Dolly evicted for Dart park
(CNS): A new park on Cayman Brac, which will cover just over an acre of land owned by the Sister Islands Affordable Housing Corporation (SIAHDC), will be totally funded by Dart Cayman’s Growing Communities, the District Administration Ministry has announced. The park will feature an amphitheatre, half basketball court, an eight-foot walking path along the perimeter, cabanas, grilling areas, restrooms and playground equipment, and the landscaping will feature coastal indigenous plants, the ministry says. However, the move has brought the deputy premier, who has responsibility for the ministry, into conflict with one of her constituents, who says that her 95-year-old mother, Dolly Brown (left), must move to make way for the creation of the park.
Colleen Gibson claims that Deputy Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly promised her that her mother, Dorothy “Dolly” Brown, could remain in her home until she died, even though the land it sits on is owned by government. (Below: Colleeen Gibson outside Dolly Brown's home in Watering Place)
“Now, all of a sudden, she will be evicted from her home of 70 years,” Gibson wrote in an open letter to the deputy premier. “This seems highly unfair to treat a 95-year-old woman and a matriarch of Cayman Brac in this manner. It appears government has little concern for the elderly at this time. The least government could do is relocate her to a home where she will be happy for the few remaining years on Cayman Brac.”
The piece of land where Ms Dolly’s home is located, which will form part of the park, was sold by members of Ms Dolly’s family to the SIAHC on December 2004 for CI$30,000, but Gibson said that she and other members of the family did not know this at the time. When she found out later, she said, she spoke to O’Connor Connolly and received assurances that her mother could remain in the house for the rest of her life.
Gibson, who is 65-years old and a grandmother herself, works full time making traditional craftwork out of silver thatch that she sells in her own clothing and variety store. She wrote, “Miss Julie, I am unable to take on the monetary burden that would be put on my shoulders. The room I built twenty-five years ago is now not acceptable for a woman of age and disability and her special needs. I am not physically able to provide for her.
“Miss Julie, please help me. You have known me almost 50 years and over those years we have built a friendship that means a lot to you and myself. We have seen good times and bad times and you know me – I never walk away from a problem but this is a mountain I can’t climb. Please, I need all the help I can get from you and, as a fellow Bracker, I am asking you to call on all the government people that are involved in this problem to provide a fair and humanitarian solution to this unfortunate situation.”
In a statement from the ministry, O'Connor-Connolly noted that Ms Dolly’s husband left the house and his share of the land for his grandson and the other share belonged to his brother, who left it for his children. “After government was approached to purchase the land, we purchased it for CI$30,000. As Ms Dolly had no family member who offered to take care of her or house her I was not prepared to put her out on the street so I told her that she could continue staying there. Subsequently, there was an agreement for Ms Dolly to live in the structure but over the years from various home visits I have become increasing concerned about her living conditions.”
The deputy premier said that government had built an additional room onto Gibson’s home and Ms Dolly relocated there. “For whatever reason, Ms Dolly chose to move back to the old wooden house,” she said.
“In May, after the flooding District Administration officers, whilst conducting a flood assessment report, found the house to be in a deplorable state, the plumbing was not working, plastic bags were stuffed in the sides of the wall and some of the wood is rotten and we spoke with both of her daughters about moving Ms Dolly to better living conditions and again was met with family resistance as no one wanted to take her.
“At first Ms Colleen wanted to find out if the building could be moved to be placed behind her shop in Stake Bay but when PWD looked they too decided that it was not possible to move this old building as it was on a cement slap and the structure was not sound. Then Ms Gibson demanded that government renovate the room that we built on to her home years ago. She has since changed this position and has agreed for social services to rent a place to put her mother in. Social services and Administration stands ready to do this tomorrow and now Ms Gibson wants to wait for a week more before this occurs.”
O’Connor Connolly concluded, “Successive Governments have and will continue to care for its elderly and in fact budgets millions each year for this purpose however whenever possible families must and should also assist.”
The deputy premier’s ministry has stated that the park will be sited at Watering Place, where the deputy premier was raised, in between the affordable homes complex and Pop-a-Top Park, an area of beach land that is also owned by government. It will be totally funded by Dart Cayman’s Growing Communities, including labour, and government resources will not be used. The ministry further stated that the park is a goodwill gesture only and is not part of any deal or in exchange for anything.
O’Connor-Connolly said, “Brackers have a strong sense of community and they like open spaces where families can get together. This park will provide another avenue for family cohesiveness,” she stated. “Every park user knows the benefits of green space, but the benefits of parks, trails, and green spaces extend far beyond users. From improving our physical and psychological health, to strengthening our communities and making our neighborhoods more attractive places to live and work – the benefits of parks are endless – to individuals and our communities.
“Beyond the benefits of exercise, a growing body of research shows that contact with nature improves physical and psychological health. Older adults who participate in a variety of social and recreational opportunities benefit from the social connections and interactions that are fundamental to their well-being. Parks have long been recognised as key contributors to the aesthetic and physical quality of neighborhoods,” she noted.
“Over the past years, and in partnership with successive governments, we’ve created community parks in East End, North Side, George Town, Bodden Town and West Bay, and we’re pleased to now focus our efforts on the Sister Islands and Cayman Brac,” said Ken Hydes, VP Place Management & Experiences for Dart Realty (Cayman) Ltd. “We’d like to thank the deputy premier for helping us to get this Growing Communities project off the ground.”
Construction is expected to start in November, subject to the necessary construction permits being in place, the ministry stated, adding that future plans include a 25-metre pool and an area for portable bleachers to host local swim meets.
The following was sent from the DAWLA Ministry:
I, Tara Bush, PR Officer for DAWLA, apologize to Deputy Premier and Minister of District Administration, Works, Lands and Agriculture and the Ministry for causing any embarrassment relating to “Brackers get a Dart Park” release which I wrote. The writer (me) is accused of plagiarizing a statement from GIG Harbor Foundation website – relating to parks — by using a portion as the Minister’s quote.
