Hurricane Hilton happening
(CNS): Almost half a million dollars has already been spent this year on building material to begin construction of a new emergency facility on Cayman Brac’s Bluff. Ministry of District Administration, Works, Lands & Agriculture Acting Chief Officer Tristan Hydes said that $477,749 (just over half of the $900k in this year’s budget) has been used to purchase materials such as cement and fill, and that the rest of the funds will be spent on consultants as well as the foundation for the main hall of the project. Request for tenders for the 27,000 square foot foundation closed last week and the award, which is being conducted through the Central Tenders Committee, is scheduled around 18 March.
Public Works Department workers are also in the process of preparing the site, located east of the playing field, using their excavator to chip away about 200 feet of an outcrop of the Bluff.
The finished two-story 36,111 square foot building, dubbed locally as the “Hurricane Hilton”, will have a main hall and 80 private rooms with shared bathrooms for each pair of rooms.
Hydes said that the project will be tendered in phases rather than a single tender for the whole building. “All tenders of this magnitude are conducted through CTC,” Hydes said, adding that the first tender for the project was available for viewing on the CTC website (although it still has not appeared online) and that PWD on the Brac had several copies of the documents for distribution. Plans were drawn by PWD architects in Grand Cayman, Hydes stated. “PWD are the lead architects and project managers on this project; however, they have also employed other ‘consultants’ to assist,” he said.
Planning approval for the new hurricane shelter, which has an estimated total cost of $9 million, was given last year by the Cayman Brac and Little Cayman Development Control Board and the Building Control Unit has now issued a foundation permit. Deputy Premier and District Administration Minister Juliana O’Connor Connolly told CNS in July last year that site preparation and purchase of some preliminary resources was achieved with the $500,000 in last year’s budget, and the $900,000 in this year’s budget would almost complete the main hall. The ministry now says the main hall should be completed in the next budget year.
“The ministry is aiming to spend all monies in this year’s budget, including the foundation and some superstructure. We also plan to purchase some plant/building material that is immediately required. It is being undertaken in a phased approach, in an effort to spend the money wisely and to spread the costs over a period of time,” Hydes said.
According to the plans, in phase 1 (the main building) the first storey will include the main hall, plus a sick bay, reception area, kitchen and several bathrooms. The second floor will include the command centre, office and conference room. Phase 2 consists of four 2-storey “wings” to the building, each wing with 10 private rooms on each floor, each room with a semi-private bathroom (one for every two rooms).
“One of the lessons of Paloma was that there were too many needs for one hall,” O’Connor Connolly has previously said. The rooms will have individual temperature control, according to the deputy premier, who noted that during Hurricane Paloma, some people were too hot and some were too cold, and that there was no privacy for the elderly or disabled.
The main hall will accommodate up to 400 people in a storm and each wing will house an additional 100 adults, so the new building adds another 800 shelter spaces to Cayman Brac.
O’Connor-Connolly has said the main hall will also be used for inside sports, such as squash, badminton, netball and basketball, and with the rooms itcan accommodate visiting teams and can be used for conferences and retreats.
When there is an emergency, the private rooms will be allocated on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis, though the deputy premier has said that if a major hurricane was approaching they could allocate one wing for hospital patients.
This new emergency shelter will be the fourth on the island. The Aston Rutty Civic Centre on the Bluff can hold approximately 500 people, while the West End Primary School, which has been structurally upgraded since Paloma, can hold 250, and the Brac Day Care Centre, located next to the civic centre, can hold 155.
The District Administration Building, while not an official emergency centre, also shelters DA staff and their families, and the rebuilt Veteran’s and Seaman’s Center is an unofficial shelter. In addition, many new homes are being built on the Bluff, where people remain during a storm, and two new churches on the Bluff that were built to hurricane standards have been recently completed.
Category: Headline News
It is the role of government to protect its people from natural disasters. I support this 100%
Before we spend 9 million on a hurricane shelter for the "21st Century", shouldn’t we consider the design of said structure? Has anyone checked that part out yet? I am referring to the design of said structure. It has been proven many times throughout history to be a bad design and yet our gov’t intends to spend 9 million on it. This "consultant / builder" has no engineering or design training or schooling.
If I was going to spend 9 million of my hard earned money on a hurricane shelter, I would make sure that it was designed and engineered by person who had extensive knowledge and training.
