Port decision delayed
(CNS): Mounting speculation that the Dart Group has been awarded the contract to build the new George Town cruise berthing facility could not be confirmed on Wednesday when the promised announcement at the FCCA conference in St. Luciafailed to materialize. Port Authority Chairman Stefan Baraud said he was unable to say who would be constructing Cayman’s most talked about development as he had been told that Cabinet had not yet made a decision and that the announcement would now be made next week.
Baraud explained that he and his committee had submitted recommendations to Cabinet based on a checklist of essential criteria on each of the bids, but as far as he was aware none had yet been confirmed as the winning bid. Despite this, however, rumours that Dart Enterprises, the developers of Camana Bay and a significant owner of property on the George Town waterfront, would be the investor have persisted. CNS understands that Dart was one of the four bids which the special committee had selected from the original thirteen submissions for government’s final consideration.
Given that this development will be financed entirely by the private sector, there are few local developers that would have the ability to raise the necessary capital. The other bids are all believed to be from overseas, including at least one from Saudi Arabia. Baraud told CNS yesterday that whoever won the bid, whether local or foreign, would have to fulfil the requirement to engage local contractors and Caymanian workers on the project.
Dart has already employed a significant number of local contractors on the Camana Bay project but last year established its own general contractor, Dart Enterprises Construction Company (DECCO). A spokesperson for the firm said at the time that DECCO was established because of market demands and the fact that there were only a limited number of contractors in Cayman with the capability to complete large and complex projects.
Given that the criteria which would direct the decision over who would build the controversial facility included not just the necessary financing but also the ability to mobilize quickly, quality of design and the requirement to contract local people, Dart is an obvious contender to win the bid based on its current situation in Cayman and its track record at Camana Bay.
CNS contacted Dart regarding the rumour but the developer said it was unable to comment on the speculation at this time.
Category: Headline News
Both PPM and UDP publicly stated that we MUST have this dock. The fighting is all about who is gonna be the first to get it built and have their names on the placque.
Wake up (Anonymous 10/30/2009 – 10.34), the PPM stated of course the Port Facility is needed but it would be done only AFTER an Environmental Impact Study was done and ONLY if it proved that the Harbour (our reefs etc.) would not be destroyed. Cayman could do with a much larger Airport aswell but if it will destroy the North Sound (large Tourism attraction) it would make no sense, therefore when thePPM agrees that the Port Facility is needed it did not mean that The Hon. Charles Clifford was going to do it at all costs, just to have his name on it, UNLIKE what is happening now!
Some food for thought:
I’ve seen a bunch of different plans forthe berthing facility and all of them destroy parts of the reef system in George Town.
A study was done in the North Sound on the effects of dredging and it was found that silt settling on the reefs was the principal reason for their demise.
There is also a study on the movement of sand around the island that demonstrated that sand on SMB comes from East End – a bething facility would disrupt this natural movement of sand.
A little bit of digging will uncover these reports which between them almost constitute an EIA but seeing as the Government is going to force this through regardless we may as well get used to the idea.
Totally agree with you on this.
Unbelievable! I’m embarrassed to read the various post as a Caymanian. What’s wrong with the architecture of Caymana Bay, it offers architectural diversity we did not have previously. What’s wrong if Dart is selected by CIG to do the job, we should all appreciate that a new port has to be built due to the new class of ships that require berthing. Has anyone consider to speak out for the many Caymanian families that stand to lose considerably that depend on this industry? The concern of Caymanians should not be who is given the concession to build the dock, but rather do they have the ability to finance, design and build it. Should we be so lucky to have anyone consider participating on such a large project in this current financial climate! To the few Caymanian posters, if you want to go back to "the island time forgot" that’s your business, but allow the rest of us to live in a thriving society with opportunity for all! (For those who want to take advantage of the opportunities).
Signed an embarrassed Caymanian.
P.S. yes not to preclude an environmental study! However every news report I have read said one will be done.
As the way thing to go, as issued by the environmental department all of us Caymanian will starve to death. Take a close look at who the making the laws, and suggestions. They could not get a job where they came from, now they tell us Caymanians what to do and how to go about it. We will some require permission to go swimming or walking on the beach.forget about fishing.
