Coalition plans Mac clash
(CNS): As the government ‘public meeting roadshow’ moves to Bodden Town this week activists in the district who are opposing the dump move are planning a demonstration at the same time. The Coalition to Keep BT Dump Free is calling on all its supporters to come out to protest the relocation and government’s failure to engage the people of the district about it. Campaigners want supporters to gather together and show government that the residents of Bodden Town oppose the plan. Although still hopeful that they will be able to quiz the premier on the issue, past meetings have been more akin to political rallies with few opportunities for questions, which the coalition says will deprive the residents of their say and their right to know.
“This is nothing but a UDP election campaign rally,” claimed Coalition leader Gregg Anderson. “Although the ad hints at ‘other matters’ on the agenda, not a word is mentioned about the planned dump in our district, and this is certainly not any sort of consultation with Bodden Towners about the dump.”
His coalition colleague Vincent Frederick hopes people will have the opportunity to speak out at the meeting and to ask questions.
“We certainly have an issue to raise and several questions which MLAs Scotland and Seymour have been unable to answer. Can Premier Bush do better?” he asked rhetorically. “Our two government MLAs have been unable to even condemn the theft of Coalition yard signs in their own district. But our yard signs are being replaced, and our contingent at the Thursday meeting will be carrying placards and distributing our flyer. We’re out to prove to everyone – even UDP supporters — that the proposed dump is a threat to the entire island,” he added as he appealed for everyone to come to the Bodden Town meeting and join the coalition contingent.
Alain Beiner, another member of the team, added that the meeting was designed to merely distract residents from the dump relocation with misleading suggestions of jobs and economic growth.
“The planned dump will do just the opposite for the Bodden Town district,” he said. “No one will consider establishing a new business or tourism facility here, and no one will develop a new residential project. In fact, a number of Midland Acres tenants have already indicated that they’ll not renew their leases because of the expected stench, pollution and threat to our environment.”
He said the meeting was an insult to residents, who, he said, are deeply concerned about the proposed dump, but there has still been no consultation.
“We still don’t know which government entity decided to relocate the dump, nor who chose Bodden Town,” he said, adding that the government has yet to produce a single document supporting the decision, an Environmental Impact Assessment, or any response to the concerns expressed by the CTC for the impact of a dump in an ‘environmentally sensitive’ area.
“All that’s clear to us is that Dart wants the George Town dump ‘out of its sight’ so that it can develop a new residential project,” Beiner said.
The coalition says that the health and well-being of Bodden Towners and the protection of the district's environment and way of life are more important than Dart’s profits. It has taken the position that the current George Town landfill needs to be addressed and should be done so on site, avoiding the proposal to turn a residential and agricultural area into one for heavy industrial use.
“We fully support the option selected by the Central Tenders Committee (CTC), favoured by independent engineers, and adopted by this very same government before its inexplicableabout-face – a waste-to-energy facility, proper management of the GT dump, and a concerted recycling programme by government,” Anderson stated again as he reiterated the campaigners position.
Government is planning the third in its series of public meetings on Thursday, where, according to the published ads, it will be updating the people on the cruise port. However, so far at the previous meetings the premier had focused on his critics and few new details have emerged regarding the state of the negotiations with the Beijing based firm, China Harbor Engineering Company.
CHEC is currently in discussions with the government and the Port Authority to build what now appears to be a significant cruise berth upland development as well as two finger piers in George Town, but government has offered few specifics about the status of the talks.
The government meeting is set for 7:30pm at the Bodden Town post office but coalition supporters are being asked to show up about 45 minutes in advance to join its contingent, which will assemble separately from government supporters.
The Coalition to Keep BT Dump Free is a non-political, single issue community organization open to everyone, regardless of political affiliation. It supports no political party, and condemns equally past and present governments for neglecting their responsibility in regards to proper management of the George Town landfill and the elimination of Mount Trashmore.
Category: Local News
Says the meeting tonight showed the people of Cayman that we understand quite well about the Dump situation and all the Plac-Cards were persons out of Town, Only about 10 persons were from the district. Please stay out of Bodden Town
Greedy leaders working for Greedy people, we will soon come to the realisation that all that these people want is more, more, and then still more. Now what will the little natives get less, less, and still less. In the future we will learn that we cant sustain the ridiculous idea that we should be a mini Miami. However the King, MimiMe and their insatiable desires will destroy what ever was good in Cayman.