But, of course, we all know that the plans were submitted on the Brac instead of Grand Cayman.
CIG should study the Japanese Disaster Preparedness and Recovery model. Japan has been well- prepared and rehearsed for different types of disasters. The response to disaster and mitigation of post-disaster effects is far superior to any other nation.
No matter how posh the accommodation during a disaster, it is the immediate response afterwards that is of utmost importance. Having extra batteries and tins of Vienna sausage is not preparation…..
***** cns, I think a good poll would be – Is our government doing enough to prepare the Cayman Islands for natural disasters? a. Yes, with the construction of the hurricane hilton shelter, b. government can do more like protect us from tsunami disasters… et cetera… Cns, some poll to that effect would be interesting. ***** Libertarian
CNS: It’s easy to get carried away with fears of tsunamis given what is happening in Japan but I believe the threat here is very low (I’m ready to be corrected on this by someone who knows what they’re talking about).
I have created a poll about the Hurricane Hilton specifically. Down the road I will do a poll on preparedness for a disaster.
***** Maybe not this shelter, but I am 100% for having a shelter from natural disaster! The Bluff and the elevations in North Side and East End, are ideal locations for properly built shelters. Besides, we have old shelters that are not well facilitated. It is the role of government to protect its people from natural disasters. And shelters elevated on pillars to escape the force of tsunami waves as well as alarm systems in place to warn the public. Folks, we can’t just become blind to party politics and not think about our self-preservation, which should always be first priority. *****
RECKLESS AND WASTEFUL SPENDING
Hipocrits who critized the previous Government for spending on badly needed infrastructure are recklessly throwing away the country’s money expensive international monthly travel, big new SUV vehicles and stupid projects that will be little used and are not needed for 1500 people who already have hurricane shelters.
What is really sad is that this has become the worst Government in the history of the country however they have been successful in totally destroying our national reputationof good ethics and a place where you can do business without corruption.
I have some land on the bluff if government wants to build another hotel.
Also edge of bluff access for water slide park.
There are many people in Grand Cayman who own property in the Brac and intend to retire there. There are also many more who will buy property on the Brac once they know for sure it will continue to be a safe and peaceful environment in which to live with improvements to come. (Medical facilities, agricultural advances, hurricane shelter, etc.)
The Bluff is also the safest and highest place to invest money toward a shelter in the event of any major disaster for all three islands. It is being built for multi-purpose use such as sport tourism and hospitality training etc., during times when not needed as a shelter. How can any of this be negative? ……….. Ahhhh never mind! "Nay-sayers" find something negative to say about pretty much anything that might advance the Cayman Islands toward a better future……… sigh……….
Ah, my friend. Build, build, build, but without a mains water supply and good telecommunications development will not move forward. Tell the Minister to have the Water Authority put the water supply throughout Cayman Brac – she has the say. When Arden was the Minister in charge he pledged to have the water completed in East End and North Side and even made the Water Authority buy two new trenchers to get the job done quickly. Come on now, Ms Julianna.
Quote: "Nay-sayers" find something negative to say about pretty much anything that might advance the Cayman Islands toward a better future."
I (a nay-sayer) say, "ADVANCE??"…….."BETTER FUTURE???" You gotta be kidding!!!
MY HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES TO THE PEOPLE IN JAPAN! NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVE JUST LOST THEIR LIVES! Although I dislike government-iniatives which consumes the monies of tax-payers, this is more reason why we need well facilitated Hurricane Shelters on all 3 islands!
***** Laura, as a libertarian, I can’t see why anyone would oppose having shelters from natural disasters! The role of government is to protect their citizens from the enemy – and our enemy number one could be a natural disaster! **** MR1
No one opposes shelters, but most normal people (logically thinking people) are against “hurricane Hiltons,” ESPECIALLY at a time when we cannot afford it.
It is all very well to build a shelter on the bluff, but is it really necessary to waste millions to build “hurricane Hilton” as a shelter? That is way too excessive for a shelter, don’t you think? After all, wasn’t it this government that complained about excessive spending on schools by the previous government? That is hypocricy at it’s worst, but that does not surprise me because hypocricy & the UDP go hand in hand!
