CONTRIBUTION BY The Hon. Thomas Desmond Bannister Minister of Public Works On The ...

41 Pages·2017·0.34 MB·English

CONTRIBUTION BY
The Hon. Thomas Desmond Bannister

Minister of Public Works

On The Midyear Budget 2017-2018
Mr. Speaker I count it a singular honour to have the opportunity to rise
on behalf of the wonderful people of Carmichael to contribute to this
mid term budget debate.

Permit me, Sir, to begin by offering condolences to some special people in
my life. First, to my good friend Rev. Dr. Ranford Patterson, who is mourning
the loss of his maternal grandmother Amelia Collie. To Carmichael resident
and former A.G. Claire Hepburn and her husband Bones I offer my prayers
as she mourns the passing of her brother.
Secondly, to my buddy James Storr in Andros, who buried his mother
recently, I offer my sincere condolences. As I do to

Mr. Speaker, I want my cousin Pastor Brindley Marshall and his siblings,
who also buried their mother, Rev. Jenneth Marshall, and also to Ken and
Kachelle, to know that they hold a special place in my heart. My home
community, Staniard Creek, has lost an amazing matriarch. She has lived a
full life, and has given much to this world. So I give thanks for her, and for
her children and grandchildren who continue to care so deeply about our
home community.

Mr. Speaker, I now turn to the formal portion of my communication.

I begin, Sir, by thanking P.S. Antoinette Thompson, DPW Melanie Roach
and all of the staff members of the Ministry of Public Works. I am so very
fortunate, Sir, to be blessed with the opportunity to work with so many
consumate professional officers. They care deeply about the Bahamian
people and about the state of our country; and each day they recommit
themselves to focusing on building a better Bahamas for the benefit of our
people. I am very fortunate to be surrounded by such exceptional
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professionals. I am particularly thankful to be able to work with the P.S. and
the Director; two ladies who each are highly competent and amazingly
energetic. As much as I try I cannot keep up with either of them, but as the
saying goes, if you love your job you will never work a day in your life, and
I love my job Sir.
Mr. Speaker, in a few months our schools will close for the summer. That
means that school repairs will begin in earnest. I am grateful that DPW Roach
has taken this often contentious task on at full speed. We have met with the
Minister of Education and his staff. We have taken the technical officer from
the Ministry of Education with us to view the condition of family island
schools; and we have engaged professional consultants to prepare scopes of
work for all of the schools. We expect that the repairs will be approached
professionally and competently, and that when schools reopen after the
summer all repairs will have been completed. If there are any unexpected
challenges, Sir, I shall keep this Parliament fully apprised.
With respect to the summer, Sir, I am grateful that former Director of Youth,
Gregory Butler is with us at the Ministry of Public Works. He has many years
of experience of organizing summer work initiatives for young people, and
he fully subscribes to my vision for an experiential initiative for our students.
We are not interested in babysitting anyone this summer. The Ministry will
actively seek out students who are interested in careers as Architects,
Engineers, plumbers, painters, electricians, welders, and in air conditioning
technology, Construction Management, Urban Development and Regional

Planning, Human Resource Management, Human Resource Development
and Training and Public Administration and related fields to provide them
with an appropriate level of exposure to their chosen profession. We know
that the Ministry of Public Works has the outstanding skilled professionals
who are able to mentor our young people and guide them in their career
choices.
And Mr. Speaker, I am impressed with our young people. While a few bad
apples give them a bad name, I look at the students at St. Johns College who
had the determination and desire to succeed under the guidance of Father
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Turnquest to build an operational solar powered car. The Ministry of Public
Works will provide these young people with the opportunity to continue to
develop their expertise in solar energy by attachment to the Ministry during
the summer.
I look at Christopher Curry, the Head Boy at Aquinas College, who shadowed
me as Minister of Public Works, and who is making all of the right decisions
to become an outstanding professional.
There are many more examples of outstanding young people who are doing
the right thing, Sir, and the Ministry of Public Works will seek to develop
their talents and deepen their desires through the creation of our new
apprenticeship and mentorship initiatives under Mr. Butler’s leadership. We
seek through this initiative to ensure that the Ministry of Public Works, the