I researched the material, so it is extremely important for me to point out that while the quote from the CIG Harbour website is too similar to ignore – the benefits of parks is also noted on several other sites. There are commonalities in the benefits of parks in the statement. While this doesn’t make it right, it is what happened. For some of the commentators to castigate the Minister is truly unfair. The blame is mine.
Tara Bush
Category: Local News
I have to question…. Why? Why is this "park" being put here when there is a liquor store accross the street and also another government park 30 feet from where they want to build.
Not only is the park being built where Julie is from (as usual it has to be watering place) and also Drunks are always stumbling across the street to and from the liquor store and they drink alcohol down by pop-a-top park… which is btw a goverment owned property. (as far as i know, your not allowed to drink on government property)
This is just another waste of money!!
Finish building the school and the ohh so expensive "hotel" i mean hurricane shelter (which the poor wont be able to stay in) which julie demanded cyb have! They say the islands are in a financial depression… well i wonder why!!!
i for one am sick of the government making decision of what to do with my home without my consent!! As lound as we the people speak, we are still not heard!!
Cayman Brackers please DO NOT let this man in to your Island. There are vultures behind this company and all he needs is 1 finger in and the rest of the body comes and destroy your environment. There will be no trees left, take a look at West Bay road, yes you will have beautiful buildings, but is that really what you all want? a concrete jungle? No siree, heed my warnings now, deny this company and these vultures in to your beautiful Island. It all started with Parks in Grand Cayman too, now you see they own everything. XXX Stop it now, while its in the embriotic stage.
Not scaring anyone here but generally the elderly should remain stable in their long lived residency. Old people do not survive very long if you root them up from their home of many years, especially in a case where they are nearing 100 yrs old. It has a gross affect on their life span cutting it short. They can never adjust. Mr. Dart and Julie please reconsider. Let her live out her days in peace with no disruption. The political Stage Parks can wait. no emergency!
Plagiarism is making a false representation – it is representing another person’s thoughts, expressions, and ideas as your own original work. It is immoral because it is a kin to a lie. You are lying to the public. I can only hope that Tara has learnt a lesson after publicly humiliating herself. It is not for us to judge and wish ill-will against another person. God is forgiving and I believe if Tara goes to God and promise herself never to plagiarize another person’s work again, she will become more aware and careful when she compose statements for the public or any group of people to read. I wish her the best.
As for the previous comments against the deputy premier, accusing her of plagiarism. I have this to say. These posters are in a worse state than Tara. As far as I know making a false accusation without knowing the facts, is as well a kin to a lie. The difference between Tara and these posters is that Tara lied to credit herself and the deputy premier, but these posters didn’t know the facts, believed and swallowed everything that was given to them by a new article. And this is very dangerous. I can’t imagine if a similar article was to be in the public forum and a statement is taken out of context to someone’s detriment. People who are slow to speak and seek to understand, is the kind of people we need – not flared up individuals posting comments from a shallow mentality!
Just my two-cent and I know all the trolls have now awaken 🙂
She has already been rehoused – thanks to Mr Moses.
I have to say I am flabbergasted by the 'apology' from Tara Bush. The statement she prepared for the Minister is obviously plagiarised by any standard. There are not simply "commonalities" as she claims; whole passages are reproduced verbatim without attribution or even quotation marks. Saying that the same statement appears on several websites does not make it any less plagiaristic. She does not appear to understand the seriousness of this. University students get expelled, politicians resign and journalists are put on suspension pending investigation for plagiarism. Tara should write a real apology, admit to the plagiarism and commit not to repeat a similar error in any future presentations.
Back to this park, this location is a horrible location. I see the drunks going from the liquor store across the streets with 6 packs all of the time. That is no place for children. The football field on the bluff needs to be finished. There isn't even a sign so people know where it is. I suggest that all the sports facilities be there. Julie and DART could put the Ritz Carlton on that property and I wouldn't take my child anywhere near there. A liquor store across the street and Pop A Top park across the other side of the street.
CNS Please publish an article ASAP with pictures of the deplorable conditions of our existing parks, schools, completely inadequate sports facilities ( including the only public " kiddie pool" our large and quite competative swim team tries to train in) to prove to Dart that we do not need another park with in the middle of a very depressed neighbourhood that hardly anyone children live in. In the same article provide an alternative site maybe the soccer field so we can pool what little resources and efforts we have together to at least have one facility on this island that is well funded, managed and cared for. Maybe the public can convince Dart that this location has no value to the greater community and realize the location is purely political before it is too late. Mail a copy to Dart just in case they don't read CNSanymore!
why complain about Dart. All they did was give money
One acre is not a park. It is a playground. DART has provided no parks anywhere within any reasonable defintion of that word. I am not being ungrateful, the playground/picnic areas in GC are better than the nothing that there was before, but they are never "parks". I remember going to a child's birthday party at the "park", it took me a long time to find it, because I keep telling the host where was it in relation to the little playground.
Obviously the size of a partk must be proportional to the population it is serving. What were you expecting – Central Park in Cayman Brac?
Perhaps the Botanical Park or Barkers measure up to your expectations?
What of the home north of Westbay Primary that govt bought – but the residents are still living in it now, many years later?
Who owns it now you think??
Moral of the story: Money is the root of all evil.
To be correct..the LOVE of money is the root of all evil.
To all who like to judge here is the facts about the $30,000.00 for the family land.
the land was sold for CI$30,000.00 but the money was split between the Three people on the land deed. CI$15,000.00 for havrey Brown grandson and CI$15,000.00 for harvey brown Two brothers, that been said it still not right to take of Dolly. BUT here is the KICKER. Harvey Brown had heart surgey in 1992 in miami and the CI govt. paid for it. with the grandson standing as the bond. When the Land was sold in 2004 the grandson share of the money paid the CI Govt back. So MONEY IS NOT THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL. I Agree that Dolly's Three Daughters should find the means to take care of their MOTHER.
