West Bay Rd campaign seeks funds for legal battle
(CNS): Four West Bay women who are leading the charge to reclaim a stretch of the West Bay Road, which was closed and given to Dart as part of the controversial ForCayman Investment Alliance, are seeking to raise funds for their forthcoming court appearance. Despite a setback in the lower court, where the merits or otherwise of their case were never considered because their application was ruled out of time, Alice Mae Coe, Annie Multon, Ezmie Smith and Betty Ebanks believe they have a strong case for appeal due to the uncertainty surrounding when the deal became official. Thecase is set for 5 November and the women need funds to help them meet their mounting legal bill.
As this was a significant public interest case, as a result of how the road was divested and because the crown land involved has been a by-way for over 100 years, the women were able to get legal aid to assist in their case in the lower court.
However, the appeal must be funded privately, and with just four weeks to go before the case will go before the winter session of the Cayman Island Court of Appeal, the women are asking those who back the cause to reclaim the road to help them if they can.
Explaining why they are continuing to fight for the road, the women said that it will be to everyone's advantage to have this section of the 'People's Road' re-opened.
“It has greatly affected many of the taxi drivers, our elderly citizens and many others who have practically been cut off from going to and from West Bay and George Town as they are not familiar with the West Bay highway and want to continue using the coastal road,” they said.
Fighting a number of human rights issues regarding beach access and the use of the original continuous coastal route, as well as their concerns that the deal with government and Dart was made behind closed doors and did not represent value for money for Caymanians, the campaign, they say, is about much more than retaining several thousand feet of tarmac.
They said the closure has impacted and inconvenienced many local people but also overseas visitors, and hundreds and thousands of cruise ship passengers who were once able to use and enjoy that particular section of Cayman’s famous West Bay Road along 7-Mile Beach to go swimming and enjoy the beach. ,
“The closure of this section of road has caused no end of over-crowding elsewhere at familiar beaches in other areas; including 'Smith Barcadere' in South Sound,” the women noted in their appeal to the community.
“Everyone knows that two road accesses to anywhere is certainly much better than just having one; and many of us Caymanians, residents and visitors alike, much prefer to use that familiar section of the West Bay Road to see and enjoy the sea, the beautiful scenery, and sunset there,” they added.
Hoping that there are many more quiet supporters, the women are appealing to all Caymanians and residents to help win the appeal and regain access to the road.
Anyone who can assist is asked to make their kind and generous financial contributions urgently and before 5 November to help defray the legal costs of the appeal to BANK OF BUTTERFIELD, Account No. 136 142 702 0011.
The stretch of West Bay Road was closed and gazetted in March 2013 but talks between the previous interim administration and the developer collapsed regarding the wider deal and the gazetting of a further stretch of the road just weeks ahead of the general election in May.
Although the PPM government picked up those talks following the election, they had a number of concerns about the ForCayman Investment Alliance, in particular the accommodation tax concessions. Despite comments several months ago from the premier that things had moved beyond the earlier impasse, there have been no further announcements from either side since early June, leaving the deal in partial limbo.
Dart is pressing ahead with the new beachfront resort it is constructing next to public beach on the site of the former Courtyard Marriott, which will see a stretch of the former West Bay Road become part of the footprint of the new resort. However, the second stretch has still not been gazetted and the promised enhancements to the existing Seven Mile Public Beach and boardwalks appear to be considerably more limited than the developer had originally indicated.
See details of the West Bay Road Campaign appeal below.
Category: Local News
It is things like this that makes me ashamed to be a caymanian, and you wander y people think of us as fools and backwards. And the hurtful part is its not being done because they really feel that opening that road back up is better than the highway, GOD no i hope they really dont think that, but because of two individuals, McKeeva Bush and Dart, i wander if the same thing happend between lets say Kurt Tibbetts and Mrs Ollde that owns half of North Side if these respectful ladies of our society would have done the same thing.
You talk about things like this that make people think we are "fools and backwards". This may be true but look at all of your grammar errors. LOL. It is things like that which make people think we are "fools or backwords". Give yourself some credibility with your posts by at least using proper grammar and punctuaions.
As if you are any better…
Soo many of these posters that laugh at these ladies also disdain makbush, while heaping praise on megadart. They are colluders. You cannot pick up a stick without picking up both ends.
Don't worry very soon lots of you will be begging these ladies to champion your cause against the great one. Just as we were running to the UN for internal self government, remember we did the same thing to Mr. Panton when he wanted it. We did not want it when it was available then 45 years later when it was not available we decided to cry and fight for it. The same will happen with the road just wait and see.
As a frequent visitor to the Cayman Islands I am so saddened with this road closure. This was a drive that would take your breath away looking at the ocean. Now only the people staying at the hotel will be able to enjoy.