Department of Public Works and the Department of Physical Planning
possess the necessary human capital to deliver on our strategic goals which
are aligned to the Government’s mandate whilst we also prepare students to
seek entry level positions in technical/professional careers. We also seek to
promote individual development through the transfer of skills, expert
knowledge and insight; and to provide a mechanism for developing future
leaders to eventually hold key positions within the organization and in the
country.
In this same vein, Sir, the Ministry will be organizing a public awareness
month. We want to sensitize the Bahamian public to the critical nature of the
work that the Ministry accomplishes, and to ensure that Bahamians are
knowledgeable of the services that we provide. In this regard, the Ministry
has developed a facebook page, and I invite Bahamians everywhere to
become our friends on facebook.
Mr. Speaker, just a note about facebook. Desmond Bannister has no facebook
page. I am associated with the Ministry’s page, and with Carmichael’s page.
However, I have no personal page. Regrettably, Sir, in the past few months
fraudsters have created several facebook pages in my name. I want to assure
the public that I will not be asking them for any money, so if you see someone
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named Desmond Bannister on facebook messaging you about money, don’t
do it cause it ain’t me.
Mr. Speaker, I now turn to our HR initiatives at the Ministry.
As I indicated previously, since the former Director retired, we have been
fortunate to acquire the services of Ms. Melanie Roach in her third stint as
Director of Public Works. I am thankful that she has agreed to make the
sacrifice to give service again.
We have also made a deliberate effort to hire Bahamian professionals. In this
respect, we have been able to attract several highly qualified senior Engineers
back to public service, and are in the process of hiring a number of young
Bahamian professionals, who will be the future of the Ministry of Public
Works.
Mr. Speaker, I am very passionate on ensuring that our young Bahamian
professionals will have every opportunity to obtain their professional
qualifications. We have a relatively large number of vacancies for Engineers
and Architects, and quite a number of young Bahamians who hold posts as
Assistant Engineers or Assistant Architects. To assist them in obtaining their
professional qualifications, we are in the process of creating a division that
will be focused on professional development to ensure that these young
people will have the opportunity to obtain their professional qualifications so
that they may qualify for promotion.
Mr. Speaker, my Ministry still has too many people who have not been
established in the public service. This year we have succeeded in having a
number of our employees regularized; however, there is much more to be
done, and we shall continue to work to facilitate the establishment of our
employees in their best interest and the best interest of their families. For
these and the other outstanding HR initiatives of the Ministry I wish to thank
D.P.S. Cheryl Darville and her able staff, and I wish Mrs. Darville all the very
best as she moves on to further personal professional development.
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Mr. Speaker, a few months ago I openly and unabashedly admitted that I hate
potholes; and I still do. I hate them with a passion, and by all of the feedback
that we have received, it is clear that the Bahamian people hate potholes just
as much as I do.
Potholes can be caused by any number of factors. Sometimes there is caving
below the road, which may cause the road to sink. Sometimes we have heavy
vehicles that cause damage from overuse. Sometimes water damage can
cause them; but all too often utilities excavate the roads and do not reinstate
them properly, leading to progressive weakening of the roads and the
inevitable potholes.
Our major challenge comes from the fact that New Providence has so many
old roads, and we do not have a tax base that is focused on raising money for
road preservation and repair. Hence, we provide ten million dollars annually
to Bahamix, which is owned by the government, for paving roads, but that
sum is not enough to scratch the surface of what is required for road paving
and maintenance.

Since her return to the Ministry, Director Roach has convened a weekly
meeting focused on road repairs. Representatives from each of the utilities
meet with her and myself when I am available on Monday mornings to co-
ordinate road paving initiatives.

Quite often, utilities are set on one side of the road. In order to provide service
to homes on the other side, the utilities excavate, or in layman's terms, cut
into the road. The law requires them to reinstate the road at their own expense.
Very often they are not responsible enough to reinstate the road, or do not do
it in a timely manner, or do it poorly. In all of these cases the roads are
weakened, and can be easily damaged further by ordinary traffic.