Will this SPECIAL MEETING in Bodden Town tonight be aired on the radio or on the TV????
Bodden Towners this is our time to stand up and be counted, and seek answers to WhY?? the present government is dumping "the Dump on Us" in Bodden Town. When the present dump could be refined with the many acres of land available in the same place. For certain it is not a blessing to us, it will be a curse, causing an explosion wild rats, dogs, cats, stinge and health hazzards. How thoughtful are our two B.T. MLAs. For the record they do not live in close range, therefore they do not nee to worry – do we realize that our wonderful sea breezes will change when we have to lock our windows and doors..
Say it with me people – [WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITY].
There will be no dump in Bodden Town. A WMF and a dump are two completely different things.
I urge all of you to go to the meeting tonight with an open mind, and LISTEN CAREFULLY for yourselves and then make your own judgements. What I don't support are people talking foolishness, andmaking up lies about a dump going into BT, when Government nor Dart have ever said that a dump was going to BT!!
Again, breathe in, breathe out – say it with me [WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITY]. Please feel free to Google a WMF, and what is proposed for BT, and then see if you would class that as the same thing as Mt. Trashmore.
PS – I too live in Bodden Town, and I nah moving any time soon!
The End. 🙂
If it is such a nice waste management facility, why don't you keep it right there where it is? I don't get that. What's not good for you and your people is good for real Bodden Towners? A dump or a wmf will change the whole character of BT. You're going to transform what is now a great ressource for tourism on the island into an industrial town. We have an existing industrial pak in GT. Keep the dump where it is, or move it to a place where it won't risk to destroy the character of a whole community!
It is ridiculous to say that a waste management facility will destroy the fabric of Boddentown. That scare mongering is untrue. Fight for recycling for the country this can be good for everyone. Now is the time for level heads to prevail and not allow the fear mongers try to manipulate the voters for their own benefit.
Everyone who comes here are shocked to learn that such a small land mass does not recycle. Now is the time and lock it in with the waste management facility for our children's sake.
Yes, start recycling and remediate the problem right where it is. A dump in BT would change its whole character — no need for a scientific study to realize this, just common sense.
"There will be no dump in Bodden Town. A WMF and a dump are two completely different things."
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<i>"that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet;" W. Shakespeare</i>
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Until detailed plans are released, we have no idea what is actually going to built.
I was in a certain West Bay road bar yesterday evening and I could not help but overhear a visitor ask the proprietor what was the smell outside.
The proprietor explained it was the dump.
Something needs to be clearly done, as tourism is now at stake.
Since this For Cayman Alliance is so good for Cayman let me ask the Premier a couple questions:
1- Since Dart is for the people of Cayman, why is it that he is NEVER SEEN IN PUBLIC?
2- Does Dart have any LOCAL FRIENDS that he goes and hangs out with?
3- Has Dart ever been to East End to hang with the Caymanians at. Fish Fry?
4- Actually for that matter Premier Bush… Have YOU ever met Dart yourself? Or just his croonies?
Would love to know these answers… Oh and has Mark Scotland or Dwayne Seymour met him in person? The same person about to dump in thier own district? Probably not!!
If this is the best argument for not relocating a waste managment facility into Boddentown then let get it moved.
Again those against this project would be much more constructive if they were mandating recycling as part of this plan. Recycling is really important to the future of this country.
Gandhi would be proud of the Keep BT Dump Free and the other members of the Truly4Cayman coalition, as we exercise our natural civil rights and freedoms to unite TOGETHER from various districts on various issues harmful to our quality of life, to preserve our Cayman Islands from being stolen from us, facilitated by the UDP led by the Premier.
We will be there in BT on Thursday night, alongside of you the Keep BT Dump Free group and at the Rally / Motorcade in BT on Saturday and then at the Truly4Cayman Rally / Motorcade Cricket Field assembly point at 2 PM on Saturday, as we go forth For the LOVE of Cayman.
Everyone is welcomed to join us on Saturday, 2 PM at the Cricket Field. We can never have too many friends.
A happy member of,
Truly4Cayman
For the LOVE of Cayman
Dumping in BT aside, Mac and his cronies have been DUMPING on the citizens and residents of these Islands for years ;))
Here we go again inciting civil disobedience..We Caymanians are our own worst enemies..Makes me sick to my stomach..