***** "That is way too excessive for a shelter, don’t you think?" It depends on the material used that could stand up against hurricane winds, rough seas, and other forces of nature, depending on what the shelter can be used for – like the aftermath of an earthquake. Moreover, you would want a shelter that government wouldn’t have to spend so much just to maintained it from depreciation; hence, you wouldn’t build it with cheap material. In terms of being too "excessive," I feel that when another natural disaster hits us like hurricane Ivan, we can clearly evaluate and appreciate the dangers and aftermath of the natural disaster, whether or not the shelter becomes a great asset that outweighs excess or financial lost. You further stated, "After all, wasn’t it this government that complained about excessive spending on schools by the previous government?" My friend with all due respect, your comparison is similar with the many comments I see on this forum. Please don’t be so caught up with right or left, UDP or PPM, this personality or that personality… instead of right or wrong! This is how party politics has divided our beloved island! Both parties spend like there is no tomorrow. We can argue all day on how the national finances should be disseminated, but the fact of the matter is, you have foundamental principles that should unite this country – such as, our self-preservation. Despite "who" is behind constructing a Hurricane Shelter, there is no turning back from it happening! They will spend on the construction of this shelter – they are not stopping! Hence… what we need to do now is to encourage such protective measures like this – not tear it down! Libertarians believe in UNITING the country when it comes to protecting the "whole" from natural disasters – not to allow party politics to divide us on national and essential issues where life and property are concerned. The idea of our self-preservation is something we shouldn’t be playing around with like a toy, underminding it. *****
“Hurricane Hilton” Libertarian? Don’t be so fool-fool like you know who! Come on Libertarian, get real! “Hurricane Hilton” for a shelter? That’s all we are asking! The cost, girl, the cost!
It isn’t the quality or type of materials being used to construct the shelter, it’s the unnecessary and/or frivilous things in the planning, if I have been informed correctly.
***** Agreed… the frivolous things are a waste of monies! But what can we do – but protest. The UDP government is in power under a constitution that does not represent the people well. The entire system of government need changing. *****
Libertarian: don’t you think private bedrooms is a little bit over the top? Cayman Brac does have sufficient shelter.
***** Yes, indeed, it is unfortunate that “private bedrooms” have to be included unless they are used for the injured or medical reasons. But the point I was driving at is that we need 21st century shelters in case of natural disasters… and not just for hurricanes, but I notice we don’t even a plan in place for a tsunami! Cayman is flat, but I would like government to consider shelters supported by pillars, elevated enough to avoid massive waves. I think not having these infrastructures in place, but wasting monies on fixing roads, is to my estimation shameful. Like other countries, the government’s role is not to spend extravagantly on unnecessaries, but solely to defend its people from all aggression and harm from natural disasters. I will not back down from this stance…and I do disagreements with our current government, but as a Libertarian, the principles of self-preservation can never be taken lightly. *****
YES! We use our roads all day, every day. Our families, our goods, our guests, our service providers all travel on roads. Roads are the lifelines of our day-to-day existence. Therefore, maintaining roads should NOT be a priority.
Rather, we should spend money building "shelters in the sky" to prepare for the unlikely event that a tsunami of any significance would reach the Cayman Islands.
You defend spending on the "Hurricane Hilton" but then claim "government’s role is to not spend extravagantly on unnecessaries". Private, temperature-controlled rooms in a hurricane shelter ARE extravagant "unnecessaries".
Libertarian, do you wear a tinfoil hat? I think perhaps it has fallen down and is blocking your view of the real world.
Lib……you have no money for this foolishness. Incompetent elected member wasting money. The Islands have so many other desperate issues that these funds could be used for.
But who’s going to protect us from the government?
***** Cayman has four enemies: Government, Natural Disaster, Government allied with an elite, corporation, or big business entity, and Criminals. Yes, our local government will grow in its size and begin to implement oppressive regulations as well as increase the cost of living. Time will tell, but don’t think that the people here will be able to change that from not happening! First, we are weak and outnumbered in our own country. Second, many of our politicians have been sold out already! And third, we have two governments (local / UK) to deal with – not one! Our governments may very well cause us to be tax. I feel that day is coming! When such times creep upon us, be prepared to live elsewhere! Think big! Don’t put your eggs in one basket! ***** Libertarian
Yeah, but hurricane shelters, not Hurricane Hiltons. Big waste of money.