I hope you will enjoy living in "Dartcay" which will be one of three islands that make up the "Dartland" Islands, after Bushy has finished selling everything to him & I hope you will be happy.
at least the place will be properly run, financially stable and prosperous, we won’t need the Muppet government and the rest of the civilised world might take us more seriously (especially if he stamps out corruption!)
Irregardless of who gets the contract, although the Dart Group of Companies seems to stand a good chance at this point, there is a big difference between wanting employment…and being prepared to work also. That should be obvious although I thought I’d point it out. If you force contractors or any employer to hire a certain segment of the population because of restrictions put on whoever employs them you may have the best intentions. But they may also arrive at work with an attitude such as "I’m not going to do a thing and you can’t let me go." We need to be realistic no one can operate any business with those limitations. Not for long. Here or anywhere else. Believe me employers DO NOTICE… when people are willing to learn and increase their skills.
Hold up! Everyone is talking about how much Dart has done for Cayman and how as a Caymanian he should get the Port job. I think everyone is missing the point through absolute blindness and stupidity and the point is that it does not matter who will do the Port (and I dont care if it is a REAL Caymanian) what matters is that the Diving Industry (which is a VERY large factor in our Tourism sucess) is going to be destroyed with no chance of recovery after the fact then can you tell the REAL Caymanians who are in the Diving/Tourism Industry that it is OK because it was a "McKeeva-Caymanian" who got the job. "Those who pays the piper plays the tunes"
This is a monumental project for the country.
Prior to the awarding of any contract I believe it would be prudent of the Cabinet/CIG to allow the voters to see what this development entails. Where are the studies, environmental impact, private money…what is the deal?
It is difficult to believe that such a huge project is just "happening".
Caymana Bay is Crap!
They had a blank slate to build a beautifully designed, flavoured and coloured city and instead they built a dreadful looking bunch a buildings painted in drab and dirty colours in a bland industrial style that has nothing to do with the Caribbean…
Those who find Camana Bay beautiful should go to art school and learn what beauty really is all about…
All these after-thought hanging shades thankfully will be wiped out in the next strong hurricane…
Camana Bay, as it now stands, is just an unimaginative, drab assembly of uninspiring buildings that are disgracing these islands…
Of course, Dart can’t do much worse with the dock!…
I’m glad you said it. It’s almost blasphemous to offer comment on how uninspired Camana Bay is. Yes, they threw in some awnings to disguise the industrial park atmosphere of the buildings. But overall ….it could have had more flavor than a few canyons of concrete. Maybe flavor isn’t the right word, the architectural renderings I remember looked like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Instead it has an impersonal feeling one gets from a mall. But they were in a hurry. And probably were mezmerized by their own clever concept of "high end" and "Caribbean" was an afterthought. "Oh yeah….put a palm here… and stick some rocks in there."
Will I get struck by lightning for saying that??
It just goes to show, One mans pearl is anothers pile of Crap. Can’t please everybody but they did a great job of pleasing most. Maybe someday if you work hard you too can build something too.
Spoken like someone full of crap. Go ahead get it all out. Then please leave and find the place that makes YOU happy.
Why let a successfull Caymanian build anything on Cayman.
Why not do it the Goverment way?
Because Cayman could use more modern minded people to get things done right. Hopefully this time the one choosen will be a company that already has the experiance and infrastructure to do such a large and complicated job (like Caymana Bay) without the usual problems associated with Goverment contracts.(like the schools,Matrix,affordable houseing,Hurrican cleanup, and on and on).
Goverment, Please don’t screw this up too. Don’t insist it be done the old Caymanian way. Please just let somone do it the right way.
With all the hoopla there has not been one posting about the potential damage to our reefs and our Seven Mile Beach. Has there been any discussion on long term potential damage to Seven Mile Beach, which has been our golden egg in Tourism, been addressed?! What happened to the Environmental Study that the last Govt proposed? Why are we in such a rush to jeopardize the future of our country and our children?!
Agree 100% is anybody out there worried about SMB………..no SMB…….no CAYMAN!!!!!!!!
I’m with you 100%!!!
Oh please God i BEG you please make Mr Dart get picked for this project. Ladies and gentlemen he’s a Caymanian. He’s one of a very few Caymanians that is truly interested in this country’s future. Hasn’t he proven it time and time again ? I feel without a doubt it will be done right this time.