Nothing ever gets done anymore because we can't stop fighting over everything..Enough of the foolishness..get apetition and get enough people to sign it that will make a difference. Going around getiing cruise ship visitors and the like to sign it is useless and doomed for failure
Who in the hell told you that criuse ship passengers were signing any petition relating to the Bodden Town dump? The people who are going around with those sheets are not naive, nor are they stupid. Sensible Bodden Towners are not for sale and cannot be bought.
Sensitive aren't we? i think the writer was making reference to the West Bay coalition group as a point of reference of what not to do in Bodden Town.
Amazing how we are so ready to tear each other down…Nothing but a bunch of crabs in a barrell with everyone struggling to climb to the top not caring whether they kill each other along the way. This certainly could be the definition of what a "Caymanian" is today.
Ah, I was wondering why nothing ever got done around here.
Agreed..I have never seen so many politicians attaching themselves to these protests for their own political expediency and agendas…We will never know whether or not anything is good or bad for us because it is always about the politics..
Remember all the political bashing of Cayman Airways pre Ivan. I bet you don't hear any of those politicians bad mouthing that anymore..It would be political suicide but hey, a new dump, closure of a road is fuel for the upcoming campaigns of greed and power. UDP, PPM, EZZARD, Independents whatever you call them they are still politicians and in my mind whether they were seen to be good people prior to being elected the power and the money will corrupt them in no time.
The statesmen of the past are long gone and Cayman has accepted the politician. Little do we know how much we have lost and how we are used to further their causes and to make them wealthy and powerful so that they can retire with their fat healthy pensions.
Sickening is right…
For a non political group it is interesting to see the flock of other district and wanna be politicians who have decended upon that group to voice their new found concerns for the environment. Of course that does not translate into signing the Conservation Law.
If it is a bit far to go, maybe he can hitch a ride on somebody’s private jet from GT to BT – but be careful landing on Manse Road.
Charles Clifford will not even need to campaign in BT this time to win. After they spent $1,000,000.00 in 2009 to get him out they were still only able to barely beat him in the election. Imagine what will happen this time around given the jokers we have representing us in BT now.
And yes McKeeva we in BT know that no one can get under your skin like The Chuckster can !
And hear this well McKeeva and DART…….there will be no dump in BT !
Finally, Caymanians standing up for something and not falling for everything!! Run Bush out of Bodden Town, he too out of order, he is only deserving to West Bay. He believes he can used the cruise ship dock updates to campaign against the district candidates. Watch out Anthony Eden, Chuckey and others potentials, he is coming there to street row.
Until the Cayman Islands and its people can move beyond the district tribal mentality it will remain "us verses them" instead of a nation of equals. It is to the benefit of certain hate mongering politicians to promote this destructive mind set but vote them out and it will end.
It is about time someone stands up to the tyrant from the west.
There are portions of BT district that are closer to the existing Dump than the proposed solid waste facility site up near Breakers! Not sure what the big fuss is about.
Also as importantly, the now infamous "Waste-to-Energy" solution only takes care of about 20% of our wastes–alot of people are talking as if we can convert all our garbage into energy. That is just not true. The solution must come from mutlple sides including us sorting garbage at home. So this idea that you can just take the garbage to the GT site and convert it to energy is just plain wrong. Taking another 18 years to dig into that dump while it continues to dump toxins into the North Sound daily is crazy. You all are saying Dart is not putting anything inthe country, well here is the perfect solution because we will never in a million years afford it. By then the conchs in the NS will have legs!!!
Then you have not been paying attention as the concerns have been articulated here many times. The proposed site is in fact in BT not merely near to it. It doesn't get any nearer than that. A key fact that seems to escape you is that the prevailing winds in Cayman go from east to west and this dump will therefore affect everywhere west of Midland Acres.
Firstly I would like to say that I am a resident not too far from the Midland Acre, and secondly there are only a few persons opposed to the dump here. An undermining person from the Midland Acres is only kicking out against the dump and our representatives from the district because XXXX
The residents of Bodden Town need not pay attention to these people who are comming here to disrupt the peace of the UDP meeting. Are you people so blind to see that 75% of them are not from this Bodden Town district. And it is foolish talk about residents of Midland moving because of the dump. I am not moving. Many of these people are spanish machetts and they are collecting from four parties, XXXX How do you think some people have New Truck after election. It came from the other side.
I would also like to know which tourist business is going to be effected by the dump. What businesses will be effected? It is nothing but a political talk.