Soon, if not already, Cayman will be just another Miami.
I've driven that road plenty of time and you can't even sea the ocean, if you want a good view of the water drive down Seaview road, not west bay road. You really must not be from around these parts..
I agree with you — buildings on the ocean side — with a few breaks that enable someone to see the ocean — IF THEY ARE NOT DRIVING — bush on the other — another waste of CIG money — remember it was our people that sold the land to investors that got this ball rolling — — we can't have our cake and eat it too — we have more pressing issues — drugs – mt trashmore – c a l- crime etc, etc
I AM from these parts and I also loved that drive. There are none so blind as those who have an agenda
Man if you could not see that beautiful view as you drove by then you must really be BLIND as a Bat's Cave BAT!!
Keep on fighting……the attorneys are laughing all the way to the bank.
Yes, David the Shepard boy kill Goliath the great giant with one little stone out of five. I still have faith and God still gives victories to them that trust in him. Way to go ladies keep up the good fight, God will fight for you as he did for Israel during the six day war of 1967 when the victory seemed impossible for Israel to win, the rest is history and we all know the outcome.
Indeed we do and what a debacle that has been.
the top floors of this new hotel will have a great view of the dump
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!! These women out there worried about a quarter mile of road! When Mt. Trashmore is LITERALLY killing ALL of us slowly!?!
WAKE-UP PEOPLE!
And up to what. The people that will eventually fund the building of this thing on beach deserve to view the dump.
Nice one Sun, 12/10/2014 – 11:08. The ignorants never fail to chime in LOUDLY on this subject.
there is a threat of Chikungunya virus in the country this is a good opportunity if you have nothing to do, to get to kill mosquitoes in the neighborhood.
i see the Dart PR robot voting machine is in high gear again. Any comment in their favour gets loads of thumbs up, any not loads of thumbs down. These people are really something else. I had to laugh at the assinine stupidity written by their supporters, for example those by the coffee-spitting joker 11:39. If that's his idea of rationale one wonders how big a hangover that (laced?) coffee is attempting to relieve! When you fully sober up, pal, reread your post. What a load of rubbish.
PLEASE LADIES TAKE YOUR RETIREMENT AND ENJOY LIFE
Leave the impossible alone, people can’t buy food and pay mortgages and you want donation to appeal the impossible. Come on there becomes a time that you can’t raise the dead and this is that time. Go and enjoy your retirement
Your very own Mr Mac will give you a handout. Go on, ask him to fund.
Taxi drivers are nothing just idiot drivers who think they own the road! Sorry I just donate to humane society as these dogs need better life than you ladies wasting time in court and people time. GET OVER THAT ROAD IS CLOSED FOR GOOD!
They have more chance of seeing the reincarnation of Haille Selassie walk out of the water at public beach than a donation from myself on this issue
Thanks for sharing. That will mean a lot to the Rastas
What is lost in all these ignorant comments is the fact that, if the rest of the road north of public beach is closed, we will ALL lose several rights of way to the beach. I have counted more than 100 cars parked at the roadside between the dead-end where Surfside operated and the roundabout north of that on many occasions. The problem is the peoples right to access the whole of the beach, not the fact that the public beach is now deeper than it was. The TOTAL closure of 1/4 mile of road is the issue. I'm sure that a compromise could be reached where a slow, tourist-friendly 25 mph West Bay Road could run parallel to the highway. It could loop around the new hotel site easily. This is why we had planning laws dictating the need for a right of way to the beach whenever a property was more than a stated running foot length of beachfront. Why should this be changed for one development?
Because it's darts (and luckymac's?) development event and he owns the gd island.
And I am so glad he does..Or else it would have long sunk into the ocean and been bankrupted.
Oh, would that spoil your dream of having a white tropical island to live on and avoid paying taxes. So sorry.
All ignorant idiots being lead by the other gullibles. No clue. They will never understand.
The comments are so disrepsectful and hateful.
I've just been to BoB online and made my donation. I only wish I could donate more.
"I've just been to BoB online and made my donation. I only wish I could donate more" "ignorant idiots being lead by the other gullibles" – how very true
As Well. Well done on the donation.
What is lost in all these comments , is the facts about this whole storry of how one man could make a deal with crown/the peoples of the Cayman Islands property behind closed doors . This is not about taxi drivers , or a new road , or a park for the kids to playat . The 4 West bay ladies see and believes that what was done is wrong and everyone should surport them in this cause , because the next deal that one man would do behind closed doors would be make a deal on the whole Island . We all need to wake up and see beyond this present $ !