***** Not siding with this government, but please take off your partisan glasses for a bit. Don’t be blind! I am here for principle, not for personality and who is behind these projects! In the end this could be worth the money when another natural disaster hits us. There are things I don’t like about this one too, but likes and dislikes becomes a matter of personal opinion. To me, whether it is a UDP or a PPM shelter, it is still a shelter that should be built strong with durable material if it is using the tax-payer’s monies! ***** Libertarian
Yes, wouldn’twant to use the caves. Might loose a heal off your shoe. It’s also scary in there with spiders and all those icky things.
Some of those caves are too hot and some are too cold!
Cayman Brac has become a welfare state, plain and simple, each successive politician has to “1 up” the hand outs and benefits of the previous politician to try and secure the voting block for the next election.
Question to Miss Julie, people’s memories are short, what are you going to do between now and 2013 after the money runs out?
Cayman Brac a welfare state?! Ever thought what would happen in Grand Cayman if it were not for the entrepreneurs from the "welfare state"?
Who built/financed Faith Hospital originally? Who built Grand Cayman’s first private hospital (without extravagant concessions)? Who built/financed the retirement/home for the aged on the Brac originally?
I challenge the writer to check out the leaders in the Cayman Islands and research their roots/family heritage.
Resting on laurels or what? The Brac represents only 3% of the Cayman economy yet represents 10% of population and has twice the public spending per head of Grand Cayman. I wish the current generation of Brackers would should any entrepreneurship rather than sponging off the state on the social security system known as the "civil service".
Hey Allan……. When money is thrown at you, you might as well take it!
Can someone be kind enough to reveal the total annual revenue that is collected in the Brac? Then the world will understand that the revenue contribution is insufficent to ever dream of building such a monstrocity, not even to mention the cost of maintenance. The Hotel Hurricane is another grandiose tornado in a tea cup.
please let me get a piece of that pie! Please let me get my fingers into that. O please Lord grant me some contracts.
"please let me get a piece of that pie! Please let me get my fingers into that. O please Lord grant me some contracts. "
I’m getting my Trade & Business license tomorrow. lol!
I hate competition but…. welcome aboard!
Dont bother me chile……. we in the Brac already know who goin get da contract – it not even worth bidding on as it is public knowledge who da contract for.
They didn’t post my comment about who’s gonna get that contract. Must’ve been too easy to pinpoint who it is by saying what area of the Brac they currently build on.
No worries all Brackers know who it is
Deputy Premier,
1. Our daycare families are currently collecting money to build a shade for our Daycare children. Wouldn’t it had made more sense to build the shade for them? We don’t need Hotel Hilton but our Daycare children definitely need some protection from the sun.
2. How about finishing the road from West End to Southside, you know where the hotels are? Oh, I’m so sorry I forgot the tourists can’t vote but your big voting block of Spot Bay & Watering Place can get all their businesses parking lots paved.
There does not appear to be any sound reason for this project at all. Also what is not mentioned is the level of recurrent expenditure for maintenance, etc. that this structure will then incur every year after it is built. This is such a sorry state of affairs.
Do an FOI on who Government bought this land from to build “Hurricane Hilton” and then you will find out what the “sound reason for this project is”.
They also had to buy access to the piece of property they bought so you have to do an FOI on that piece of land too.
Don’t y’all get it? Julianna had to make the Brac see that she is doing something for them, now why Cayman Brac, a place with what 1000 people need yet another Hurricane shelter is beyond me but this was the only answer I could come up with. McKeeva continuously blasts the PPM as being wasteful and how he is doing everything he can to put these islands back on track from the "wasteful spending" of the PPM but can you tell me sir what exactly is this? And for y’all who like to automatically assume anything said again UDP is from a PPM supporter, nope I am a Cayman Islands support and anytime i see someone doing something stupid I going say so. THIS IS S-T-U-P-I-D!
maybe so that the hundreds of people without homes that came from grand cayman after ivan could have a place to stay should another hurricane like that happen again?? thats one that should shut you up….
"maybe so that the hundreds of people without homes that came from grand cayman after ivan could have a place to stay should another hurricane like that happen again?? thats one that should shut you up…."
Now this answer just takes the cake. Honestly, "when God was giving out brains you thought he said trains and took the first one out."
