SEVEN MILE BEACH WATERFRONT WALKERS ROAD TOWN CENTRE PLAZA RED BAY THE REMODELLED SEVEN MILE BEACH IS NOW OPEN RESTAURANT cayman compass Your most trusted news source Established 1965 $1 | Funding local journalism | Friday, 3 January 2020 Taller buildings on the horizon Page 8 New home for iconic ‘A’ frame lumber Page 9 End of an era Edward Solomon's Arabus store closes after 49 years Page 4 Cayman welcomes first baby of 2020 Page 2 welcomes first baby • Matinees Daily (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $8.00, Mon-Fri Before 6pm • Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. - FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) CATS (PG) (FRI-SUN) 3:35 | 9:10 (SAT) 6:15 FROZEN 2 (FRI) 1:00 | 6:30 (SAT) 10:25 | 1:00 | 6:30 (SUN) 4:15 | 6:30 THE GRUDGE (R) (FRI-SAT) 2:00 | 4:30 | 7:15 9:40 | 10:05 VIP JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL (PG13) (FRI) 12:45 VIP | 4:10 | 7:05 | 9:55 (SAT) 11:05 | 12:45 VIP | 4:10 | 7:05 | 9:55 (SUN) 3:30 VIP | 4:10 | 6:55 | 8:55 | 9:50 LITTLE WOMEN (PG) (FRI-SAT) 12:45 | 4:00 | 9:20 (SUN) 3:00 | 9:30 SPIES IN DISGUISE (PG) (FRI) 1:40 | 4:20 | 7:00 (SAT) 11:00 | 1:40 | 4:20 | 7:00 (SUN) 4:20 | 7:00 STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (PG13) (FRI-SAT) 12:30 | 3:40 VIP | 6:50 VIP | 7:30 (SUN) 6:30 VIP | 7:30 | 9:45 VIP KIDS CLUB @ THE CINEMA HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (PG) 10:00 PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Cayman Compass Ltd. Compass Centre, Shedden Road, George Town, Cayman Islands SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman, KY1-1108 Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@compassmedia.ky ADVERTISE WITH US: T: (345) 949-5111 E: sales@compassmedia.ky W: caymancompass.com PUBLISHER KATHLEEN CAPETTA NEWS PRODUCER AND OPERATIONS MANAGER KEVIN MORALES A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” Partly cloudy skies with a 20% chance of showers today becoming partly cloudy to cloudy tonight with a 30% chance of showers. WINDS: Southeast 10 to 15 knots with higher gust. SEA STATE: Moderate with wave heights of 3 to 5 feet. weather Forecast today 86°F 72°F HIGH LOW Award-Winning Caribbean Chicken! Fresh, Healthy & Delicious! West Shore Center, SMB 945-2290 • chicken@chicken2.com Take-out!Eat-in! Aelene Lopez, weighing 5 pounds 15.5 ounces, is Cayman’s first baby of 2020. Aelene was born to proud parents Aylin and Roberto Lopez at 12:36am at the Cayman Islands Hospital on New Year’s Day. Sharing their joy with hospital staff, dad Roberto admitted they had not been expecting to be parents of the first baby born in 2020 but were wonderfully surprised when their daughter arrived early. “We didn’t want to know if we were having a girl or boy until the due date, which was originally 14 January. so we got two surprises,” he said. Aelene was delivered by Dr. Edward Caudeiron. The Lopez family was presented with a gift basket donated by members of the Opposition Alva Suckoo and Anthony Eden, and a new stroller donated by NCI Cayman Islands was also presented to the couple for their new baby. Plastic Free Cayman will hold its first area clean-up of the year in George Town on Sunday morning, 5 Jan. Organisers are asking volunteers to meet at the Stingray Fountain in front of Bayshore Mall at 8am. Parking is available at Bayshore Mall. Those attending will get a free crepe and drink at the Creperie afterwards, according to Plastic Free Cayman. The event is the latest in an ongoing series of clean-ups of beaches and roadsides by Plastic Free Cayman which is advocating for a ban on single-use plastics in the Cayman Islands. GT clean-up planned Cayman welcomes first 2020 baby Proud parents Roberto and Aylin Lopez, with their newborn baby Aelene, who was born on New Year's Day. 2Disclaimer : FIN GrandCaymanfeatures and amenities are basedon current development plans andconcepts and are subject to changewithout notice. Some services and amenities are subject to service-basedfees or homeowner fees. ART DECO INSPIREDRESIDENCES WITH UNIQUE FIVE-STAR AMENITIES Priced from US $1.9M Reserve your private tour and discover the last word in luxury + 1 345 326 1400 fin@fingrandcayman.com Guest suites Owners private Aquariva Privatewinelocker with sommelier service Personal car service & two parking spaces per residence Private business centre FIN.cayman fingrandcayman cayman compass 3 FRIDAY, 3 JANUARY 2020JEWEL LEVY jlevy@compassmedia.ky Caymanian clothing store Arabus Boutique closed its doors on New Year’s Eve after 49 years of operation in downtown George Town. For the store’s founder, 73-year- old Edward ‘Solly’ Solomon, it was a sad occasion. Established in 1970 and known for selling high-end international designer clothing with unique Caribbean flair for men and women, it was also a popular meeting place for many. The closure came after years of losses as the store struggled to compete with online shopping, Solomon said. “For me, closing the shop is very painful. Even talking about it makes me feel so sad,” he said as he watched his longtime friend Sheila Rickard close the boxes on the last of the store’s garments, which he plans to donate to the Humane Society Thrift Shop. “It’s what I did all my life, and to just abandon it … it’s not a very good feeling,” Solomon said. Glancing around the empty store, he said, “I am not happy to leave but I realise that sometime in my life, I would have to leave it – I guess now is a good time as any to leave it all behind.” Solomon’s spirit brightened as he explained that, over the years, the store had had a good run and along the way he had met some interesting people and travelled to some interesting places. “I had a good relationship with the clients. Cayman was a lot smaller by way of population those days. You knew everybody and people came when I got new stock and they would buy, and that is what you don’t get when you’re online or paging through a magazine,” Solomon said. “Everybody is buying online these days. It’s really pathetic what’s happened; people are hardly buying from stores like mine anymore. Right in the middle of that, I decided I could not compete anymore. Sales were just dropping and dropping,” he said. He had offered a storewide sale until his final day at the downtown location on Edward Street, the store’s final location. Kerith McCoy, who had shopped at Arabus for more than four decades, was one of the dozens of shoppers who sifted through the last of the heavily discounted stock and offered Solomon his farewell. “It’s sad to see an iconic store like Arabus close its doors, but I’m sure Edward will find something to do,” he said. He recalled Solomon starting Arabus out of the back of his car in the late ‘60s. Around 1969, he had a store front in the old Selkirk Watler building, which is now the Royal Watler Terminal. In later years. he said, Solomon moved to the old West Wind Building on the waterfront, before moving to Edward Street. “It was a little store-front cubicle. Those who were into fashion, or wanted to be in fashion, gravitated around Edward in his scene at Arabus,” McCoy said. He recalled Solomon as always being a leader in the fashion industry in Cayman and having the best European clothing. “Many of my pay cheques for the month back in the day went to Arabus, and when I didn’t have [the money], he offered a pay-in-installments plan.” Not only was it a place for fashion, he said, but a gathering place to hang out and see each other and hear Edward’s music and his musician friends. “It hurts me to see institutions like Arabus close its doors. Online shopping has impacted a lot of store-front businesses in Cayman,” McCoy added. Still, McCoy said, it makes him appreciate the era of Cayman he grew up in. “Those days were vibrant; it had a great music scene – we had a lot to do, even though we had no television, but we were never bored. There were a lot of nightclubs and fun places to go in Arabus clothes,” he said. His brother Harry McCoy Jr. said you were nobody until you were wearing an Arabus suit. “The 70’s vintage men’s Nik-Nik Disco Shirt made in Italy and the vintage 1970s Faded Glory high- waisted bell bottom jeans and the Geoffrey Beene men’s suits and coat blazers were in style,” said Harry McCoy. “Friday evening was the time to go Arabus and get all decked out,” he said. Solomon says it’s time for retirement and he has plans to work for the church. “I’ve been open Monday through Saturday for 49 years. It’s remarkable. I’ve been in the store, six days a week.” He said the business allowed him to sell something he enjoyed. “I