If they were fighting for transparency about how the decision was made then that would be backable. As it is, the road is closed and there is no way, in a land of favour and brown envelopes and vested interest is that decision going to be reversed. Its time to move the fight to openness, transparency and the scrutizination of politicians interests.
If these are the reasons they are stating on the appeal then why would anyone give them a cent, Darts laywers will have a field day with this, they should also question why Smiths Cove now has more people at it than before the road closure, it has nothing to do with the road closure but lazy taxi drivers charging the same amount of money to drop off unaware cruise passanger to "the Beach" instead of driving all the way to SMB public beach, as someone whom swins at Smiths Cove on a regular basis i can attest to this happening all the time, then the taxi drivers stating that they will come back for them at a certain time but don't , leaving the visitors stranding , in the last year i must have called for taxi's at least six times due to this happening and have also given a few a ride into town myself.
Judging by your tone you are obviously not a Caymanian. What difference does that make? Well, try going to just about any country in the world – let's say Australia for example – and blowing your mouth off as a foreigner. You wouldn't last five minutes! The naked arrogance of people who come here to make a better life for themselves and then think it proper to speak in such a way as yourself, it really is disgusting. Learn some respect for goodness sake.
The taxi drivers on this island were affected a Lon long time ago! Monopoly, poor driving, rude, no customer care……..they should be so lucky to drive on the new road. I'd support an initiative to de-monopolize the taxi industry and bring in some industry standards.
I think you ladis should be raising money for taxi drivers who keep getting lost,you can go to Camana Bay Book Store and buy the the road map,problem solved!!!
"Fighting a number of human rights issues regarding beach access and the use of the original continuous coastal route" Well that is going to be a very short appeal.
While the rest of the world is trying to create more green spaces and plant more trees, here in the Cayman Islands we are raising money to replace a brand new park with a road. A road that is unnecessary, cuts off the country's most beautiful natural feature and provides no obvious benefit. All to help taxi driver's find their way.
Ok CNS where is the link for donations or bank account to deposit donations into which local bank and name of account please, this is quite inefficient and unorganized fundraising information. Come again? FUND TITLE?
OMG stop already that poor horse has been dead for months.
I suppose if you haven't figured out how to get to GT from WB in the 18 months since the road opened then I suspect you may have bigger issues than funding an appeal. But I guess if you are lobbying for a highway to run through a public park then I shouldn't really be surprised.
What an impertinent comment. Why don't you clear off back to where you came from or learn some respect for the people of this country you cheeky racal!
OK People here is a chance to put your money where your mouth is. This includes those Politicians who like to run their mouth.
Wow. I almost spat my coffee out through my nose.
Close the highway and re-open West Bay Rd. Hmmmm. Go on…..
Rationale 1: "It has greatly affected taxi drivers and others confused by the new road."
Hmmmm….. Reeeaaaaalllllly. So that's why traffic has improved so much to and from West Bay. People have stopped going there because they couldn't figure out how to get there. Perhaps the affected taxi drivers would also need to use Google maps to find their bottom with both hands.
Rationale 2: "Two roads are better than one".
Hmmmm….. good point but the second would never have been built if the first had not been closed. And the second one is not going to be impassable in a hurricane or heavy rain, so aren't we better off? And the second one will probably close if the first one re-opens (or thegovernment will owe Dart tens of millions). And the second road is a dual carriageway, so it is really two roads in itself. And the first one is now a park. You really want a road instead? Really? And re-opening the first one would threaten the viability of a hotel that will bring thousands of tourists (that will use taxis) and employ a thousand people (that will use taxis). You'd rather not have those thousand jobs and thousands of tourists and thousands of taxi rides? Really?
Rationale 3: "Other beaches are overcrowded because, well, you know, ehhh, people can't find public beach now or won't walk 50 yards instead of 10".
Let me get this straight. You preferred public beach when it had inadequate parking, a busy road going past, and no big park for kids to play in.
What's the point of all this again?
Oh yeah, you don't like change. Good luck with your case, the four wives of King Canute.
Obviously you can't almost spit out your coffee and read at the same time.
No one is talking about closing the new road.
How many times does this need to be said…..S.M.H….,
17:49, you are an absolute idiot.
You cannot speak and spit coffee out your mouth at the same time, but you can definately read and do it.
And you are going to pay for the new road (paid for by allowing Dart direct ocean access for his hotel and other land) how? You tear up that contract and Dart can either take his road back and make it private or sue for the cost of building it. Or do you just want to keep the new road but not pay for it? As you say SMH.
The really need some chothes to wash!
Please… Find something else to do.
Are these people for real?