Wouldn’t it make more sense to build the shelter in Grand Cayman then since they need it? Why build a shelter in Cayman Brac for people in Grand Cayman?
We are all expecting for our “leaders” to be somewhat Normal like we are. Somewhat educated like we are. Have some common sense like we do. I think we are all forgeting that the average person of average intellegence, the better educated or “bright” go to the private sector to make MONEY. They are interested not in politics becuase on the outside looking in it’s a low paying job. So there will always be people who will fill the job just like any job. They put on a suit, talk out out of both sides of their mouth and do whatever they have to do get their nose in the door and their place at the the trough. For the higher ups who can make the deals then they will find ways to benefit themselves to make more MONEY like we do. All politicians are that way. Then everyone wonders why they don’t make good decisions and it all falls apart. Why wonder? It should be the other way around. The high paying jobs should be in Government so you have real talent competing for the jobs. It should be real talent from all over and not just the gene pool. You would not run a company that way right? You wouldn’t just hire your whole family and extended family right? You’d go out of business. Government needs to be run like a business of course. No governments are so why should we all wonder? That is why the world is backwards. It think we all know this. Why blame the government. They just stepped up and took the job none of us wanted. It’s like putting a sixth grader in charge of your business and giving them an endless supply of cash tocompensate for all the money the loose. So they can keep going.
Wait a minute!! I want that job!!! I want to go to Spain and get paid!!! And show up at ten and get a big fat pension and free health care I want to sit in one of those big comfortable chairs. Man they look comfy I could fall asleep in one. It ain’t exactly low-paying either.
do you have what it takes? do you have 2 necks?
No but I have two chins, which should qualify…
Common Sense long ago gave way to …………………..
UNCOMMON sense!
I certainly agree with most of the above posts BUT instead of staying anonymous you should all put your names there so they can see that even some of their" in the past supporters" are against some if not all of this continued madness.
I guess I will be the only one having my status taken away from me for being so outspoken.
I would sign my name but I have to live here on the Brac and you DO NOT speak out on the Brac unless you’re on your way out. And yes, I am a previous Julianna supporter/voter.
No Peter not only you. Intimidation is what it’s called. You and I do not depend on a chek from Gvt. or work for them and stand to be demoted or loose our job. You will notice thar those of us whom have been here a very long time and have worked very hard year after year to build Tourism are not afraid to sign our name because we can spot a spade and call it a spade. No more no less. I can feel the pain of many also, many that were so good to us when we fist came when it was really the Islands that time forgot. Not the Gvt. or the elected silent ones.
As a Bracker, I have no idea what the government is trying to do. Oil is on the rise, crime is out of control and this is what the government of today thinks is right to do. We have the Caymanian people of which 10% is without jobs, and here again is a waste of the Caymanian peoples money. But nothing will get done or be done until all Caymanians come together and stand together as ONE and say we are here to take our country back. For decades the powers to be and that is have sold Cayman out and it still continues. I ask this question. Where do most Caymanians have to run or leave when this country can no longer make them a living. The answer is nowhere, this is our home, lets see who will make a change come next election. So my fellow Caymanians many a more sad day ahead coming for this country, just watch and see.
Just more wastefulness from the deputy premier. Just last week her official car sat empty with the engine running for two hours as she watched the Cayman Brac primary schools sports. So much for thinking of the economy or the enviorment. Of course we love her, after all we took a paycut just to ensure that her car would be cool and ready whenever she’s ready to roll….
For the record none of the civil servants in Cayman Brac want the Hurricane Hilton.
I am a Bracker and I think this is ridiculous. There are so many private homes on the bluff now that the existing Civic Center is usually not full during a storm. Minister, please stop this before it is too late and we have nothing left in this country. You are overspending and even the Brackers don’t want this.
“PWD are the lead architects and project managers on this project; however, they have also employed other ‘consultants’ to assist,”
Someone seriously needs to do an FOI on the following:
1.) Who are these "consultants"?
2.) How much were these "consultants" paid to consult?
3.) What company or person actually drew the plans and submitted them?
4.) Even though the job will be tendered out, will this same "consultant" be the one getting the job? We’ll have to wait and see on that one.
XXXX
How is Mac going to blame this wasteful expenditure on the PPM?