While I do not wish to intefere in this matter, I do want people to consider that the Rest Home at Stake Bay has helped and continue to help in a very nice way with people who are unable to do for themselves.
The Rest Home has some advantages that should be remembered when making decisions of this nature. 1. It is on the same compound as the hospital and can therefore get quick attention from Medical Staff, and have quick access to the islands best medical facilities.
2. it is staffed 24 hours per day with caring attentive staff. 3. The Rest Home is well furnished with good comfortable furniture. 4. The Rest Home is kept clean and tidy,and never suffers from offensive odours. 5. The patients there seem to be quite happy and usually speak well of the care and food provided. 6 Family can visit at any reasonable time. 7 The buildings are modern, comfortable and well-kept. 8. Patients get more visits from friends and family than they get when living alone. 9. Patients experience less lonelines as people from their own church and from other churches visit them more frequently.
This facility is a great asset to our island and we owe a lot to Capt.Charles Kirkconnell and
Mr. Linton Tibbetts for their roles in providing such a wonderful facility on our island and our Goverment is to be commended for a job well-done in operating and maintaining it.
Burnard Tibbetts
Whilst I can agree the Rest Home is a really good place to put Ms. Dolly. I do also understand how the elderly feel when they get to a certain age, they want to be in their own home when they take their last breath. If circumstances such as this arise and they still wish to remain there, then I feel that her rights to stay in a home she has known as her home for years she should have that right. Maybe the HRC can interject and look into her rights. Ms. Dolly still has rights so let's not infringe on them.
Let’s be honest here… There is a difference between right and will. She may certainly want to stay here but her right to stay in that house was sold for $30,000 a few years back.
What rights? can't you read? her relatives sold her house for 30k years ago…Last time I checked if you sell something, it no longer belongs to you..get some sense!
Having read this story and being a senior citizen myself that knew Ms. Dolly and her husband very well, I can not help but wonder if I am destined for the same fate as this poor old lady.
I also have to wonder if the reason Mr. Harvey left the Property to whom he did, was not because he too feared that this very situation Ms. Dolly now faces might happen and he was just trying to avoid it. If that was the case then, I guess no one can predict the future.
If the deceased continues to be involved in their families life after death as is believed by many, then Mr. Harvey must certainly be unhappy.
There seems to be too many sides to this story and plenty of blame to go around, however the facts are that many Caymanians shun responsibility for their elderly, sell off their assets while they are still alive, dump them on Social Services to care for, and are always ready to blame everyone else except themselves.
This story has opened my eyes to the fact this very same situation could happen to me and I am going to do something about it while I still can.
This is a very sad story but if the land was sold and govt. built a room on one of the daughters' homes, then the family needs to take care of this lady. If they need help, go to soical services but why would you want an old laldy to live in something which is not fit for humans. A park is nice but if Dart really wants to help the people, then do somehting to help the unemployed. I'm sure there are plenty of hungry kids now that the budjet has been cut for school lunches. It also seems absolutely ricidulous to spend money on a tv channel for McKeeva when times are so hard for many people. There is probably a need for at the very least a soup kitchen. Does social services have any idea how many kids are going without meals each day. There's probably a need for hot breakfast and lunches and dinners for a lot of kids and adults. If McKeeva wants a TV station to get more votes, then let him pay for it himself. Let's start helping people. I know there are service clubs who help but I can barely afford food and I have a decent job with good benefits. I can imagine that many more – even those who are working and not getting a very good salary – are having trouble paying hteir bills and buying food. Now everything has gone up again, we can already see the effects in the supermarket prices. Gas has just gone up again and that will push prices up even more. What a mess the UDP have made of this country. I think we should protest strongly about the further waste of money for a blasted TV channel for El Dick Tator.
That is why you need to support local charities that are trying to make a difference. Once of these is the FEED OUR FUTURE organisation who this week are in Cayman Brac looking at the issue of kids in schools without breakfasts/lunches. A hungry child is an unproductive child so please support this worthy cause. http://www.feedourfuturecayman.org for more info
All kids at cayman Brac schools get fed. Over 20% of the high school kids are fed by the government and if more need they would get
I do support local charities such as "buy a kid breakfast", Cayman's ARK (Acts of Random Kindless) which helps lots of families who are struggling. I would urge everyone to help – even if you can only afford a few pennies. It all helps to make a difference. The premider and his brood of hangers on continue to get fat off the money they are taking from us. Ijust hope the idiots do not cut any more from education. That is one area where we need money invested all the time, if we want our kids to have a chance to compete with the rest of hte world.
I agree with you. They cut the help for the children of the less fortunate in this country but I don't see the Premier cutting any of the perks he is getting on our DIME for his personal use. The wasting of the public purse that is funded by the people of this country is a national disgrace.
But let us see how many local Charties are going to come to the aid of the children in the school? Or how many corporate sponsors will jump and give a substantial sum and not that ridiculous $1000 cheque I saw one give some time aback and check their Audited FS they made a double digit million dollar figure the last quarter!
There is just not enough equality in this country.
Now they want to shut us up with the new Data Management Bill to stop us for digging up the dirt that every Govt. has covered up for decades and still doing. Do not support this bill either it is a only a MUZZLE for the Premier to put on us his Bosses!!
Nice job getting a park that no one really needs Julie. Why didn't you ask Dart to move some of his office jobs to Cayman Brac? If you did that then there would not be so many civil servants in Cayman Brac BBing all day.
Oops sorry, forgot that you spend so much time traveling that you don't have time to think about anything except plotting to become premier in 2013.
Why not enhance the Sports Centre property up on the Bluff with a park to go with the ball fields? Why put a park for kids immediately adjacent to the park for drunks?
Clearly as the article stated, this park is to be placed in Julie's 'hometown'.
There are alot of more medial placed this park could have gone and avoided to have Ms Dolly to have to move.