didn’t have any favourite pieces, line or designer, I just like quality clothes,” he said. In the final weeks before closing, Solomon says friends and clients stopped in to reminisce about the pieces they had bought over the years. Like most Caymanian men at the time, Solomon went to sea at age 17, and then went to New York to study at age 20. There, he found work in a high-end clothing store and that was where his love of clothes developed. When he returned to Cayman, Solomon decided to open his own high-end store, offering quality clothing to Caymanians. Iconic boutique shuts its doors after 49 years cartoon The last remaining clothes at the store will be donated to the Humane Soceity. Edward 'Solly' Solomon with one of the last suits left for sale at Arabus before the store closed its door for good on New Year's Eve. The Arabus fine clothing store, a fixture in downtown George Town for five decades, has closed. WATCH THE VIDEO ONLINE CAYMANCOMPASS.COM 4Each office independently owned and operated. Member of CIREBA. Seven Mile Shops, West Bay Road | 345 233 3000 VISIT OUR ALL-NEW WEBSITE cayman compass 5 FRIDAY, 3 JANUARY 20201234567 89 101112 13 1415 16 171819 20 212223 2425 1234567 89 101112 13 1415 16 171819 20 212223 2425 ACROSS 1 Persian Gulf state (7) 5 Depression (5) 8 Excellent (9) 9 A cunning person (3) 10 Give medicine to (4) 12 A precious metal (8) 14 Typical (6) 15 Feeble (6) 17 On a city’s outskirts (8) 18 Sharp (4) 21 To regret (3) 22 Indifferent (9) 24 Possibly (5) 25 Wipe out (7) DOWN 1 Particular make of goods (5) 2 Overdramatic actor (3) 3 Unsubstantial (4) 4 Eat in small bites (6) 5 Salutation (8) 6 Displeasing (9) 7 Greatest possible amount (7) 11 A plantation of bushes (9) 13 Legitimate object of attack (4,4) 14 Favourite remedy (7) 16 A Japanese martial art (6) 19 Specialised market segment (5) 20 Cut with axe (4) 23 Unit of weight (3) The Compass Crossword Puzzle The Compass universal kakuro Puzzle 16265 The numbers in the black cells are clues. Numbers above the slash are across clues. Number below the slash are down clues. The goal is to enter digits 1 - 9 in the white cells to add up to the number clues. You cannot enter any digit more than once when adding up to clue. YeSteRDAY'S SOLUtIONS Puzzle 16264 ACROSS: 1 Accuracy, 5 Stow, 9 Comic, 10 Prudent, 11 Simple-minded, 13 Create, 14 Stable, 17 Simultaneous, 20 Omitted, 21 Pique, 22 Site, 23 Princely. DOWN: 1 Arch, 2 Combine, 3 Recapitulate, 4 Cipher, 6 Trend, 7 Withdrew, 8 Out in the open, 12 Scissors, 15 Brusque, 16 Gander, 18 Moist, 19 Deny. JEWEL LEVY jlevy@compassmedia.ky Bodden Town has long been the place to party on New Year’s Day, and this year was no exception. Dozens of people turned out at the Harry McCoy Sr. Park to celebrate Webster’s United Memorial Church’s New Year’s Day Garden Party on Tuesday. The church has been hosting garden parties for decades, giving Bodden Towners and visitors to the district an opportunity to take part in a day of fellowship, and, of course, a chance to indulge in some delicious local food and dancing. “It was a good turn-out throughout the day,” said Kerith McCoy, one of the church organisers. He said there were a lot of activities to keep everyone entertained. Aunt Sookie, Swanky Band members and saxophone player Devon Edie made appearances as visitors enjoyed an array of local food under the shade of the almond trees. “The New Year’s Garden Party is one of the longest ongoing social events in the Cayman Islands,” McCoy said. He said he heard from the older folks that the New Year’s Garden Party was launched in the 1900s by Reverend Thomas D. Redpath to raise funds for the church. According to McCoy, the first garden party was held at the old Manse on Manse Road. Over the years, it has been held at a variety of locations, including the Bodden Town Town Hall, the Civic Centre and the church hall before being hosted at the Harry McCoy Sr. Park this year. “The New Year’s Garden Party is a cultural icon of Cayman,” McCoy said. “People came from all over the island to celebrate in those days, and still do today,” He said he hoped that the church can keep the annual party going for as long as possible, but acknowledged that the faithful few who make the garden party possible are becoming fewer every year. Reverend Godfrey