Under the Roads Act, the fine for utilities excavating the road without
permission or not reinstating the road is only $75, so you see them routinely
excavating roads every day without permission, and then not reinstating the
road to an acceptable standard.

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I have advised the utilities that it is our intention to amend the law so that the
fine will be increased to $10,000 for unauthorized excavations and negligent
reinstatements, and I want the public to help me send a strong message.

The Ministry of Public Works now has a what's app line. The number is 376-
0936. I'm begging members of the public to save that number.

If you see a pothole, take a photo and what's app it to us.
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If you see anyone cutting into the road and they cannot produce a
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permit, take a photo of them and the work that they are doing and
what's app it to us.

If the road is not being restored in a timely or proper manner, take
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a photo and what's app it to us.

In each case be sure to tell us the location, and the burden will be on the
Ministry to respond quickly. We have a job to do, and we have to take it
seriously and get it done to the satisfaction of the Bahamian people.

Mr. Speaker, the Ministry has three pothole patching crews. We ought to be
able to respond quickly to do the job that the Bahamian people want us to do;
and we have to appreciate that we will be judged by our efficiency in getting
each job completed professionally. I, therefore, implore members of the
public at large to take those photos of potholes and to send them in. We are
going to have to improve our standards so that we may no longer be criticized
for mediocre service. Whilst we are short on vehicles, our staff have the
requisite skills and the leadership to set a higher standard, and we shall do
just that.
Sir, we also have a nine companies under contract to repair potholes
throughout New Providence. Four of them are now on the job. They are:

Arrows Urban Development in St. Annes and Fox Hill.
1.
Ground Crew in Marathon, Nassau Village and SeaBreeze;
2.
Evans Paving in Carmichael, Southern Shores, Tall Pines
3.
and Garden Hills; and

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Southern Trucking & Paving in Golden Gates, Bamboo
4.
Town, Pinewood and South Beach.

I expect that the other five contractors will mobilize soon to serve the other
areas of New Providence. If that does not happen quickly they may expect to
be replaced. My Ministry expects the highest level of professionalism and
efficiency from them in filling potholes promptly. We will not compromise
that standard.

Mr. Speaker, those of us who are a little older will remember the Spinners.
They had a hit called I'll be around. The lyrics said:

Whenever you call me I'll be there

Whenever you want me I'll be there

Whenever you need me I'll be there

I'll be around

That song typifies the approach of the diligent staff of the Ministry of Public
Works.

*When New Providence experienced wild winds last week and West Bay
Street was covered with sand, the Ministry’s staff led by Assistant Engineer
Bahiyyah Hepburn, and assisted by Oliver Dorsett, Carlos Deveaux, and
Gilford Hinzey from the roads section, were there clearing the roads, assisting
with traffic management, and returning the sand to the beaches. I applaud
them, Sir, for their amazing commitment to get the job done.

*When similar weather damaged and closed the Glass window bridge, and
then the rushing tide found an easy path through a sand mining operation to
create a chasm eight feet deep and thirty feet wide across the Queens Highway
in Eleuthera last week, Senior Engineers Cox and Mouzas from the Ministry
were there. They surveyed the damage to the road and to the bridge;
determined the cause; created a temporary diversion in the road to permit the
passage of vehicles; used concrete to fill in a gap at the southern side of the
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bridge approach abutment; utilized a crane to erect concrete barriers on the
side of the bridge that was damaged; filled in a gap at the southern side of the
bridge approach abutment; filled the hole in the road with concrete; and then
caused the sand and debris to be removed from the road. The Ministry’s sign
shop, led by Joan Campbell, Lachara Davis, Yvonne Farrington and Gloria
Bethel prepared warning signs for the roads. An outstanding team effort Sir.
*When we had the fires in the mudd, Joshua Smith and the staff of our Abaco
office were there. They surveyed the damage; got the first area cleared;
posted signs; and are now fencing it in to create a green space. They will do
the same for the second area that was damaged.
*When Nassau experienced four inched of rain in four hours Saturday night
last week, the Ministry mobilized two crews led by Senior Engineer Dexter
Williams to intervene and pump water from the streets of Pinewood Gardens
for the entire day on Sunday. This Pinewood Gardens drainage issue, Sir, is
a vexing one that we shall have to consider shortly. The resolution will be
extremely expensive for the Bahamian taxpayer if we are resolute enough to
tackle the problem in a forthright manner.
On this issue, Mr. Speaker, it is to be noted that Pinewood has a longstanding
problem with water disposal issues. That is because we have constructed
homes on land that should never have been developed. There are over 80
drainage wells in Pinewood, which should be more than enough; however,
we have to remember that this was swampy, reclaimed land which presents
problems even when tide is low. Moreover, the land is flat, so water lays in
one place rather than being driven into the wells. The estimates for a solution
for the area based on the studies completed range from $7.4million to $9.8
million, and that cost continues to rise. More studies will have to be done to
determine what is the most effective solution for Pinewood.