Two projects that come to mind is the Turtle farm and the Royal Watler dock that lacked so many things for the amount of money that was spent for example ; no place out of the rain while looking at the the turtles or out of the sun by the pools. Same thing for Royal Watler large lines of people waiting that could have capitalized on shopping and a bar. Again no shade from sun or rain. I hope that we make it in doors and not in the sweltering heat. What about transportation? Long lines and total chaos is what the FCCA told us . No signage…. well folks you’ve been to the states, can you imagine trying to find what airline or where is the taxis or rental cars without a sign. 32 years that i have been in diving and taxi and tour operation and still nothing has been done !! So please God please let Mr. Dart get this contract we all have seen what he has done in Caymana Bay . I think it has been well thought of . If you haven’t been there yet . Go to a movie , did you know you can get your tickets online no waiting . If you brought the kids and you have to wait he put chairs so you can seat and wait , and a ice cream store and a rest. and a book store and fans to keep you cool while you wait in the shade with a water feature to keep the kids busy while you wait. The way they designed it was to capture the wind coming across the north sound and spiraling around the buildings to keep good cross ventilation going to the west to the beach. EXCELLENT PLANNING. Thank you for my two cents
Sorry it took awhile to get to answer. I was on the other line. I have spoken to Mr. Dart in our weekly conference call about your prayer and he’s thinking about it. That’s all the influence I have. GOD
I would like to see postings that do not tear down the Dart Family. Those people came into our islands about 16 years ago and have done nothing but good for the Cayman Islnds. There are Caymanians who started working for them when they first opened offices here , who are still employed by them and are advancing to the top with the financial assistance to further their education, making them more able to move forward in our very adverse society. Thank the people, stop tearing them down. Maybe we all want to go back to the times when we could not walk on the waterfront because the coast road was so torn up by nor’westers. This project would be done properly and scientifically and can only bebefit our "Beloved Isle Cayman". The PPM supporters are trying to turn the people against the UDP. Stop it Caymanians. Remember "a house divided cannot stand!!!!!!!"
No way Dart has done more for these Islands than all the posters who just sit there and complain…
when they should be working…
clearly these should be the leaders…
Take a deep breath spin doctors.
While DART definitely has the money and can hire the expertise, why don’t we have a look at all the proposals and see what they all have to offer before this most important decision is made.
The coronation of DART can surely wait until then.
exelent choice
wake up gentlemen . Dart not going anywere no one put 1 billion into the ground as a joke its here for caymanians and others to enjoy for generation to come . Not to mention jobs created. The dock is also not a floating object . If dart enterprise was not here the recession would have wiped us out. forigin currency flowing into our country great news. we can buy fuel and food from over seas
Just so a lot of you know, Dart has helped a lot of Caymanians here and further more has contributed hefty to cayman charitable organizations… so quite complaining and hope for a better FUTURE!!!!!
typical caymanians always murmuring about things!!!
Well at least Stefan is learning from the best of the best! Speak before you think! Fits right in
Having seen the members of the selection committee in the Compass article, one has to wonder who provided then with technical expertise since none of the members has any obvious technical knowledge. If none was provided, then how can a sensible choice be made?
For every project , the CTC process uses a technical committee to evaluate & grade the submissions. The CTC decision is then based on a review of this evaluation & grading. Another reason for following proper methods.
Delayed? No surprise there. Too much going on in facebook to actually get some work done. Don’t worry No one can fire you. Cabinet members you are Caymans True Heroes. No work and all pay. No wonder so many young Caymanians want to grow up to be like you.
Too bad for the rest of us who actually care about the future of the island.
I wonder what would happen if there was a tiny rip in Dart’s pocket and his money slowly started to fall through………………what would happen then? We should never place ourselves in a position to be sooo deeply embedded in someone’s pockets. Once again a lack of planning and foresight on behalf of our "Leaders". We must become masters of our own destiny’s and this is something that we have been FAILING at miserably for years…………..
Dart made their money from styrofoam products. Use it once and dump it.
If money gets tight they could always build the Port from styrofoam. If should stand up just as well as the UDPs low cost Cuban homes that made Dr., Frank McField so famous.
DART would be awesome!. and he should own the island if he could
I agree with you” He should own this Island.