My question is, who will be allowed to use the “private rooms” with a shared bathroom between two rooms? Will they be shipping all of the MLA’s off GCM if there is a storm?
Completely un-necessary.
The Brac is too much of a drain on public resources to expect this level of wasteful spending. One person one vote is necessary to end this pointless pandering to voters.
I’m a Bracker and I DON’T expect this level of wasteful spending, but I DO think that one person 0one vote is necessary to stop this pointless pandering of POLITICIANS.
Ask yourself: 1. Does C Brac need another hurricane shelter right now? 2. Does C Brac need a Sports Tourism Accommodating Hotel right now? Answer to both is NO. So why build a two-in-one right now? XXXXX Where do I send the FOI request? Who is the FOI Manager in that Ministry?
CNS: Go to http://www.foi.gov.ky and click on "Making a Request". If you haven’t made an FOI request before it ‘s a good idea to read the whole thing. There is a link to download a list of information managers’ email addresses. Click "List of Public Authorities".
“The ministry is aiming to spend all monies in this year’s budget, including the foundation and some superstructure. We also plan to purchase some plant/building material that is immediately required. It is being undertaken in a phased approach, in an effort to spend the money wisely and to spread the costs over a period of time,”
This is an election ploy. Start it quick, buy materials and foundation works (hurry hurry, it’s almost year-end), then take time building it, saying ‘Well, we’ve gone this far can’t stop now’, hoping the public will elect them again to finish it (eventually).
Did this woman consult the people before agreeing to this insanity?
The answer is a resounding, “No!”
We do not have a democracy, but a dictatorship. What is happening in the Cayman Islands is an absolute shame and the way these politicians are riding the people is an abomination.
Ms O’Connor-Connolly, let me make something abundantly clear to you. You were elected to serve the people, not to make rods for their backs. When you spend the money that their endeavour put in the public coffers, do not for one minute think that it belongs to you, because it doesn’t.
If you get elected again, I am leaving. Actually, better still, you leave.
Come on people. we all need to think outside the box to truly understand why this has been approved and moving forward. History of the people of the Brac has the answers. No one was too cold, or too hot. Think outside the box
????????????????????????????
Listen to Freedom Man!
$150+ barrel oil comming! due to "Day of Rage" in Saudi Arabia tomorrow! Prepare yourselvs today!
Please listen to me and save yourselvs!
Yo, Freedom Man, check out the topic
oversized, unnecessary, wasteful… this is just about keeping pwd on the brac busy…..it’s a pity we all ahve to pay for this…
just plain stupid.
Oh my god. While taking shelter during a hurricane some people were not completely comfortable? Some were too hot? Some were too cold? That is ridiculous!!
This is a ridiculous waste of tax payer money. One man Government out of control.
I had no idea the people on Cayman Brac were such "delicate flowers".
Make no mistake, the people of the Brac are no delicate Flowers, Brackers are not asking for a lot of things that are happening on this island, and we are not a drain on any purse in Cayman, as far as I know, the GDP of the Brac ends up in the purse in Cayman,they have the last say on how much comes back, you all are clearly not having a positive input. If you are a from the Brac, shame on you, it was the forefathers of the Brac, and their foresight that paved the way for the likes of you here, and you in Cayman. I am sure that if all the people of this island were asked to vote on this they would say no at this present time, and I say that because that is my opinion, my democratic right, no need to get personal and refer to any member in a derogatory way. And after reading the article in full, there is no reason why such a structure is justifiable at this present time. That is if the financial situation with government is what they are saying it is, we don’t know, do we?, only know what we read and hear. This is a democracy is it not? sign your names to these blogs, make a FOI request, but please refrain from the personal attacks, it solves nothing, only incites divisions,what good is it to complain, and not unite, nothing will be accomplished in the peoples interest if we do not unite. Cayman Brac, it is time for the people to take control of their own destiny, get involved in these big decisions, demand that you be included in all government decisions, start to be heard in a diplomatic and constructive way, then we will have the power of unity on our side, a formidable weapon
Right on, Dervin!!!
Maybe there are no delicate flowers on Cayman Brac. But the Deputy Premier makes Brackers sound like Goldilocks:
"Oh… this shelter is too hot.
Oh… this shelter is too cold.
Ah… this private room with temperature control and a semi-private bathroom is just right."