Older persons are usually set in their ways and clearly the article said Ms. Dolly moved to the room and for whatever reason moved back to her home, its where she wants to be regardless of how deplorable Julie thinks it is.
The next bet for her, was to place her in the rest home where she would received 24hr care and be visited alot more.
It is a very sad situation.
I did not realize that is a designated drunk park. Not a bad idea, really -keeping them all together like that.
At least they dont have far to walk across the street to Elvis bar and get their drink and then go back to the park and sit down to drink them.
Elvis does not own a bar he owns a licensed liquor store
MaintenanceLaw 1998 Revision
Duty of children to maintain parents
5. Every person born in wedlock is hereby required to maintain his or her father and mother, grandfathers and grandmothers, and every person not born in wedlock is hereby required to maintain his or her mother, the person registered ashis or her father, and if there be no person so registered, the man, if any, with whom his or her mother openly cohabited at the time of his or her birth, provided that such man recognised and treated such person as his child during his or her infancy, in case such father or mother or other person as aforesaid, or all or any of such persons are unable by reason of old age, or bodily or mental infirmity to maintain himself, herself or themselves.
I have a hunch that between now and elections we will see a lot of parks being opened throughout the Cayman Islands.
They could put 100 parks i aint voting for either of them..
Lets open more parks so the unemployed can hang out in them…..
What a pathetic story…all round
an old lady being neglected by her family
Caymanians that dont want to pay for anything as usual
crown land being given away to a developer
I know its nice to have someone to blame besides yourselves but "Crown land being given away to a developer"? Really? That only works for uneducated………..wait..I see why you said that.
So the Caymanian government bought the land with public funds for public use and then promised to use it for personal use? Sounds totally Caymankind to me. And as usual Dart is the bad guy. Why? Otherwise you would have to blame a Caymanian. Which is culturaly unacceptable.
you are so crabby,please go get a life.
Do we take care of our love ones? Are we willing to go the extra mile to see the fatherless and motherless taken care of? Do we look out for those amongst us who are helpless and in need of special care and attention? Do we govern ourselves aright or our we so caught with government and how others govern themselves? Do we love others like ourselves, or our we so self-centered and scared of loss if we should love another person? These are some questions I thought to post out there in la-la land. Please don't be so narrow-minded by the vacuum of a story you know little about. Take an inward look. Peace
And the answer is" it doesn't appear that Caymanians in general do." Looking a Caymanian leadership it would apear that they only take care of themselves.
Don't let "appearance" fool you. At least when you take care of others and your self, it is not an "appear" thing. So look at your self, what you ought to do and should be doing … that is the answer
so wait, the land bought buy government for affordable housing is now being given to Dart for a park??
and evicting old ladies abandoned by their families to do it
the irony is just sickening
"given to Dart for a park" ? Do you think Dart is going to use the park – just who do you think will use it?
Sorry, but neither govenrment or Dart are wrong here. Miss Dollys family should take care of her; she is their responsibility – no one elses.
Where are her children and what happened to the $30,000 – who got the $
What upsets me more than anything else about this story, is how in the world could you SELL OUT your own helpless relative for 30 pieces of silver??? That is very disturbing to me. I am sadden to learn this happen.
Cayman Brac do not need any more parks!!
Cayman Brac is a naturistic island as it is. Dart needs to get his hands of this rock and stay out of Cayman Brac period. We do not want him there!
Well here wha happen now, Cayman Brackers need better health care, more pay for the work they do (especially the civil servants that clean the post offices, and care for the elderly in their homes, they are paid crap money every month for that hard work, and those in Grand Cayman get more money, what is Julianna doing about that!!!
The Brac needs more tourism, for ad campaigns about visiting Cayman Brac in the international press and so on. The people need jobs, they want to remain in Cayman Brac because it's their home but let's get a reality check here, a park does not bring jobs once it's done!
For eg: lets look at the parks in Cayman Brac, the one in Watering Place which Julianna erected and put in place is now a drug infested alcholic drunkards hangout. The new park that they are putting in place now is just a few feet from this one so what is going to be the purpose. I can only imagine that Julianna is plotting to make Watering Place the New Cayman Brac Capital!! LMBO!!
So, Brackers please do not let her fool you all with this piece of rubbish, she is only looking votes for the next Election she knows she has lost and will never win again!!
Please vote her out and put someone in her place that will see what we need, versus what SHE WANTS to look good. We know she is going to erect some plaque saying how much she was involved in it.
So, as for parks in Cayman Brac, we do not need anymore!!! Plain and simple, we need to build a better infrustructure NOT PARKS that turn into 'back yard drunken pits'!!
To those whom clicked on the Troll, well it Takes One To Know One. Plus, if being a Troll is because I shine a light on the ridiculousness that our Govt. does well call me Diva Troll then because I will never STAND DOWN!!
Kerry, it's "To those WHO clicked on the Troll", not "WHOM" – just putting it out there.
Oh dear me, now I have the Grammar Trolls on my rump. Thank fyou or correcting me. I really appreciate that you are so considerate to do so. 🙂
I had to press “troll” because there was not an “inane rant asking for more government spending” button.
Kerry – why don't you add everyone here to the list on your blog containing people you deem "hate Cayman" and are 'against Cayman" because they disagree with you.
Fair is fair! Grand cayman and Little Cayman must have the same ratio of parks to people as the Brac has.
Come on politicians get busy on more and better parks for all.
Kerry , no disrespect but because you have had so many misfortunes in your life, many becasue of your own doing does not give you the right to judge me any of my(your) fellow Cayman Bracers in this fashion. you make us out to be a bunch of of drunks that destroy everyhting that is provided for us.
Cayman Bracer's are proud people. Sure there are some amongst us that have fallen to alcoholism but the same thing has happened in Cayman, it is just more pronounced here than in Grand Cayman because of our smaller population. What you should be doing is trying to promote assistance be it in the form of Alcoholics Anonymous or other social programs to get our people right again.