Seems to me we don’t really know what the heck we do want Cayman….One minute we argure about none Caymanians owning more than Caymanians right? Here we are this morning so quick to throw our nets and pull in the sprats with out even one thought of the long effects.
Yes Dart has done many wonders since landing here a few years ago. Please keep in mind here like anyone else Dart has not / will not do anything for this Government nor the past one for nothing as we all know by now nothing is for free. Yes he gives to Charities on so on” if he didn’t how would it look on him or his Company?
I wonder did we all forget when Dart landed here there were so much to be said in regards to Dart’s family…..weren’t there some other Caribbean Country that this seem Dart helped soooo much such as rebuilding their Country’ paying off all their Government debt and so on’ at the end of the day Dart tried to own their Country therefore that seem Government repaid the Dart family off and kicked him out of their Country.
On the other hand I totally forgot” Cayman is the place to be” Criminals can walk in & out with no such thing as a background check / Anyone can buy out family land cause locals feel their own Grand Children/Great Grand Children won’t need it / Kill and be set free or you can have a pleasant stay over at the Majesty Prison / Better yet once the cash is good there’s a 99% chance you can own the whole Country! Local Police Officers being kicked out from the service only to be replaced by expats who really cares two cents about the local man only to find out their more corrupt than the local Policeman.
Yes we love all the mavouls architects/projects and so on that Dart has supplyed this Island with but at the end of this Grand Cayman Day when Dart finally or better yet when our beloved Government annouces that The Dart Family now owns Cayman then what would be said then? And don’t say that will never happen cause nothing surprises me with our past or new Government.
Our biggest down fall in life as Caymanians’ we’re too easily bought out compared to any other Country that’s as plain as it gets. As for locals getting jobs’ I hope this be the case instead of ending up like the School Projects which our Government really did a great job on when it came to securing jobs for the local man.
Double Check Dart architect plans when it came to Caymana Bay specially the billboards” wounder how many Caymanians can afford to walk around with shopping bags after docking their yatch once this great galla is truley completely finito??? Movies is really all there is for ya all or sight seeing isn’t it please?
By then Caymanians the shoe will be on the other foot” we’ll have no other choice than to seek employment & way of life else where like those who flee here.
Yet we talk about God….When the only God many of us seek is money & fame…enjoy Dart and all those who partly own our Country” am for one is truly proud to be a born & bread Caymanian yippee! Can’t wait to be a foreigner basically that’ what we are. Can’t wait to land on that great port from your mavelous Dart.
Bling Bling this F/Up Country!
KUDOS to you! Dart has too much power here in Cayman…Caymanians are too quick to sellout. As a Caymanian, it pains me to see the slow degeneration of the Grand Cayman. Little Cayman and Cayman Brac hold fast.
The Cabinet, LOGB (Premier Designate), Port Authority,Chairman, Board members & Port Director are already in breach of the law by bypassing the Central Tenders Committee process.
Lets see how much further this will go having started with a significant black eye and having provided grounds for the environmentalists to bring a legal action in court to halt the project.
The question is will the environmentalists step up to the plate this time or have they been bought out too ?
What a surprise. Stand still long enough and Dart will buy you (or whoever they have to "buy") and build on you – it’s a fact, try it!
I think Dart would be an excellent choice.
DART’s track record to date is outstanding. He has poured millions of dollars into developing Camana Bay which is an outstanding facility that we can all be proud of. The buildings that he has redeveloped in central George Town are also outstanding.
DART has an excellent team of town planners in place which is exactly was George Town needs. Let’s use the port redevelopment to get things right. We currently have an unplanned, ramshackle and may I say unattractive town center. Dart can help us get it right.
Old people always say where there is smoke there is fire .Dont worry he will soon bail out the country of it depts too come November 10th 2009.????? We all know what ever he build is built good but that is not the concern ,what have he been promised to do such a huge favor for these island NO ONE rich or poor do anything for free anymore .Maybe they giving him the turtle farm and pedro castle this time ??????? WHO KNOWS ????????
Read the previous articles about this. The developer gets ongoing revenue based on income from the cruises including businesses using the port. No "favours" needed.
Does this mean that the Central Tenders Committee has been by-passed in this process?
If so, here we go again!!!
…becasue it worked so well for the new schools? You can never please everyone.
