations and the report was not released. About four years later, the report’s findings were discussed in Finance Committee hearings. Premier Alden McLaughlin announced in November 2014 that $8.5 million would be bud- geted for the center. At the time, then-Sunrise director Shari Smith said construction on the purpose-built facility would begin in 2016 and should be open by 2018. But more planning was appar- ently needed, and in May 2016 gov- ernment announced that an outline business case – a study legally re- quired for major capital projects – would be formed for the project. In January 2017, government an- nounced that it would move forward with the project through local devel- opment company Rider Levett Buck- nall. The company was to complete a business plan outlining the costs of creating a more central location, pro- gram expansion and increased client enrollment, and then submit that plan within 90 days. No public announcements have been made about building a new center since then. In response to a re- cords request for the business case, government told the Compass that it is still in progress and therefore cannot be released. Ms. Voaden said Sunrise is making a presentation to caucus “soon,” and that she’s praying the project can move into its final business case phase shortly thereafter, and then on to the actual construction. Given the strides government has made in catering to the territory’s spe- cial-needs adults, Ms. Voaden said she’s confident that this administration will be the one to finally provide Sunrise with the desperately needed facilities. “I would say that this particular premier and administration have been the ones that pushed through the dis- ability legislation and championed the disability policy,” she said. “Our min- ister has visited to see our limitations.” However, a new special-needs adult center is not mentioned in gov- ernment’s 2017 strategic policy state- ment, which lists the cruise pier, air- port development, John Gray High School, George Town landfill, and the Long-Term Mental Health Facility as priority projects. As long as Sunrise remains in its current building, it will be limited to serving a maximum of about 35 cli- ents, which already strains the aging property to its limits. With a con- tinuous stream of graduates coming from the Lighthouse School – Cay- man’s school that trains youth with disabilities – the demand for Sunrise is constantly growing. The Lighthouse School has 110 students, with six of them in Year 12 and 10 in Year 11. Many Lighthouse graduates have to wait years before there is room for them at Sunrise. At that point, they have forgotten what they were taught, and much of their training must start from scratch, Ms. Voaden said. Later that Wednesday, Ms. Voaden was scheduled to call the families of five of those long-waiting clients about their admission to the training center. However, admitting five new adults means having to say goodbye to some of the center’s elderly clients, who mostly use the center to watch television and participate in recre- ational activities rather than learn life skills, she said. What happens to those elderly cli- ents who age out of the center? “They go home,” Ms. Voaden said after a pause. “It would then be up to the families to find what to do with them. … “We need to get out. We need a new building.” Sunrise clients Gisele Smith, Chalice Smith and Tessa Terry weed one of the center’s gardens. - PHOTOS: TANEOS RAMSAY Cramped quarters restrict special-needs training CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Occupational therapy assistant Milton Dixon works with client Justin Wright.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY OCTOBER 12, 2018 8 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY OCTOBER 12, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS The family of the late Mr. Oswald Barrington Charles Gregory Would like to express their deepest gratitude and appreciation for all the love and kindness bestowed upon them with the passing of their beloved husband, father and grandfather. Thank you to everyone for your prayers, phone calls, text messages, cards, fl owers, assistance with the funeral arrangements, food, and any other way you may have assisted. The family would like to give special recognition to the following persons/organizations: The family of the late • The church family of First Baptist Church, Pastors and Sanctuary Choir FBC • Pastors and congregations of Church of God Chapel • Mr. Charles Clifford and his staff at the Customs Department • Members of the RCIPS who assisted and showed such care and compassion • Dr. Jha and all the Staff of HSA’s A&E • Dr. Steve Tomlinson, MBE • Staff members of Dart Enterprises Ltd. • Massive Equipment Rental • AV Solutions • Cayman Music & Entertainment Association (CMEA) • Mr & Mrs. Luigi Moxam & the staff at Cayman Cabana • Dr. Kenrick Webster & staff of Webster’s Tours Ltd • Mr. Kurt Tibbetts, OBE • Ms. Lucille Seymour, BEM • Mr. Isaac Rankine • Mr. Winston Connolly, Jr • Ms. Evelyn Rockett • Ms. Marie Rivers • Pallbearers: Messrs. Adrian Rowe, Alex Smith, Beneil Miller, • Horace Forbes, Keville Smith and Troy O’Neil • Ms. Meloney Syms • Ms. Jana Pouchie-Bush • Ms. Carmin Godfrey • Mr. Mario Rankin • All family members and volunteers helping with the funeral Ma God ontinue e ou Stan eld DaCosta Barton July 11th, 1924 - October 1st, 2018 Who passed away peacefully at home in Clarendon, Jamaica. A anksgiving Service will be held at Rock Hall Methodist Church, St Andrew, Jamaica at 11am on Saturday October 20th, 2018 Viewing will be held from 9am-10am Interment will follow at the Church cemetery. We regret to announce the death of Volunteers save turtle hatchlings from storm SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com Hurricane Michael may have bypassed Grand Cayman, but it still posed a serious danger to local wildlife. A Department of Environment team responded to the crisis on Monday and Tuesday by going around the island and