Meghoo recalls hosting the night watch service and the garden party the next day when he was a young pastor. “It was a great garden party,” he said. “I recall the late teacher Vernon Jackson pinning the tail on the donkey poster stuck to the back of the garage door at the Manse.” He added, “People had to find nice ways to donate to the church, and the garden party was one of them.” For most seniors, the party is a once-a-year opportunity to come out and socialise, dance and share stories of the past. For youngsters, it is a day of learning about past traditions and picking presents from the Christmas tree. New Year party for Bodden Town “The New Year’s Garden Party is one of the longest ongoing social events in the Cayman Islands.” Kerith McCoy , organiser Myrtle and Oswald Thomas dance for visitors. Ashli Welcome pins presents on the Christmas tree. Visitors get together and reminisce. cayman compass 6 news N news FRIDAY, 3 JANUARY 2020from fellow physicians January 20th - 24th, 2020 or email: customerservice@cayman-doctors.com you are cordially invited Saturday, January 11th 6:00-9:00pm 508 West Bay Rd., SMB, West Shore Center (Pink Plaza) future sailor a one man show www.kennedygallerycayman.com Ph: 345.949.8077 Email: kgallery@candw.ky CAROLINA LOPEZ clopez@compassmedia.ky West Bayers turned out in force on Wednesday for the annual ‘Old Time New Year’ family fun day hosted by government minister and West Bay South MLA Tara Rivers at the Ed Bush Stadium. “It’s a great way to start the year because it brings the entire community together,” said Rivers, who was holding the event for the seventh year. “It brings the elderly and brings the young, and it brings everyone in between, in terms of ages, and often you don’t find those kinds of activities anymore that caters to the entire family.” She said the day included activities for the young and young at heart, with games such as bumps and castles, and lime and spoon races catering to the entire family. The event also included free refreshments and food for attendees. “It’s geared for the entire family to start the new year in a very positive light and to showcase the amazing district that we live in, here in West Bay,” Rivers said. Faylene Ebanks-Suckoo from West Bay volunteered at the event, and organised the games for everyone. She said they played slickness, sack races, lime and spoon, three-legged races, and penny throw, which are traditional Caymanian games. “It’s always a fun experience.” Ebanks-Suckoo said. Rivers said the family fun day has become a tradition among the West Bay community. “That’s what this day is about – bringing the family together, bringing the community together, connecting the new generation with the old generation, appreciating our cultural heritage and being proud of who we are as Caymanians,” Rivers said. She said for the new year she wishes her constituents and all the residents of the Cayman Islands a healthy, happy and prosperous new year and start of a new decade. West Bay celebrates an ‘Old Time New Year’ From left, Governor Martyn Roper, his wife Elisabeth Roper, Tara Rivers and McKeeva Bush at together at Ed Bush Stadium in West Bay.Faylene Ebanks-Suckoo shows children how to do the penny throw. Mark Ebanks shows his artwork at the Old Time New Year family fun day on Wednesday. 7MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@compassmedia.ky With construction activity continuing unabated, several new projects that will extend the development boom into 2020 and beyond have either been floated, approved or already launched. ‘Iconic tower’ At the start of 2019, Dart suggested the idea of an “iconic tower”, a five- star skyscraper resort with residences that would become instantly recognisable all over the world. When Premier Alden McLaughlin announced the proposal at the Cayman Economic Outlook conference in February, he stated that Dart would invest about $1.5 billion in the building and related infrastructure. In June, Justin Howe, executive vice president of Real Estate Development and Operations for Decco, said Dart’s development company was in the process of turning the idea into a plan, by considering scale, location, mixed- use components, market demand, infrastructure, setbacks – the distance from a lot boundary to a development – and