“It has greatly affected many of the taxi drivers, our elderly citizens and many others who have practically been cut off from going to and from West Bay and George Town as they are not familiar with the West Bay highway and want to continue using the coastal road,”
what a load of rubbish! "practically cut off"? They have a brand new dual lane motorway. "not familiar" so basically we should cease any progress in case a fraction of the populace won't be able to understand it?
"and many of us Caymanians; residents and visitors alike, much prefer to use that familiar section of the West Bay Road to see and enjoy the sea, the beautiful scenery, and sunset there,” they added
You can go and park in the nice new car park and go and sit on any part of the now MASSIVE beach and enjoy all the beautiful scenery and sunsets you like. Whilst you are driving you should probably be watching the road, perhaps thats why we seem to have more car crashes per capita than anywhere in the known world? (or maybe its because we are "not familiar" with automobile technology).
wow
The ladies behind this campaign are of the highest integrity and moral character. No one can question their good intentions for their community and their tenacity to address a matter which was dubiously handled. They have clearly demonstrated that they stand for principles higher than greed and they will be lauded for taking that stand. But perhaps they should just let go of this matter now; the community at large has accepted the new road (and many appreciate it) and it is most unlikely that the physical arrangements of this "deal" will be reversed.
Hear hear, these women are some of our most beloved and they saw the deal was not ideal and spoke up. I'm afraid theirs is a losing cause with big money lawyers and not much argue left, but that being said we should teach our children what to stand up for
I am sure these ladies are of the highest integrity and moral character, but when you summize the huge benefits to the economy, much needed employment opportunities and income to CIG then you can only assume the reason these ladies continue is that they have a hatred for Dart, a hatred for change and have a LARGE chip on their shoulders. As this makes absolutely no sense at all. This should be taught in schools as the "Land Crab Mentality" or prehaps the phrase "Caymanitus" – an inability to embrace forward progress, whilst going out of your way to do everything in your power to make life difficult and unwelcome to those who no longer serve the purpose of lining your pocket.
If taxi drivers can't find their way from West Bay to George Town, they shouldn't be in the transportation field and probably shouldn't have a driver's license.
Never fear about a taxi driver finding his/her way. They can smell one green back further away than a shark can smell a droplet of blood in the ocean and they can navigate to it with their eyes shut.
Times change. Move on and forget it. West Bay now has great access and a new imporved road system. The past is history. Besides, hurricane Ivan showed just how vulnerable we were with that section of the road.
Congratulations on blowing your retirement and a bunch of hot air.
NO TAX DOLLARS
They should of known that they would need money to go to court
Hey ladies, why not focus on something that actually impacts Caymanians? Like crime, corruption, obesity, education, immigration, drugs, drunk driving, gangs and wearing sunglasses inside? You would get a lot more support than trying to rip out a park and replace it with a road.
Now lets see how many people put thier money where thier mouth is and that includes all those well paid polititians who campaigned on helping to reopen the road.
I would rather take money out of my wallet and burn it than donate to this nonsense.
“It has greatly affected many of the taxi drivers, our elderly citizens and many others who have practically been cut off from going to and from West Bay and George Town as they are not familiar with the West Bay highway and want to continue using the coastal road,”
I'm not getting in that Taxi!
It aoolies to all taxis on this island, they rarely know where anywhere is, and take one from the airport to anywhere but a SMB hotel/condo and you get a look like they just smelled s**t
Can we get a LOL button for the articles as well as the comments?
I will give you a kind and generous donation if you drop this nonsense and campaign against something that atually matters like rising crime. Your arguments are dreadful, thousands of cruise ship visitors are affected? Really?
Isn't this just a campaign against the evil Dart? The company that is helping keep this little island ticking over.
Pathetic.
The deal is already finished. What we should be fighting against is the ridiculous cost of electricity.
And the high cost of fuel.
All they need is a big pile of clothes and a sink full os dishes to go wash!
Its enough already, find something real to do with your lives!
Seeking funds??? Better pull that out of their personal "purse", public not going to pay for this one. They should have neverbeen out there in the first place. BIGGER AND MORE IMPORTANT things to protest about in these Cayman Islands.
Really? Bet you say that eventually in every country you live in. I love your use of capitals to better convey your opinion, by the way. It certainly got my attention.
Many people who believe in the fight are trying to assist with this project. Many are suggesting that these ladies call on the BBC, CNN, 20/20, ABC News and Good Morning America. Make a international appeal for help through the UN and the new organizations through out the world.
The UN? Are you drunk or high? Both?
Let's try and keep the embarassment local shall we? I don't think the UN is going to support replacing a park with a road because a small number of people prefer to drive near the beach or can't find their way home along a well-lit dual two-lane highway.
Are you serious, omg did someone really write this, that gave me an instant headache, JESUS JESUS JESUS, help us plz.
I got some Bitcoins they are welcome to have.