Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, May 9, 2024 – With over 50 percent of rooms sold, the Arc Providenciales has officially been greenlit for construction.

The Arc is part of the South Bank development set on the south coast of Providenciales which in total has already sold $ 250,000,000 worth of real estate.

The project offers four different neighborhoods, complete with a private lagoon and man-made islands, which are all selling fast, The Arc, Ocean Estates, which are nearly sold out all clocking between $4 and $14 million in sales, Boat Houses with 34 out of 38 sold and Lagoon Villas which start at $2 million up.

Described as the heart of the South Bank project, The Arc, named after the gently curving design of the building, will be the Turks and Caicos’ most iconic property according to developers.

In a May 2 webinar attended by Magnetic Media, developers revealed that the building will sport a 150-foot-long pool alongside a man-made beach protected by a concrete sea wall but still connected to the open ocean.

The beach is due for completion by November with groundbreaking for the Arc set for the second quarter of this year. The Arc, like many newer TCI properties, will be part residential, part hotel. It’s the last property in the development and the feather in the cap of developer Ingo Reckhon.

Included in the sky villas, which are the most exclusive of the rooms on the Arc, will be indoor-outdoor kitchens, hot tubs, pools, outside gardens, boat slips, and the Turks and Caicos’ first-ever boat concierge service.

It is to be managed by Grace Bay Resorts.

“Both of us are Turks and Caicos companies operating here for over 30 years. We both believe in our people and we hire local employees,” said a representative from Grace Bay Resorts during the meeting. In attendance were dozens of homeowners who have bought into the TCI dream ’live South Bank.’

New construction is a major contributor to stamp duties in the Turks and Caicos and enriches the real estate market in which resale properties are few and far between. The government expects that it will collect over US$50 million in stamp duty taxes from land sale transactions in the 2024/25 financial year.

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, May 9, 2024 – Taking the initiative to prevent injuries and increase the progressive health of Turks and Caicos athletes, the TCI Sports Commission has partnered with Grace Bay Medical. National athletes are permitted each week to visit the Sports Performance Center to see Dr. Joanna Bowden, who will monitor and assess athletes’ injuries and overall health.

Dr. Bowden who has over 15 years’ experience in medicine, shares, “I’m undertaking a Masters in Sports and Exercise Medicine and I wanted to offer the Sports Commission and the local athletic population some of the things I’ve been learning and so that I can assist the development of athletes’ health, injury prevention, and recovery”. Dr. Bowden is also an ICIR Level 2 qualified General practitioner and a Match day doctor.

Sharing the progress thus far Dr. Bowden further states, “We will be doing this for the next months and so far I’ve been seeing athletes who are taking part in national competitions and CARIFTA which has been very interesting for me. I see people regularly who injure themselves at work and sometimes through recreational sports and I want to offer my knowledge and skills to people who are taking part in national programmes.”

The Head of Sports Performance at the TCISC Angelo Garland relayed that once Dr Jo analyses the athletes, if they need special treatment that information gets relayed to them.

He further explains, “If Athlete A has a weakness in their quad muscles she will diagnose that and then we will be able to individualise our programs so Athlete A will receive extra work on their problem area and this gives us better information on how to train our athletes. I think this is a good push forward for the Sports Performance Center and the Turks and Caicos. This is something that even myself and other former athletes did not have so this is a good way to track athletes’ progress to injury rehab and prehab.”

The Sports Performance Center currently trains hundreds of athletes, with coaches certified in Strength and Conditioning, Performance Enhancement, Rehabilitation, Nutrition, and Personal Training. Recently the department has advanced after acquiring equipment including Normatec, Plyomat, and an athletic database system. This system keeps track of all athletes’ data and charts their biometric and athletic performance. The center’s key purpose is to offer sports performance training to all National athletes who are registered with the center.

Header Photo: L-R: Head of Sports Performance Angelo Garland M.Sc, CSCS, PES and Dr. Joanna Bowden MBchB, MRCGP, DRCOG

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS: NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL POST MEETING STATEMENT

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 08 May 2024 – Her Excellency the Governor, Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, and the Honourable Premier Charles Washington Misick, co-chaired a meeting of the Turks and Caicos Islands National Security Council (NSC) on 07 May 2024, at the Governor’s Office on Providenciales.

In attendance, were HE the Deputy Governor, the Hon. Deputy Premier, the Hon. Minister for Immigration and Border Services, the Hon. Attorney General, the Commissioner of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF), the Permanent Secretary National Security Secretariat (NSS), the Permanent Secretary Governor’s Office and the NSS Threat Lead.

Invited attendees included the Hon. Minister of Tourism, Hon. Minister of Education, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education, Director of the Education Department, Assistant Commissioner of Police and the Executive Charmain and Managing Director of the Turks and Caicos Islands Airport Authority.

Members were briefed by:

• The RTCIPF, on the operational response and ongoing investigations into the recent threats made against the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports and Schools. As of 26 April, ten (10) threats have been made with the most recent three (3) targeting various schools in Grand Turk and South Caicos. In addition, it was confirmed that similar threats have been made against airports in other British Overseas Territories in the region.
• The Strategic Coordinating Group (SCG), stood-up by the NSC, is managing TCI’s response, and is collaborating with UK and international partners in its law enforcement efforts to track the source of the threats and manage risks.
• The Ministry of Education, on their efforts with assistance from the RTCIPF, to ensure the safety and security of all students and staff. All response management plans were followed and the Ministry will work with school principals from all schools across TCI to ensure policies and processes are coherent. The Ministry is also working closely with other agencies to provide students and staff with support where needed.
• The Turks and Caicos Islands Airport Authority (TCIAA), on the seven (7) threats made against the TCI Airports and the protocols activated to address them. The TCIAA continues to work closely with the US Transportation Security.

Administration (TSA), TCI Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the UK’s Air Safety Support International (ASSI) and airport authority counterparts within the region to ensure the safety of the travelling public and staff at the airports.

• The Ministry of Tourism, which will be scheduling a meeting with relevant stakeholders to keep them appropriately apprised.
• The Attorney-General, in respect of the law applicable to the cases against US Nationals on charges relating to the possession of ammunition, confirmed that an Attorney General’s Reference to the Court of Appeal certified that where a court finds there are exceptional circumstances, the sentencing judge has discretion under the law, to impose a custodial sentence and a fine that are fair and just in the circumstances of each case rather than impose the mandatory minimum. The Chief Justice is advancing sentencing guidelines in this respect. (Reference was also made to public education or sensitization to the various examples of exceptional circumstances.) Wider work is ongoing with criminal justice partners to review the efficiency and effectiveness of case progression in driving justice outcomes.

The NSC advises the public that any threats received should be immediately reported to 911. The public is also being advised to be extra vigilant towards phishing and malicious emails, and to refrain from sharing and reposting threat messages.

Follow up questions are welcomed and can be directed to nationalsecurity@gov.tc