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MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022
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Legal action threat in Old Fort Bay row By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE DEEPENING divide at one of western New Providence’s most upscale gated communities is set to trigger legal action as early as today amid concerns over new construction and earlier alleged “rogue actions”. Old Fort Bay residents, speaking on condition of anonymity, yesterday told Tribune Business that an injunction will likely be sought to halt plans by its homeowners association’s Board of Directors to construct “a multi-use pathway” that will provide bicycle and golf cart access to Lyford Cay - and other nearby communities - starting from the West Gate on its northern boundary.
Homeowners, especially in the Islands of Old Fort Bay and Bay Creek subdivisions, are questioning whether the necessary government permits have been obtained for the construction and if Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and other studies are required. They also told this newspaper they were “caught off-guard” by the project, which was announced last week, and for which construction work is due to start on October 31, and want more time for public consultation. Senior Ministry of Works officials confirmed to Tribune Business that the Old Fort Bay Property Owners Association and its contractor, Bahamas Hot Mix (BHM Construction), have all the necessary approvals to begin and carry out the work after
the project was “vetted” by its technical team. This was after Keenan Johnson, the Town Planning Committee’s chairman, said his department had received no submissions or applications on the matter. The imminent legal action over a seemingly benign project designed to improve the quality of life for homeowners and their families further exposes the growing rift between the various communities and subdivisions that make up Old Fort Bay itself. Tribune Business revealed last week how a dispute triggered by demands that homeowners finance a 50 percent increase in security costs had escalated into the closure of a gate that divides the community into two. The gate was closed after homeowners in the Islands of Old Fort and Bay Creek
subdivisions declined to pay their share of the increased security fees on the basis that the 50 percent hike had not been justified. They believe the “multi-use pathway” is a solution to the loss of “free” golf cart and bike access that residents in Old Fort proper have suffered as a result of the gate closure, which has denied them access to West Bay Street via Islands and Bay Creek. As a result, residents in Islands of Old Fort and Bay Creek are interpreting the project as a tacit acknowledgement by the Old Fort Property Owners Association that it is quite content to keep the gate closed, thereby preventing their easy access to the Old Fort Bay Club and associated amenities, thus
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Dorian blocks $300,000 unpaid water bill cut-off By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net A FREEPORT condominium complex has successfully prevented its water and sewerage services from being cut-off over an unpaid $300,000 bill due to concerns over post-Hurricane Dorian supply quality. Justice Loren Klein, in an October 21, 2022, ruling extended Grand Bahama Utility Company’s (GBUC) frustration over its near four-year battle to disconnect the Lucayan Towers South Condominium Association by granting
JUSTICE LOREN KLEIN a further injunction blocking any such move. However, the injunction is only for a six-month period and is conditional on the Association bringing
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Bahamasair’s staff pension flies into trustee turbulence By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net BAHAMASAIR’S employee pension fund has flown into turbulence due to a dispute that has equally divided the trustees responsible for its management and administration. Justice Loren Klein, in an October 21, 2022, ruling disclosed that the trustees representing the national flag carrier itself and those acting for the Bahamas Airline Pilots Association are at odds with their counterparts from the Airport, Airline and Allied Workers Union (AAAWU) and the Public Managers Union (PMU) “over the general administration and
management of the fund” that contains millions of dollars for retirees. Gladstone Adderley, Susan Palmer and Hugh Morally, the three AAAWU trustees, have initiated legal action against their counterparts representing Bahamasair’s and the pilots’ interests in the Bahamasair Employees Provident Fund over what they allege is the “improper” amendment of the trust deed and rules governing the pension plan. They claim to have the support of their fellow union trustees from the PMU, representing the airline’s middle management staff. The changes, Justice Klein noted, were said to
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Smaller stores ‘lead way’ on price control response By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net SMALL, inner-city and Family Island food stores were yesterday said to be “leading the way” as the industry works “feverishly” to supply the Government with an alternative to the massive price control expansion by this Friday. John Bostwick, the Retail Grocers Association’s attorney and legal adviser, told Tribune Business that larger operators such as Super Value and AML Foods had “magnanimously” taken a supporting role over the sector’s response knowing that smaller operators and their staff will be “hurt the most” if price controls are expanded to 38 product categories. As a result, smaller-scale grocery merchants are taking the lead in crafting a viable alternative to the Davis administration’s initial proposal because they know “what they can survive on”. Although Mr Bostwick provided no
JOHN BOSTWICK details on the Association’s likely solution, he indicated it will likely involved a drastically slimmed-down price control list compared to the Government’s version that potentially covers up to 5,000 different line items. Speaking after the Government confirmed on Friday that it has granted food retailers and wholesalers a one-week extension, until October 28, to come up with a viable alternative that satisfies both sides as well as consumers, Mr Bostwick told this newspaper:
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