So I commend the Ministry’s staff for their diligence and their dedication to
service. In many respects they are unsung heroes going about their duties
quietly and efficiently. So much so that when I visit schools now I tell the
kids to call me Mr. Fix It; and Mr. Speaker, we have started to fix many of
the of the things that require our attention. Just from the three islands that I
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have visited, there is an ambitious list of challenges to fix. So I will touch on
a short list of some of the critical projects that we will focus on in the
upcoming year:

We will include the bridges in Fresh Creek, Staniard Creek and
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Stafford Creek in our upcoming budget, and by God's grace we
will build new bridges where required to replace these dangerous
structures.

We will budget for roadworks to create culverts on the Highway
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in North Abaco so that when we fix the road the stink pond will
henceforth be known as the sweet pond.

We will budget for corrective works to the Dune Road in Hope
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Town, and for the bridge in Spanish Wells so that residents can be
assured of safe passage in both of these communities.

We will budget for engineering studies on the Glass Window
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Bridge so that we can commence plans for the building of a new
bridge to keep Eleuthera connected in good weather and in bad.

We will co-ordinate budgeting efforts with the Ministry of
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Tourism so that Long Islanders get their much needed airport, and
the North Eleuthera Airport is built in a location that is safe.

We will budget for phased Seawall construction and repair in
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vulnerable low lying areas of Grand Bahama such as West End,
Hunters and Hepburn Town in the upcoming budget year; and
then Bartlett Hill, Hanna Town, Martin Town and High Rock in
2020; and finally Pinder's Point, Lewis Yard, Mack Town,
Williams Town, Jones Town and Mcleans Town.

We will co-ordinate our budgeting efforts with the Ministry of
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Education to begin the process for building schools in Inagua,
Gregory Town, Eleuthera, and on Carmichael road in New
Providence.

Mr. Speaker, that is a tiny peek at a small but critical portion of our focus for
the near future. We have a very ambitious agenda, and I thank my colleagues
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in this place for pointing out to me the critical concerns that they have in their
constituencies.

Mr. Speaker, that little peek shows that there is much to be done in our Family
Islands, and we at the Ministry of Public Works eagerly embrace the
challenge. During the month of April we plan to visit Exuma, MICAL and
Grand Bahama to continue our fact finding exercise so that we may continue
to plan for the heavy lifting that we must do to maintain our beautiful
Bahamaland.
Mr. Speaker, I now turn to the Straw Market Authority:
The SMA has undergone significant changes in its management structure in
recent months. We have tragically lost Facilities Manager Basil Huyler; and
have changed direction with our accounting leadership.
There are critical electrical issues which are currently being addressed
through the replacement of faulty light fixtures throughout the market. Until
such time as the improvements have been completed, the aesthetics of the
Bay Street Market will continue to be adversely impacted. Concerns about
the proper functioning of the sprinkler system are also being addressed.
The SMA has now publicly advertised for and interviewed a number of
applicants for the position of CEO / Manager of the Straw Market, and we
anticipate that the Board will select a candidate soon. The Minister will not
be involved in the process. Under my leadership, I expect that Boards will
function without political interference.
Bahamar
The Board is currently engaged in productive talks with representatives of
Baha Mar with respect to the Cable Beach Market (Pompey Market), as Baha
Mar has indicated that the SMA has a large outstanding debt with respect to
rent/utilities and maintenance expenses associated with the Cable Beach
Market.
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