saving more than 500 turtle hatchlings from the high seas associated with the storm. The DoE team, led by vis- iting scientist Evelyn Denton and assisted by local vol- unteers, checked dozens of known turtle nests that were believed to be close to hatching. Most of these nests were laid between a month- and-a-half and two months ago, and the baby turtles were at great risk without intervention. The team located 485 hatchlings on Monday that were kept safe until they were ready for release, and they came back on Tuesday and found another 61 live hatchlings. “Some we kept in buckets, a few were even kept in a vol- unteer’s bathroom sink,” Ms. Denton said. “We released about 150 on Monday night and will release the rest over the next few days.” Turtle eggs can withstand waves washing over their nests, but if too many waves come, they run the risk of eroding the nest and washing the eggs out to sea. The tur- tles can also be deprived of oxygen due to heavy, wet sand collapsing on their eggs, and in those cases, many of them will not survive. After hatching, the young turtles are vulnerable to high waves. It can take several days for them to dig them- selves out of the sand, and if the waves keep coming, it can be hard for them to escape. “The more than 500 hatch- lings that were rescued Monday and Tuesday would have drowned if they had not been removed from the nests prior to the waves washing over the beach,” said Janice Blumenthal, a research of- ficer for the DoE. “The nests checked on Monday and Tuesday represent a small percentage of the annual nest numbers for the three is- lands. However, volunteers’ efforts in saving 546 hatching turtles [that] otherwise would have drowned gives each one of those hatchlings a chance at survival.” The busiest turtle nesting season is generally between May and November, but nesting turtles can begin as early as April and hatchlings can appear on beaches as late as January. The DoE advises residents and tourists not to disturb the nests or attempt to help the turtles emerge. If you see a nest in danger of being damaged, you can con- tact the 24-hour turtle hot- line at 938-NEST (6378). For further information on turtles or other protected species in the Cayman Islands, or to learn how to become a volunteer with DoE, you may also contact DoE Public Education and Outreach Officer Brent Fuller at 244-5984 or 922-5514 or via email at brent.fuller@gov.ky. Volunteer Jane Hardwick digs into an at-risk turtle nest. - PHOTO: DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT BOOK FAIR TO FEATURE LOCAL AUTHORS The George Town Public Library is hosting the Cayman Islands Book Fair, where the work of several local authors will be fea- tured, on Saturday. The event is free and the public is encouraged to drop by and meet writers, learn more about the au- thors, and get tips for publishing work. The fair takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be an authors exhibit, book readings, storytelling, prize raffles and much more. Authors will be on hand to discuss their work, sell and autograph books, and talk about their writing process. There will be a wide array of genres at the li- brary for every age, in- cluding fairy tales, mystery, romance, science fiction and non-fiction, according to organizers. The event is orga- nized and presented by the Cayman Islands Public Li- brary Service with support from Cay Writers and lit- eracy partner LIFE. Visit the library website at www.cipl.gov.ky or email kevin.goring@gov.ky for more information. 2019 PUBLIC HOLIDAYS ANNOUNCED The Deputy Governor’s Office has announced the dates of 11 public holidays that will be held in 2019. The only holiday date that has yet to be con- firmed is the Queen’s Birthday, which is likely to fall on Monday, June 10. The public holidays are: ■■ New Year’s Day: Tuesday, Jan. 1; ■■ National Heroes Day: Monday, Jan. 28 ■■ Ash Wednesday: Wednesday, March 6; ■■ Good Friday: Friday, April 19; ■■ Easter Monday: Monday, April 22; ■■ Discovery Day: Monday, May 20; ■■ Queen’s Birthday: Monday, June 10 (Unconfirmed); ■■ Constitution Day: Monday, July 1; ■■ Remembrance Day: Monday, Nov. 11; ■■ Christmas: Wednesday, Dec. 25; ■■ Boxing Day: Thursday, Dec. 26.The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY OCTOBER 12, 2018 Churchill’s Funeral Home Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com We have been asked to announce the passing of Ms. Myrtle Louveni Rivers, who passed away on Monday, October 08, 2018. A Thanksgiving Service will be held at Church of Christ, 24 Batabano Rd, West Bay on Sunday, October 14, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. Sunrise Adult Center, West Bay, Grand Cayman. Interment follows at the West Bay Cemetery. The family of the Late Henry Harold Hurlston regrets to announce his passing on Wednesday, 3 October, 2018. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com A Funeral Service will be held 2:00 p.m. Saturday, 13 October 2018 at Elmslie Memorial United Church. Viewing will be from 1:00 p.m. prior to the service. Interment will follow in South Sound Cemetery. The family of the Late Jaqueline O. Jackson Newball regrets to announce her passing on Friday, 28 September, 2018. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service facebook page A Funeral Mass will be held 2:00 p.m. Saturday, 13 October 2018 at St. Ignatius Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Cayman Heart Fund. ll at ade off around June next year. Mr. Burton said it was dif- ficult to say with any cer- tainty what percentage of the population could be eradicated in the first year. He acknowledged that targets would have to be revised and the price per iguana may have to be in- creased as the “law of di- minishing returns” kicks in and green iguanas become less abundant and more difficult to hunt. “My gut feeling is that we are going to make a very significant impact on the iguana population over the next 14 months, but we have to expect the unex- pected,” he said. “We have never done this before. No one has ever done this on this scale before.” Interest in the cull has come from established iguana-control companies, as well as individuals and new companies forming to take advantage of the op- portunity. Though they are seeking to register only serious cullers capable of killing 400 iguanas a month, Tim Austin, deputy director of the DoE, said there was nothing to stop “weekend warriors” forming a partnership and meeting that target collectively. He said there would be nothing to stop companies that already cull iguanas in the private sector from double dipping and making money both from the gov- ernment and private sector clients. Cullers will be re- quired to declare their in- volvement in the cull to private clients but would still be able to accept a fee from strata corporations, for example, for culling on their land. Companies are also able to sell the iguanas for food, if they are able to do so, and Spinion, a company that processes iguana meat for the food market, is also expected to be involved. Mr. Burton accepted there had been no economic study done on the finan- cial impact of the invasive green iguana population. He said it would be diffi- cult to quantify precisely, but there were cost impacts for condo developments, farmers and even the Ca- ribbean Utilities Company in iguana proofing their properties and infrastruc- ture. He said there was a layer of environmental damage, including threats to endemic trees and bird populations, that was hard to put a dollar figure on. Cullers can register from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday next week at the DoE head- quarters on North Sound Road in George Town. To register as a culler, individ- uals must provide photo ID, proof of Caymanian status, and be over 18. Companies must also provide a valid trade and business license. For cullers planning to use air rifles, valid firearms li- censes must also be pro- vided at registration. Cullers will be issued with information and guidelines, including ad- vice on handling, humane culling, managing public sensitivities and directions on disposal of the iguanas, which will largely be at the landfill. No iguanas will be accepted before the cull start date of Oct. 29. Anyone who wants to clear a beach using ma- chinery needs special permis- sion from the Department of Environment. Beach erosion is a major risk if the pro- cess is not done properly and turtle nests are also a factor during nesting season. Mr. Austin said it was still possible to remove sargassum from a nesting beach using machinery – but the nests need to be marked first to en- sure they are not impacted. He said the best and most environmentally friendly way to remove sargassum was using hand rakes. The extent of the sar- gassum invasions in the Ca- ribbean have caused prob- lems for the tourist industry. The image of white sand beaches and clear blue seas that tourists expect from the region has been impacted. Antigua and Barbados have been the worst hit. Barbados declared a na- tional emergency earlier this year and called in the na- tional Defence Force to as- sist with removal after mass inundations of sar- gassum forced the closure of some beaches. Cayman has not been as badly hit, but is not immune to the threat. Mr. Austin said he had heard stories of tourists checking out of hotels in Grand Cayman where the beach was impacted and going elsewhere. He said, “People get very upset about it. I’ve heard sit- uations where guests have seen the beach and checked out straight away. It is a sig- nificant deterrent to tourists. You can’t swim in the water, you can’t lie on the beach.” Usually, he said, per- mission could be granted quite quickly to clear pri- vate beaches. However, if the prevailing winds stayed the same, there was little resorts could do, he said. “You can clean it all you like, but if the wind is from the same direction, it will just blow back on shore.” SARGASSUM FAST FACTS ■■ Sargassum is stringy, brown seaweed usually found floating in the open ocean. ■■ It accumulates in “rafts” that serve as feeding and breeding grounds for juvenile fish and other marine life. ■■ Winds and currents can push it ashore, impacting beaches. ■■ Experts believe warming oceans and pollutants have contributed to larger- than-average “sargassum blooms” in recent years. ■■ Researchers are working on a study to help predict the movements of sar- gassum in the region’s waters to provide an ad- vance warning system. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Sargassum invasion hits Cayman again NCVO volunteers at supermarkets this weekend For the second consec- utive weekend, volunteers with the National Council of Voluntary Organization will be out in force at super- markets this Saturday col- lecting donations. The collection campaign by members of the Pink La- dies Volunteer Corps, Rotary Sunrise and Cayman Imperial Beauties is to support NC- VO’s upcoming 39th annual Radio Telethon, taking place on Saturday, Oct. 20, at the Prospect Playhouse. The radio telethon will broadcast simultaneously on Radio Cayman and Cayman 27 from 7 p.m. to midnight. Participating supermar- kets include Kirk Market, Foster’s Food Fair IGA at the Strand and Airport locations, Hurley’s Marketplace, and A. L. Thompson’s. The funds collected will be presented to the NCVO during the Telethon. To learn more about the NCVO, schedule a company donation presentation at the Radio/Telethon or make pledges before the event, contact Mona Meade on 949-2124 or ncvocoordinator@ncvo.org.ky or log on to www.ncvo.org.ky. Miss Nadine’s Preschool staff Jacqueline Johnson and Valda Myers help to fundraise for the NCVO at Kirk Market. Fishermen walk along Frank Sound dock Thursday morning as sargassum seaweed piles up on the shore. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Iguana cull registration begins Monday The Department of Environment’s Fred Burton outlines the aims of the iguana cull at a press conference Thursday. – PHOTO: JAMES WHITTAKERNext >