You seem to have forgotten your family values and more interested in the almighty dollar. We are not starving over here. Without the government we would have very little jobs. Sure we wish the pay could be higher but we all know what times we live in and in certainly would not be good to bite the hand that feeds us. We cannot force the private sector to start businesses here so we must be grateful that the government can still find work for many if not the majority of us.
This man wants to do something good for Cayman Brac and in your mind we don't need it or deserve it becasue it will just be another "backyard pit" for our drunks. These drunks are our friends, family, brothers sisters, fathers and mothers. Some in fact are related to you. Rather than babbling off your mouth with political rhetoric you should come back to the land of your parents and grand parents and give of your time and talents to help your own people. Notice I didn't ask you for money.
As far as the situation with Dolly which it appears you completely avoided. Remember it was her own Cayman Brac family that sold her house and left her with no place to live. It was the same government that you belittle that has cared for her. We should be grateful.
I am ashamed today as a Bracer to have this type of story go international about us. What ever happened to taking care of our own? Like another writer has said we have now become a nation of welfare seekers dependent on the government not just to take care of us but our elderly family as well.. Shame! Shame!
Judging from the southside public beach, this park will indeed just be another place for trash to be strewn about and native plants and species to move away from since they're again losing habitat. No, Brac needs no more parks or foliage-clearing developments. Go ask the Haitians how development affects tourism.
No disrespect to you either, but if you are going to respond to my comment, then have the respect to identify yourself. I am a Bracker, I have witnessed much of what has transpired over there.
What gives you the right to judge me on any of my life Annoymous?
I really don't care what you think and your Annoymous opinion in rebuttal to mine is of no value to me either. If you can't come out and say who you are then refrain from responding to my comments.
Furthermore, you like many others don't even know the half of what transpired with me, you as usual jump up and down and take the one sided story you were fed. But, thankfully I don't answer to Annoymous persons such as yourself and I don't walk around carrying my load either, but you on the other hand seems to don't mind picking up other peoples misfortunes in life and throwing them in their faces.
I am sorry for what is happening to Cayman Brac and especially with this particular matter. Furthermore, I never once called all Brackers drunks, I was always relating to those harbouring in the area, and we all know if a new on is created in walking distance to the other one, what do you think will happen?
How many jobs will this park generate after completion? That's the question, and depending on the numbers how many will be filled with locals?
We have a beautiful park in West End and there is also one in Spot Bay, and so on, can we something else to use this money on that will provide more jobs, and long-term at that.
The other issue is that the Govt. should have investigated this situation more throughly before they jumped and made the purchase. That is where our Govt. made a very wrong move.
My goodness, how heartless can we get?
if you don't care, why bother responding? and with such a long response too
" A pig may wallow in mud, but it lies on the sunny stone for heat"
I am so sick and tired of people constantly looking for handout from government. we have raised a generation of welfare seekers who depend on politicians for every thing.
I am no big fan of Julie's but it appears she has tried to do the right thing by this senior citizen. The family on the other hand sold the property out from under their own mother and grandmother and then expected government to take care of her.
What happened to the 20K. Could they have used a portion of that to build a room for their grandmother rather than depending on government to do it for them.
I say shame on these people and for how they have treated their relative.
People in this country need to stop talking about handouts.
If this country was properly managed our elderly wouldn't have to look for handouts as you call it.
Our elderly are the foundation of this great country that persons such as yourself have reaped the profits from. So please when it comes to the elderly our country better take care of them or they will have me to deal with.
It is a shame when I see persons on Govt. assistance getting to buy drugs and alcohol instead of working in areas that have multiple nationalities on work permits. That is what we need to address in this country, and get those off our monthly welfare.
Furthermore, in my honest opinion it is the UDP Govt's main objective to oppress as many people as they can so that they can do nothing else but to rely on them.
So please stop hackling the elderly in this country, they are our people and we MUST CARE FOR THEM AT ALL COST!
well with that attitude your driveway is never going to get a free paving!
I think there are some damage control trolls on this thread.
I do not believe in commenting on family business, especially when the family is not my own. Furthermore, I believe it is impossible to accurately sum up the full story surrounding a 95 year old's life / situation in a simple news story.
(In fact, I find it a bit disturbing that some of us are calling out and shaming the family as there are many sides and levels to every story.)
However, something else has caught my attention:
Re: “Every park user knows the benefits of green space, but the benefits of parks, trails, and green spaces extend far beyond users. From improving our physical and psychological health, to strengthening our communities and making our neighborhoods more attractive places to live and work – the benefits of parks are endless – to individuals and our communities. “Beyond the benefits of exercise, a growing body of research shows that contact with nature improves physical and psychological health. Older adults who participate in a variety of social and recreational opportunities benefit from the social connections and interactions that are fundamental to their well-being. Parks have long been recognised as key contributors to the aesthetic and physical quality of neighborhoods,” she noted."
Respectfully, Deputy Premier, if you truly believe this, and if all you have said is true, are you then not concerned that a single entity has been allowed to "donate" so many of our 'crucial' parks, green spaces and similar facilities?
Would it not serve and protect the long term well-being of our people to ensure that the CAYMAN ISLANDS GOVERNMENT (past, present and future) is the driving force and supplier behind these establishments?
Otherwise, are we not laying the foundation for morally bankrupt or opportunistic entities to construct their smoke-and-mirror 'gifts'?
At the end of the day, there is nothing in the portfoilo of certain entities that speak to or provide evidence of genuine altruism.
I think JuJu's helpers have been copying and pasting her speeches again from the internet………
http://www.gigharborfoundation.org/whyparks.php
I knew it!!!! And of all people, being an attorney or at least a law degree holder at the very least, perhaps JuJu might want to explain the word plagiarism to her dimwitted staff members.
I wonder if she does the same when addressing the Legislative Assembly or the people attending all these conferences she attends around the globe…?
What a XXXX joke and mockery she is making of everyone.
Perhaps she doesn't know that other people use the internet too?
Having a law qualification does not a lawyer make.
