Here is a report scripted and posted to Facebook by Annalee Davis who attended the Blue Horizon town hall meeting – David, blogmaster
Report on Blue Horizon Town Hall Meeting
Here is a report scripted and posted to Facebook by Annalee Davis who attended the Blue Horizon town hall meeting – David, blogmaster Annalee Davis
111 responses to “Report on Blue Horizon Town Hall Meeting”
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“If our grandfather’s and father’s wages stagnated for 100 years is it surprising then that they had nothing to leave to us. That we had to start from scratch each and every generation.”
Still being kept that way and being DRAGGED BACK TO THAT PLAC, by the black rats in parliament….Bajans biggest enemies.
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Have you ever seen such damn lawlessness from a government made up of goddamn LAWYERS…
in their minds laws only apply to the people who ELECTED THEM…well now the people’s eyes are open to that evil scam…
GOTCHA!!!..
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BTW…….this what happens when the Black diaspora from Africa and beyond, went adopting everyone else’s SHITE RELIGIONS and FORGOT …their AFRICAN SPIRITUALITY…that is much, much more POWERFUL..than ANYTHING racists and slave traders could devise or dream up.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1320743231288887/permalink/2809544059075456/
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“Brilliant Blackmail”
I was at Accra Hotel for this event. Mr Defin Griffith the Marketing and Communications Specialist elected to read one of Dr Carl Watson’s article but left out the Conclusion, although members of the audience begged him to finish the article, to get its substance. That’s dispicable.
Then he proceeds with the rhetoric that unemployment is high and the unemployed is beging for opportunities. This is his justification for a 10-story ‘T’ shaped building with 171 rooms that blocks sunlight from neighbours behind (Donald Trump did that) and a Beach Bar &Restaurant on the beach side that would close the only window remaining on the South Coast with a descent beach.
#1 the narrative needs to be changed from employment to proprietorship and entrepreneurship. The PM has initiated this dialogue so people (black people) work for themselves rather than be the butt of exploitation for unscupulous overseas investors and callous greedy grabbing local money machines.
#2 Tourism is NOT the highest money earner in Barbados. International Business is. Far less capital expenditure is need in this sector. There is a pletoria of buildings in The Indistrial Parks, left to ruin. These could be renovated and upgraded to Business Parks to attract more international businesses.
#3 The narrative needs to change from Tourism as ‘goose that lay the golden egg’ to a diversified economy. It is foolish, sucidal even, to place all your eggs into one basket (especially one that depends on the whims and fancies of the imperialists with their travel advisories). All those industrial parks tell a story of a long ago diversified economy.
But addressing the Tourism factor I shared the following (didn’t get to elaborate).
a. France clocks 75+ million tourists annually with Spain and US vieing for second always with 55million, thereabouts. DR 6.5 million in 2018 an increase of 6.2%, Bahamas 6.6 million an increase of 7.9% Barbados 826,276 in 2018 ranking 9th in Region. BTMI report that Barbados arrivals was “approximately” 1 million. 200,000 below 1 million is not an approximation. Its deliberately MISLEADING. The local rooms sttock is down with several hotels in foreclosure or ruin; Four Seasons which was bought by the same Jada Concertium, Tropicana, Sam Lords just to name a few. Barbados dos not necessarily need new rooms but revived rooms. Then there is the question of who will occupy them while the tide has turned south and to ecotourism?But back to France. She doesnt market sun and sea so it begs the question ‘”what”?
1. She markets Paris. Paris is 105 sq mls and attracted 2,140,526 trave)ers in 2018. There are no beaches. The magnet is finance, commerce, fashion, arts, science and diplomacy. Barbados can do that too. Speightstown is quaint. Bridgetown??? Vision and Will.
This is so too for Atlanta together with GeorgiaTech which adds to their attraction with its academic programs. What is Cave Hill offering after 50 years? Same damn thing.
2. Outside of Parris, adjacent the glorious French Riviera, which hosts the Cannes Film Festival are camping grounds where people can pitch tents and camp to spectate the CFF. In fact, throughout France there are camp grounds for lower budget families. These also attract hugh numbers of College Students. A new nejche with rich parents and grandparents’ money to spend.