XXXX So because of what I have seen in the Past I will not change my stand for supporting the UDP. Mark Scotland and Dwayne Seymour is good representatives for this district, because you can atleast speak with them, and I have never one day heard John John have anything bad to say about either party. . We are going to put them back in and two more with them, UDP acrossthe board.
Yea, we can hear where you coming from but you dont have no influence over the majority of us REAL BTers. It work last time but cant work in 2013. You have your percentages back to front!
They also can't spell, what a surprise.
"Mark Scotland and Dwayne Seymour is good representatives for this district, because you can atleast speak with them, and I have never one day heard John John have anything bad to say about either party".
You have set the bar really low for what makes a good representative. It's true that we get the leaders we deserve. What you have said may mean that Mark and Dwayne are nice guys but it does not mean that they are good representatives.
Bodden Town's John John equals Who-Gene in West Bay. Elected and a vote for however Mac wants. That is all.
Midland Acres Resident, none of the persons against the dump are receivers of any freeness. There are those who florish off of handouts. It doesn't matter whether it is UDP or PPM, if it is wrong, why sit back and let it happen.
My wish is that it could be placed next to your house, and you enjoy the Channel. Don't Dump on Bodden Town.
I live in BT – I own property and a business in BT and I am west of midland acres – does anyone want to buy my property? I bet not! I full heartedly OPPOSE the dump moving to our district and what’s more I feel our elected officials in this district have seriously let us down. Bodden Town has so much potential to become a pretty, and prosperous water front tourist attraction, but they’d rather let dump trucks using retarder brakes blast down main street at all hours of the day and night, sell one off beers at the local gas station so the time wasters and derelicts of our district can hang out at public beach and run off any tourist who might think of stopping there, and let’s not mention the fast growing drug trade that has taken grip of our entire island and now they want to move a dump here – seriouslywill any of you dump supporters buy my property?
There is really some over reaction by Boddentown activists about the relocation of the landfill into a waste management facility. To use scare tactics saying that business will not come to Boddentown because of the waste management facility is riduclous. To say this protest is about not being consulted is disingenuous rather I believe they just don't want such a facility within their district.
A constructive alternative to their tactics would be to demand recycling as a required component to this project for the betterment of the country. This would show potential businesses looking at the Boddentown district that it possesses foresight and positive leadership for the improvement of the country.
If this group's line of thought was correct, that no one would develop in Bodden Town, there would not have been so much development which encroached on the location in George Town.
This is simply a couple of people with political asperations trying to make an issue for political gain by playing on residents' fears
Common Sense isn't common these days. It would be good if we could buy it and share it around.
Ahem…doesn't anyone take into consideration the prevailing winds which are coming usually from the East??? This means the wind takes the smell and covers the rest of the WHOLE island with it! Why not take this to the furthest point away, which would be around Northwest Point? That way the smell blows off the island AWAY FROM us all!!!!
How about Town Hall Road in West Bay?? 🙂
Who says there is going to be a smell?? Just because this dump smells, doesnt mean the new state of the art one will… me hear they got some nice seasonal tropical freshener to blow out – just like the snow at Christmas time!!
Question: In respect to the For Cayman Alliance initiative, what is in the people's best interest?
1. The people need a better waste management facility.
2. The people need lesser volume of traffic along the West Bay Road.
3. The people need MLAs to show them the attention they need – better representation of their district.
4. The people that are unemployed need jobs.
5. The people need to be able to start and maintain their own little businesses and not be monopolized by a larger business or entity.
6. The people need a government that will look out and defend Caymanians and Expats in a job, complaining of abuse.
7. The need a government that has better checks and balances against corruption, and more democracy.
I think if we focus on our needs, we will clearly see that both sides, can work together for what is best for Cayman – and not for themselves and political interest.
The people need
The Premier will be exhausted after travelling allllll the way from West Bay to Bodden Town. Give him a break. He can't be expected to know the local issues in a huge country. So he has prepared a generic speech which he uses in all parts of the nation.
i bet udp will change the venue…..
Yes – the UDP are able to change our laws overnight!
Just change the law to one man one vote and save the country a lot of expense.
If you do, I promise to use my one vote to vote for each of the West Bay UDP candidates…
Please dont have a fight with Mac cause his hands are clean, well manicured, and soft…
What about his Heart!
His heart is pure and his sins are washed away. Only the PPM cussing (cursing) him everyday. Ha Ha Ha.