the legal requirements. However, despite the promise of its economic contribution, the idea of an iconic tower was not universally welcomed. Chamber of Commerce President Chris Kirkconnell said the overwhelming consensus of the business group was that Cayman did not need to become a “high-rise jungle” and that the proposal was “neither needed nor wanted” by the wider community. Much of the desire to build taller buildings stems from the scarcity and high cost of available land in the most desirable areas, particularly Seven Mile Beach. Current planning regulations restrict building heights in Cayman to a maximum of 10 storeys. Lacovia The new economics were laid bare in January when owners at Lacovia, one of Seven Mile Beach’s oldest condominium developments, voted to demolish their homes and replace them with three new, 10-storey buildings. Each of Lacovia’s 55 owners has been guaranteed an apartment in the new complex, which will feature a mix of multi-million dollar homes, including $20 million top- floor penthouse suites. The developer, Bronte Development, expects to make sufficient money from the sale of the 33 remaining apartments in the 88-apartment complex to fund the construction costs, as well as its developer’s fee. Bronte believes the partnership with the executive committee of the strata corporation, a first for Cayman, could be the formula for the future development of Seven Mile Beach. With vacant beachfront land in short supply, developers could work with stratas to redevelop older properties rather than seeking to buy them out or break new ground at less optimal sites. Hotel developments The trend towards high-rise buildings is also visible in the latest Seven Mile Beach hotel projects. Construction has begun on both the 10-storey, 351-room Grand Hyatt Hotel and Residences located at Pageant Beach between The Wharf Restaurant and Poinsettia condos, as well as Kailani Grand Cayman. The latter is a seven- storey hotel, 80-room hotel located at the site of the old Treehouse Restaurant, opposite Kirk Market. The first Curio Collection by Hilton property in Cayman is slated to open in late 2021. Tall hotel buildings will not be confined to the Seven Mile Beach area, after plans for the Mandarin Oriental resort in the Beach Bay area of Bodden Town were approved in November. Work on the two, nine-storey buildings of the Mandarin Oriental, which will comprise the resort and residences, is scheduled to begin next year, with a 2022 opening date set for the hotel. Meanwhile, a totally different hotel concept is set for Barefoot Beach in East End, where NCB Group is planning to build 83 single-storey units as part of a low- impact eco resort over 10 acres of land off the Queen’s Highway. The developers are leasing the land from Dart for a maximum of 10 years. Airport infrastructure To accommodate the tourism growth anticipated by the hotel developments, infrastructure investments are also taking shape. In March, the redeveloped Owen Roberts International Airport was officially opened by Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla. The air terminal has undergone a massive redevelopment over the past three years to be able to handle 2.7 million passengers per year. Not long after opening, the management of the airport said a further expansion with a new terminal would be needed in the next five to ten years, at a likely cost of $100 million. Expansion is not only needed for the terminal building, but also the runway and taxiing areas. In October, a $30 million upgrade of the airfield was approved. The project aims to add 870 feet to the west end of the existing runway and construct an apron north of the end of the runway to enlarge the turn- around area for aircraft. It would also allow for one plane to be waiting while another is taking off or landing, which cuts the average time between taking off and landing in half. This rendering shows the planned 80-room Curio Collection by Hilton hotel at the site of the old Treehouse Restaurant, opposite Kirk Market. It is scheduled to open next year. This artist's rendering shows the planned 10-storey, five-star Grand Hyatt hotel at the Pageant Beach site. Construction work has already begun on the project. Taller buildings on the horizon THE YEAR AHEAD At the start of 2019, Dart suggested the idea of an ‘iconic tower’, a five-star skyscraper resort with residences that would become instantly recognisable all over the world . An architect's impression shows how the proposed 10-storey Lacovia development will look. Lacovia owners celebrate in January 2019 after unanimously voting to demolish the property and rebuild in partnership with Bronte development company. 