Maintain value of $34m airport upgrade contract

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

AN EXUMA busi- nessman yesterday said

The Bahamas must do better at maintaining its infrastructure after a $34m contract was signed to upgrade the island’s international airport Ramon Darville, Darville Lumber’s general manager, told Tribune Business “it does not make any sense” to spend such money on

Exuma International Airport if the facility does not receive annual maintenance once the work is completed.

He spoke after Ministry of Works yesterday awarded Bahamas Hot Mix (BHM) a $34.245m contract for airside construction works at the airport, which includes rehabilitation works for aircraft aprons, taxiways and the runway; new taxiway installation; fencing and drainage; lighting and electrical; navigational aids and runway markings.

Mr Darville said: “I don’t know how many people they intend to hire for this project, but we definitely need to keep some of them on for maintenance after the work is done. That’s all I’m going to say. If you are going to spend $34m, but five years later you have nothing......

“We have a lot of planes coming in here and the airport was getting very crowded. With this new airport we will have a lot of people coming down here now. We have a lot of second homeowners coming in and a lot of tourists. This is a big boost for the island, and now we also are expecting British Airways to come in here, too, along with Delta and American Airlines.”

O’Brian Strachan, owner/ operator of Strachan’s Service Station, said of the $34m contract award: “They have to get it started now, or else it is just talk. This is good news if this contract is going to start. We need to get this airport moving; we need to get this started. We’ve needed this airport for a while now. This island has outgrown this old airport a long while ago, and this new airport is a great enhancement for the island.”

The Hon. Alfred Sears, Minister of Works and Utilities, led the signing ceremony in the conference room of the Ministry of Works and Utilities (MOWU) JFK. Among others, the contract includes pavement rehabilitation works for apron, taxiways and runway, new taxiway installation, fencing and drainage, lighting and electrical, navigational aids and runway markings.

Representatives from various agencies attended the ceremony including Luther Smith and Reginald Saunders, Permanent Secretaries; George Hutcheson and Dr. Kenneth Romer, Directors; Charlene Collie, project engineer and members of the Project Execution Unit of the MOWU; officials from the MOWU, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation (MOTIA), the Ministry of Finance, Integrated Building Services, the Department of Aviation, the Airport Authority and the Civil Aviation Authority.

The contract awarded to Bahamas Hot Mix is part of the Government’s drive to upgrade airport infrastructure throughout the Family Islands. The airports at North Eleuthera, Marsh Harbour and Treasure Cay, Abaco, are also scheduled to receive upgrades as part