Barbados has Farley Hill Park, pretty much idle year round. The interior of Barbados is like a giant asleep.
3. She markets Museums. I said Barbados has only one. I’m reminded there are seven. That’s exactly my point. I knew of those but forgot because its not in my face constantly. She markets Churches and buildings of interest too, Amusement Parks, TWENTY FOUR hours Shopping and Convention Centres;
4. Fistivals of all kinds; film, music etc. Barbados has Reggae on the Hill, Pan On de Sand, Food, Rum & Wine Festival but the numbers are paltry. Barbados has to get busy.
5. Culture. Another giant asleep. Barbados has to be serious about tourism drivers.
6. Sports. Tour de France, French Open – Tennis, Formula 1. Barbados has the Horse racing Gold Cup and Car racing at Bushy Park and even the Sir Garfield Sobers Under 19 Cricket Tournament annually but are these given the budget to market aggressively to bear fruits like Crop Over and Kadooment? I think not.
Except for the CFF all these drivers are away from France’s coast.
My point is (to Blue Horizon Inc and BTMI) more rooms on the beach will not transend to more tourists. Tourists want meaningful entertainment and engagement.
b. Frances building laws stipulated building 50 meters from high water level. I am sure that with global warming and seas rising they will revisit this.
Barbados Town Planning Laws and Standards are outdated. 30 feet from high water mark saw the entire ground floor if Discovery Bay turned into a river in 2004. I dont even kniw why anyone would want to put such huge investments so close to the sea in these times.
In Atlantic Cuty all buildings are behind the Boardwalk. The Boardwalk is quite 20feet wide with Stalls and Koisks. The high water mark is beyond the outer edge of the Boardwalk.
So there really is or should be no justification for this project as is.
They dont need to develop on the beach and they don’t need 10 floors up.
A. Barbados needs new Planning ethos and Laws
B. Barbados needs to refurbish and use up esisting compliment of rooms
C. Barbados need more world class ac t ivi t ies and year long entertainment (not just Dec 21 to April 20 and Kadooment).
Wake up. -
Good post, Cherfleur.
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“Barbados Town Planning Laws and Standards are outdated. ”
Ya can’t tell unthinking fools that, they would want to spend the whole nighting arguing instead of being thankful they are getting what they are getting now….TRAINING…
at least the old Satan is good for something…?lol
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Very good Cherfleur.
I particularly like your point about building a fair distance from the high tide mark.
With global warming and an increasing sea-level, those who wish to keep the windows to the sea (or the beaches clear of buildings) are giving MM some free and good advice.
Your point about the number of tourists is well made. Some have confused the importance of tourism to us with Barbados being a major player in the tourist industry. Our part of the pie is minuscule compared to the whole…
Excellent
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@Cherfleur
You may have wondered why your well reasoned article did not generate any comments.You made the cardinal mistake of pointing out that “emperor has no clothes on”.
You pointed out our ‘rank’ in tourism and probably ruin some lofty ideas of what some had about their position
in the world. To be reminded that you are a Lilliputian does not encourage conversation, -
David G. Brooks
58 mins ·I didn’t see the article (on page 18 yesterday’s Sun On Saturday) myself but I someone told me that a Minister Abrahams was saying the the South Coast Sewage PLANT could handle the extra load if new hotels came along.
Well as far as I know, and from what I, the PM and many others have been saying since 2015, it was never really the Plant’s capacity that was the problem “along the south coast”. We all knew the plant was never at full capacity, but it was the rest of the infrastructure that was allowed to deteriorate etc.
Has Massy/Big B reconnected? Has Bubbas reconnected? Have many of the hotels along the H/Way reconnected as yet?
We still see sewage trucks working late at night to avoid traffic and at other times, taking off sewage that is obviosly NOT going in into the “system” – which is what we are questioning now … the “system” as a whole.
I really thought this baloney talk would have stopped after May last year. Really was hoping.
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Glad to see and hear Gabby back to his old self. Please stop that development and one I heard plan for Bay St. Refurbish the old places. And fix more bajan homes for Airbnb .
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