8 news N newsTel: 640.6272 / 922.9711Email: carclinic.ky@gmail.com Oil & Filter Service + 26 POINT INSPECTION OPEN 6 DAYS A WEEK FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE Mon-Friday 7:30am - 5pm Saturday 9am -12pm. Auto Care Center diagnose the problem and fix it right the first time. We have certified licensed technicians. We diagnose and test your vehicle so we will NOT charge you for a FULL SERVICE if it’s not needed - NO HIDDEN FEES. FREE QUOTE. FREE DROP OFF SERVICE. 100% Customer Satisfaction Oil & Filter Service + 26 Point Inspection........................... $49.95 2 or 4 wheel Alignment starting at .................................... $80.00 Computer Scan Test.................................................................. $59.95 Full A/C Service........................................................................... $85.00 Drop Off Service to your Home or Office in the George Town area......................................................... $FREE AUTOCARE CENTER CallServiceDrop Off ice IO .......... $FR WITHTHIS AD $ 49.95 529 Shedden Rd. Kirk Motors Building Prior to the new multi-million- dollar makeover of the Owen Roberts International Airport, residents and visitors alike would eagerly wait at the waving gallery to either greet or say a final goodbye to family and friends. In 2017, the new security regulations meant the open-air gallery had to be permanently enclosed. So, the iconic cedar wood ‘A’ frame, which had stood in place for more than 35 years, was torn down and replaced with glass, steel beams and iron rods. However, not all the wood from the rustic A-frame was destined for the scrap heap. The Cayman Islands Airports Authority teamed up with McAlpine Ltd. to donate several large pieces of the lumber to make benches for the Children’s Garden schoolhouse at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park. “It fills me with a sense of pride and nostalgia to know that a piece of Cayman’s history, that was once an iconic feature of ORIA will serve another grand purpose in the community,” said Albert Anderson, CEO of the Airports Authority, in a press release. “We are thrilled to be a part of the exciting venture with the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park and contributing partners to bring the Children’s Garden and Rotary Schoolhouse project to life for generations to enjoy.” The benches feature small plaques which highlight the donation, and the history of the wood. “Children, just by sitting on the benches, passively learn about our important heritage and the importance of recycling and repurposing valuable resources, which was a common practice in the early years of the Cayman Islands,” said Ian Pairaudeau, managing director of McAlpine. “Nothing was wasted. That, in itself, is an extremely important message that needs to be shared.” The Children’s Garden has been in the botanic park’s pipeline since 1994, then called the Discovery Garden. The idea was revisited in 2015, and in 2018 development on the project officially began. The benches are currently located in the Rotary Schoolhouse in the Children’s Garden. Work is ongoing, and the botanic park is currently seeking donations to build more benches. The next phase of the garden will see an observation tower and a discovery pond being built. Lumber from iconic ‘A’ frame finds new home Wood from the A-frame viewing gallery at the Owen Roberts International Airport, seen here in 2017 before it was torn down, has been used to build benches at the schoolhouse in the Children's Garden at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park. From left, Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park General Manager John Lawrus, CIAA CEO Albert Anderson and McAlpine Managing Director Ian Pairaudeau try out the repurposed cedar wood benches inside the Children’s Garden schoolhouse. cayman compass 9 FRIDAY, 3 JANUARY 2020Next >