It takes more intellect education and integrity than is being demonstrated by someone who would stoop to this to mask her well demonstrated intellectual inadequacy.
Wow! I think it would be fun to have a closer look at some of the other quotes, speches and opinions from our leaders over the last few years.
I would be concerned if I was one of her Law Professors with rgeards to her coursework that would have been handed in as part of her law degree, I dont think they would have had the type of software used nowadays when checking for plaigarism……
I did, looked up "donkey faced people" and " I dont trust things like Yoga and other cults" and they are all accredited to just one idiot. Fair play no cheating there.
Talk about verbatim- straight from the internet. I wonder how much of her long-winded admonitions were repetitions of other’s writings. in her “cut and paste” comments it also seems as if she is blaming the old lady for getting bed-ridden and admonishing her for perhaps not walking a trail and park for rejuvination and relaxation. She also seems to expound that parks will last longer than humans so I guess she feels that justifies Government allowing Dart to build the park now and taking the lady form her home. If she made a verbal agreement with the lady and her daughter to let her remain in the house until she dies she should up hold the agreement. It makes no difference that the agreement was not written down, a verbal agreement is still an agreement. How much are we paying her again to “cut and paste” Besides being dishonest it is also against the law and she being a lawyer should know that. “What a tangle web we weave when first we practice to deceive”
Try reading Hansard sometimes — she's not the only one. It's usually fairly obvious when they've begun plagiarizing. The entire cadence of a speech will suddenly change in mid-swing, becoming mysteriously poetic, concise and interesting all at once — and then just as suddenly switch back to its former rambling and roundabout, nonsensical style. Rarely is a reference provided, but a quick line search in Google will generally turn up the (unacknowledged) source.
Well kiss myy xxx. You mean she just copied that pretty speech from the internet?
Oh Dear…
What should we expect next…
Stealing from anythig from anyone is pure theft, then pretending it belongs to you is despicable.
Shame on you Ju Ju that you don't even have the intellect to write your own words.
You are so right, "Kiss mi neck back"! You mean to say that JuJu is so shallow that she got to take quotes from a foreign advisory committee (The Greater Gig Harbor Foundation) who obviously advise on their own problems, and apply it to the problems of Cayman Brac, no man, she need help real bad!
I mean she not even try change it up a little but quote word for word even making an example of what is good for elderly folks.
So, that mean the Brackers could elect me and I can run the Sister Islands by using the internet. Blow Wow, really it time for a big change!
I don't say this very often but in this case, well said, Whodatis!
It's amazing that people are blaming Dart for this fiasco–as if they chose to set up a park in that spot just so they could drive this old lady out of her house. Dart would be better off not even trying. No one is ever happy about anything, even when it's a charitable gift. Cayman seems particularly suspicious of charity unless it comes from the government. I guess that's because they wouldnt do the charity themselves and can't understand an outisder doing it.
Just for the record – I was not 'blaming' Dart, on the contrary, if I was blaming anyone it would be our government.
Re: "Dart would be better off not even trying. No one is ever happy about anything, even when it's a charitable gift. Cayman seems particularly suspicious of charity unless it comes from the government. I guess that's because they wouldnt do the charity themselves and can't understand an outisder doing it."
Under general circumstances I would tend to agree with a lot of what you have said. However, we simply cannot dismiss the facts and characters involved in this particular matter.
There was a lot information in the public domain to warn us about certain entities before they even planted roots on this soil and on more than one occasion they have flashed their true colors at the community.
Unfortunately, there is nothing out there to prevent me from calling this particular spade – a spade.
*Cayman is like a pretty young woman. After a while, she begins to understand that those offers of dinners, gifts and jewelry always come with an ulterior motive. A wise and respectable young woman quickly learns that there are certain things she should never accept from another and would be better off providing on her own.
Wow.. Whodatis – you have gone mainstream with this post…
And I am agreeing with you 100%…
Who are you and what have you done with Whodatis?
(Lol!)
Not sure why all the shock and awe regarding my initial post – but it pleases me to know that we are (finally) able to find some sort of common ground here on CNS.
Actually, while I have your attention, may I remind the room that this is the same Whodatis that is regularly berated for his views when it comes to other issues.
It may go some way to bear in mind that there are times when people hold very opposing perspectives on certain matters due to immovable factors such as nationality, background and history. Furthermore, it would also help to bear in mind the host community and adjust one's reaction accordingly.
I conducted myself in line with the above when I found myself in another country and surrounded by a culture and people different to mine.
Unfortunately, such common decencies tend to be absent when it comes to certain groups and individuals in Cayman today.
(Feel free to revert to the usual behaviour at this time.)
🙂
Sometimes, people just disagree with your opinions because their viewpoint is different; it's part of a healthy society. That doesn't mean that, depending on the issue at hand, we can't agree.
I have nothing against Julie and I know how one can get so caught up with work that it is hard to keep track of everything else, but I sure do hope everything pertaining to this 95 lady and Julie works out well. Don't you concur CNS? 🙂
Sometime the families of these senior citizens are hardly making it them selves, however the social service department continue to support young people in not allowing them to work. The pay rent, water electricity and food voucher, but they would prefer the seniors to live out doors and eat crackers every day.
All those persons who are against this poor woman getting help, shame on you, because you have a job and can afford to eat, drive and take a vacation. These seniors were the ones who built cayman, and their property sold for nothing. The families are stretched, so the government need to take up the slack and care for the seniors and let young people work.
Please read: The piece of land where Ms Dolly’s home is located, which will form part of the park, was sold by members of Ms Dolly’s family to the SIAHC on December 2004 for CI$30,000. Also note, it isnt in a good condition.
Has anyone stop to blame the family who sold it and didnt care to placed her in a good home?