The new schools went through the Central Tenders committee, legally & above board, so please get your facts correct before you talk. If you wish, you can check this out, but of course you wont, it will burst your bubble
Also – CTC cannot second guess the Government’s decisions. All it can do is see that the Government’s decisions are brought to fruition as cost-effectively as practicable and in the overall best interests of the country.
That was my point, perhaps you missed it. They went through CTC, then everyone complained anyway.
Let me givemy two cents by saying that it’s better to have Dart Enterprises Construction Company awarded this contract rather than any other foreign entity.
Dart is locally based and as the previous poster stated, he will not build any sub-standard facility. Let’s face it, the quality of his work is hard to beat.
Dart already employs many Caymanians and has given more than any other individual or company I can think of; to local charities and the Cayman Islands community as a whole.
Aside and apart from this, who do you think we as a nation could turn to financially, if the Cayman Islands turns belly up in this financial mess that we find ourselves into ???
Let’s face it, I’m supporting those who support my beloved country and not those who just want to make a quick dollarand sent it back overseas where it does not benefit me or you.
Forget the rest, our demise will surely be their glee !!!!
I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU STATEMENT!!!
Dart has helped this nation more than the government itself!!!
Dart is an excellent choice. They have the money and already proven they have the ability. Everything they have done here so far is first class. George Town should benefit greatly once Dart’s architects are let loose!! Good move Mac!!! Now lets wrap it up and move on to the next project – we need the jobs!!
Dart would be an excellent choice. They have the ability and the money. Everything they have done so far in Cayman is first class. George Town will benefit once Dart’s architects are let loose on this project. Good move Mac!!!
I think the only logical choice is for Dart to do it, afterall he will soon own the whole island, so he will look to do a great job knowing that Cayman will soon be Dartland in the very near future! We are a bunch of cowardly whores, & we deserve nothing more than to have toserve his Royal Highness Dart in the near future, we have sold him our very souls!
As a local supplier and contractor, I am praying that the Dart Group doesn’t get this job.
My company was used so many times for getting pricing when Dart Group knew full well that they would be buying all their products through one of their many "Caymanian Dart" companies such as DECCO. They use local contractors for labor and try to find every little thing wrong so as to delay and force contractors to finace their projects. It got so bad that I asked that I be taken off their list and not be sent anymore requests for bidding.
Walk around Camana Bay and see how many Caymanians you can find working there particulalry on the contruction side or for that matter in any of the shops.
Don’t get me wrong it is a beautiful structure but you won’t see many of us (real) Caymanians benefitting from it.
Give the port to Dart and he will officially own down town. Caymanians be carefully about how we allow ourselves to be caught up with these so called and Johnny come lately "Caymanians." we came here by pain, they came her for gain!!!!
MY GOD! Doesn’t this man own enough of Cayman already? When are we going to stop this nonsense? Dart is going to soon own all of Cayman, it is just sick! They say that Dart is going to build it but Cayman’s government is going to own it, and it is not going to cost government anything (according to Baraud). DUH!!! How is that possible? You never get something for nothing! Don’t be fooled! This has got to stop!
OK?? People have to be "selling" things for them to be "bought"…
Common sense! DUH!!!
You can’t buy something that isn’t up for sale!
IF DART GROUP IS AWARDED the contract I am sure it will be built good and very beautiful. They do not do things haphazard.
My only,other comment would be. "Make sure Caymanians get jobs to help with this construction", otherwise somebodys ass is going to catch a lot of hell. !!!!!
Does anyone know who Stephan Baraud’s committee members are?
I dont know, but I would willing bet that most are from the Republic.
I agree, if the the Dart boys do it, that it is going to be one pretty Cruise Ship Berth, no doubt… and again, the opportunity for employment is an added benefit.
Could it be that the Dart Group is very successfull because they only hire people who work hard and already have the skill they need? If they have done so well in the past (and they have) Maybe everyone should let them do it their way again instead of Making them "Hire Caymanians".
How about if these unemployed Caymanians Make people want to hire them because they will save the companies money and time instead of the other way around. I think it would be more helpful if you said Make sure Caymanians work hard and prove that they are the the ones who can get the job done.
Or else the Contractors ass is going to catch a lot of hell!!!!! And lose money.