No one likes changed, but be glad that Dart is investing in the islands and not shipping the money out to build homes or buy assets abroad like other expats. *SMH*
Mrs. O'Connor is trying…I am sure she is doing her best and will not cause harm. Let's support a Caymanian and a woman at that and stop the foolishness. Same ones complaining will be the first to host a birthday party there or make use of it. *kmt*
"As Ms Dolly had no family member who offered to take care of her or house her I was not prepared to put her out on the street so I told her that she could continue staying there"
So the family members did not offer to house Ms Dolly so the government (owner of the land which was sold by her family members) allowed her to carry on staying there.
I hope some people read this article & understand the point. Life's not about accumulating millions of dollars – it's about making sure you are there for your family in their hour of need and you don't sell them out for a dollar.
The second you start relying on others (i.e. the government) to look after your own, you should take a long hard look in the mirror
Why wasn't the $30,000 the house was sold for put away to take care of this poor woman?
cuz GUUWERMENT will have to pay for her! Her family pocketed the $$$ and left her high and dry…no the rest of us have to take care of her
"The ministry further stated that the park is a goodwill gesture only and is not part of any deal or in exchange for anything." Why do I have a hard time believing this?
"plans include a 25-metre pool and an area for portable bleachers to host local swim meets." Another pool for swim meets? Why does Cayman Brac need another pool for swim meets? How many swim meets do they have per year?
It seems to me there is (was) a park in that area for children to play, with playground equipment. I never saw any children there. It is now defunct. There was also a little park behind the homes put in by the government for Paloma victims. It was trashed.
Will the park be paved?
Isn't affordable housing land and affordable housing money supposed to be used for affordable housing? Is this even legal?
A government for sale cares little about legal issues. They will justify it in some fashion. Can we freshen your drink, Mr. dart?
Referring to Parks. I hope the parks will be maintained on a daily basis (5 days per week) and not (1 day per week) for a heefty sum. It is amazing how deals are made by some, who are not concerned with the job or what it entails but are interested in collecting the CASH.
Someone should delve into the workings of the district parks and get an understanding of the works carried out.
Perhaps the Brackers begging for work should put themselves forward, no?
Please we all know that the parks are just tokeep certain people in work. Cayman Brac has more public restrooms than the Ritz Carlton. They were all built to keep certain people in work. They get paid good money to keep them and the parks cleaned but we all know that they are not kept clean. I don't understand why they don't have people cleaning them every day. They wait till the leaves are piled up and then they come and blow everything including the sand all over the place. Let's not forget their other favorite past time: burning bush. While we're on the issue of cleaning the parks let's add the beaches to it.
The truth is Brackers expect government to do everything and won't get off of their backsides and do what needs to be done.
…and so it begins. Grand is apparently not large enough for Dart and his kind. XXX Welcome to Cayman Dart. Do I hear Little Dart shortly?
Either that or Keke will have the Cayman Brac airport renamed after him.
Don't blame CIG. Don't blame DART. Dolly's OWN FAMILY sold the land and made no provision for her to be allowed to remain on the site. Now the family want to have its cake and eat it too???
Idiotic, stupid Caymanians selling their land to foreigners again then kicked off!
when will you dummies ever learn?
Dart should let the lady live there. the park project can wait, this can not be a political ploy by Julie Occonnor if so, she is sure to lose the eletion!
cOME mAY 2013 NO ONE will be able to brag "Looked what we gave the Brackers, this beautiful parkTHIS IS RUBBING BRACKERS IN THE WRONG WAY! DON'T TAKE THEM FOR GRANTED jULIE, THIS IS very
'UNPOPULAR"!
Oh please! All Juju needs to do is get up and quote one bible verse and sing on church song, and POW!!! you all fall right for it and do what you always do….make informed decisions.
I feel sorry for the elderly woman, and I think her fam needs to step up to the plate and deal with this issue. Not throw it in the lap of Government (tax payers) to deal with.
But, as we know, to prevent the potential lost of votes, this will be dealt with like everything else, on the backs of the tax payers of this country.
I'm sick and tired of this "special treatment" Cayman Brac get's for everything. Like a adopted child, using it as a excuse to get everything it wants.
Always here people of Cayman Brac saying they "Braca's" ok then, break away and pay for your own sh%t, see how that goes.!!!
When has the government become a foreigner? The land was bought by government. The park is being developed by DART, a Caymanian, maybe not but by blood but still a Caymanian all the same.
Ok lets get this straight – I am NOT a Ju Ju or Dart fan, but come one now people fair is fair!!
1. Miss Dolly's house was sold in 2004.
2. A room was built on to one Colleens of TWO existing homes, by the Govt.
3. Miss Dolly has more that ONE child and many Grand Children with good jobs, homes, land, apartments, businesses etc.
4. Miss Dolly is being assisted by Social Services, WHY????
5. The word "burden" is being used in a sentence about caring for your own Mother.
Gone are the days when a Caymanian family took care of their own and never relied on the Government or any one else for that matter. Pride, why has it disappeared from our families? Miss Dolly was a woman that took care of her family all of her physically able life. She should have been repayed by her family and not the Govt.
Its a shame that these people are living in their nice homes, driving nice cars, taking their vacations left and right but find it hard to take care of the person that made it possible for them to be here on earth. It's a crying shame and disgrace. God help Miss Dolly and the many others like her.
Coleen you should have got that promise in writing and signed by the cayman Island Government at that. Always remember that a promise is a comfort to a fools heart. Very sorry for you as we all know that you are struggling to make a living yourself. Some People when they get their big bellys full they care not for the rest. How many more years do they think that poor Ms Dolly will be around? For God sake please let her live out the rest of her life in her home.To take her from there will only kill her. Ms Julie did not set much of an example in caring for family, just look at her dear Granny and Uncle. Perhaps she could loan miss Dolly the trailer house that she had them in, or better yet put her in the room at the Retirement home where they are now. Lets hope this park is not another sore eye like the other on Watering Place. At least she keeps looking out for some of her familys that she seems to like as this low income area is mostly owned by them. Lets pray that the power is taken from her in May20013.
Lets read this together properly.
The piece of land where Ms Dolly’s home is located, which will form part of the park, was SOLD by members of Ms Dolly’s family to the SIAHC on December 2004 for CI$30,000,….Ok no matter where in the world SOLD IS SOLD. Next…. but Gibson said that she and other members of the family did not know this at the time. OK here we go tough sh*t SOLD IS SOLD….Next…. When she found out later, she said, she spoke to O’Connor Connolly and received assurances that her mother could remain in the house for the rest of her life. Now this is an awkward one, because I bet, that he did not expect that Ms Dolly was going to live so long…Strong words but the truth hurts most!!
This is so sad. When does this stop?
At some point the power struggle, the political influence, the manipulation of the system, the win at all cost thinking, even deep pockets have to figure out "what are you really winning and at what cost?" It's not about the expense, it's about control!
Would anyone treat their own family members this way? Where are the true values that are really important? There are always two sides to every story and there will be the group that says "look what they are doing for us." Where is the community working together? Who decided where the park should be located? Was the community involved in this decision?
The article states this was a "goodwill gesture" and is "not part of any deal." Really? There is a purpose, there is a focus, this is a very well thought out plan and the marketing (spin) is that Growing Communities project is more important than a persons home, lifestyle, not just a person, this affects the whole family and community.
Don't get me wrong, I understand that the land was sold to the government. I don't believe the government "owes" anything. Everyone is responsible for their own choices and actions. But an agreement is an agreement. Just like there are rules and laws in place for everyone, you don't get to pick and choose which ones you follow. There are agreements, and there should be personal responsibilities to follow through with those agreements.
She deserves a safe place to sleep at night, can those responsible for this really sleep at night having the knowledge of how they treat others? It's not about right or wrong, although this is clearly wrong, but I'm sure that depends on what side you're on. It's clearly a "business" decision made by those who know how to manipulate the system. But would you really treat your own family the same way?
What message are you sending to children? Do you community parks have more value than our families and homes?
Very sad!
Actually, according to the article, this poor, elderly lady's family is indeed treating her in a deplorable way–not the government. Everyone just fell into the giant, inflammatory "Dart" headline and missed the entire shame that this story is. No matter what your position is regarding the government and Dart, each family should be responsible for their own and it is obvious that Ms. Dolly's own family doesn't want to care for her. The whole lot of them should be ASHAMED that they feel the government should be obligated to take responsibility that is theirs.
Did anyone else even catchthe statement that Ms. Dolly's husband left the land and house to his grandson and brother? So her husband didn't even do his duty to ensure she was cared for after his passing. Those that received the inheritance should have stood up to their professed "Christian" morals and looked after Ms. Dolly since she was left with nothing. How do you think she must feel that no one in her family wanted to help? She deserves more after a long life of what is surely lots of hard work and sacrifice to build up those same, ungrateful people.
And for anyone that wants to respond about any potential family limited resources, you can't tell me that every single person down to grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc, has absolutely no way to help Ms. Dolly. My own grandmother is almost 91 and my mother and aunt, both in their late 60's care for her with financial and physical help from my siblings, cousins and I. We don't have much, but because we ALL put in our own small share AND we don't waste our money on frivolous expenses, my grandmother lives in a very modest, but decent, clean dwelling with plenty of food and company. We are PROUD that we don't need to rely on the government to fulfill our responsibility!
SHAME ON MS. DOLLY'S FAMILY
Don't start blaming the deceased husband. Perhaps they assumed the younger generation would have been responsible enough to do the right thing. We don't know the relationship between him and Dolly because he is now in the grave. What we do know is that today the family is unable to take care of her, and I know it is hard to take care of an elderly person. It is not easy. It takes much care, love, and dedication. It's like another child but this child is stubborn, she is set in her ways, she has habits and won't listen to anybody. And its not like a child where you can mold them and train them, an elderly person is not like that. You can't beat them with a stick. This is the same person that hold you in her arms when you was a child. But you're right. This is a most unfortunate and shameful event indeed… Cayman Brac of all places
According to the article, she is bedridden so she shouldb't be left in the house by herself. She either needs 2 full time helpers or she needs to be put in the rest home. Looking at this logically, I really don't understand how she can be a monetary burden if Ms. Colleen is already paying a helper. I also don't understand why the other family members can't chip in to get a 2nd helper and renovate the room Ms. Colleen has so she can live there.
This totally baffles me as I'm an only child with young children of my own to take care of plus I don't make much money yet I make sure that my elderly parent is cared for.
When are the Cayman Islands Govt. going to stop selling/giving Dart everything that he wants he must own half or more of these three (3) Islands already.
I think you meant to say "When will the Caymanians stop selling Dart (or any other non Caymanian person) everything that they want and can afford? My question is when are the Caymanian people going to stop crying about people taking advantage of their inability to take resposibility for themselves? This is a question for you as most people already know the answer.
Time for a protest !!!!!!!!!!
10:02,
Did you read the article?
It seems steps have been taken, it just that the woman would like to live out her final days in her home, which is totally understandable.
Sadly, the woman shouldn't even be living in the house by all accounts from its deplorable.
The land was bought, whcih means they do not own it anymore.
Read the article first, digest both sides of the what is being said, then make an objective analysis of the whole situtation.
Just saying. A Caymanian.
Protest about what? what do you know about it?
Protest?!!! by who? Cayman Brac people?!! NEVER HAPPEN!
Dart is not satisfied with purchasing Grand Cayman. Now under the guise of Community service they are beginning to take over the Brac. Next we will see if Texas is willing to sell out Little Cayman.
All I can say to our brothersand sisters of the Sister Islands is "beware of Greeks bearing gifts."
Why are we not helping the public purse by seeking 8 years worth of rent for the period from 2004? If this was brought to JuJu's attention why did she not do her public duty by ensuring that steps were taken to either obtain rent or end the occupation of government land?
either obtain rent or end the occupation of government land? Because that does not buy you votes my friend, and that is what Ju Ju is all about.