WATCHING WORK – Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction, Iram Lewis (left) explains to Deputy Prime Minister, K. Peter Turnquest, and Minister of State for Grand Bahama, Senator Kwasi Thompson some of the work being carried out by employees of ABC Construction Company during repair of the Fishing Hole Bridge on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. (BIS Photo/Lisa Davis)
#Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas – May 7, 2020 — Final repairs to the Fishing Hole Road Bridge are expected to be completed before or at least by the beginning of the hurricane season, which begins in June, according to Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction, the Hon. Iram Lewis.
Minister Lewis, along with Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. K. Peter Turnquest, Minister of State
for Grand Bahama Senator the Hon. Kwasi Thompson, and Member of Parliament for
West Grand Bahama and Bimini, Mrs. Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe toured the Fishing
Hole Road Bridge on Wednesday morning (May 6, 2020) as workers were busy
carrying out repairs.
Minister Lewis noted that the repairs
will make the bridge much stronger than it was when it was originally
constructed: “We promised to build back better and stronger and so we are
witnessing progress to repairs of the bridge. The concrete replaces the asphalt that was
there pre-Dorian. What we have now is stronger and more resilient.”
Deputy Prime Minister, Peter Turnquest
noted that the bridge will be necessary to protecting lives and providing
access for emergency services in and out of West Grand Bahama. He said the
causeway helps to spur on local commerce on the island of Grand Bahama: “Particularly
now that we are in a situation where we are going to have to depend more on our
domestic economy than we do on our visitors — to have this access between West
Grand Bahama and Freeport has become critical.”
He noted that the repaired bridge will
serve as the primary means of access for residents, but added that the lower
road will operate as a service road for heavy equipment. He said that although the repairs have made
the bridge stronger and capable of heavy loads, the idea of the service road
will be to take the stress of heavy loads moving back and forth.
“While progress has been slower than
what we would want, it only goes to show that these things are technical issues
and we want to make sure that we do it right and spend the money to get the
best value for the Bahamian people,” said Minister Turnquest. “So, we appreciate the patience and we will
continue to improve on our infrastructure and deliver the services that the
Grand Bahamian people deserve and need.”
Minister Turnquest thanked the
Contractors from ABC Construction for their commitment to first completing the
project, and then making the necessary repairs.
West Grand Bahama and Bimini Member of
Parliament, and Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Pakesia
Parker-Edgecombe said that West Grand Bahama is happy to see repair to the
bridge is nearing completion.
She noted that the flooding at the
Fishing Hole Road has become legendary among Grand Bahamians and a bone of
contention for many years, wreaking havoc on travel for residents living in
West Grand Bahama, who have to traverse the Fishing Hole Road to get to work.
The new bridge has been purposed to
bring an end to that age-old problem: “The fact that this bridge is being built
better and stronger attests to our resiliency in moving forward with regards to
being prepared in hurricanes,” said Mrs. Edgecombe.
She added, “To know that the only connecting point out of West Grand Bahama into the eastern part of Grand Bahama is going to be completed is absolutely good news for us, and we can’t wait for it to be finished.”
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The Bahamas’ economy is in good standing according to reports from the Bahamas National Statistical Institute which released the Quarterly Gross Domestic Product Series. They indicate that quarterly GDP trends for 2023 saw increases compared to 2022, a sign of recovery from the Covid 19 pandemic.
The most significant increase was 9.9 percent in the first quarter of 2023, and the industries responsible for the growth include Accommodations and food, construction and Arts.
RBC Royal Bank (Bahamas) Limited (“RBC”) is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Kerryl-Lyn King-Henry as Country Manager and Area Vice President (“AVP”), Personal and Commercial Banking, Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI).
In her new role as Country Manager and AVP, King-Henry will take on full responsibility for the bank’s operations, strategy, and development in the TCI market, with a strong focus on solidifying partnerships with the Government, regulatory bodies, and the local community.
King-Henry brings to the role a dynamism influenced by nearly 25 years of industry experience. Prior to her new appointment, she served as AVP of Business Banking in Trinidad and Tobago. She has held progressively senior roles within both personal and commercial banking, as well as various functional units.
King-Henry holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, with a specialization in Leadership, FinTech and Big Data Analysis, in addition to a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Further enriching her professional profile, Kerryl-Lyn is a certified John C. Maxwell Coach, Trainer, Teacher, and Speaker. Her passion for leadership and development is matched by her commitment to community service, as she actively volunteers her time and leverages her professional expertise to mentor and support others. “
Kerryl-Lyn’s extensive experience and proven leadership capabilities make her the perfect choice to lead our operations in the Turks & Caicos Islands,” said Ericka Rolle, RBC’s Managing Director and Vice President, Personal Banking, The Bahamas and TCI.
“Her commitment to excellence, combined with a genuine passion for community engagement, aligns perfectly with our Bank’s purpose of helping clients thrive and communities prosper. We are excited to see the positive impact she will undoubtedly bring to her new role,” she added.
After resounding success in the Bahamas, hit play ‘March On, The Story of Us’ has been inundated with requests to take their show on the road, and the first location they’ll be hitting is Providenciales Turks and Caicos with tickets on sale this weekend from May 3 to 5.
Magnetic Media spoke to Gea Pierre, playwright, who told us the TCI was a natural first choice for the cast and crew.
“We started ‘March On’ in November 2023 and it was really an opportunity for us to tell a story, the story of the Bahamas and to encompass the nations that we have an amazing relationship with like the Turks and Caicos,” she continued “We really got a lot of people calling [for the play] from [the TCI], so much so we really had to pay attention.”
The response to ‘March On’ at home and abroad was overwhelming.
“To say it went well is an understatement, even before we opened we got calls from Canada, from all over the US with people wanting us to come and perform.”
And take the show on the road they did! Gea and her team have launched “March On: The Tour” and will be in Providenciales to perform on May 10th and 11th. It’s the first of a number of stops which include Nassau and several US locations.
A ticket booth will be set up from today, Friday May 3 in the foyer of IGA grocery store beginning at 1 p.m. Friday and then again all day on Saturday, allowing residents to purchase with cash.
Online tickets are available for purchase with credit cards. Then the full team returns on Friday, May 11 for the actual showing at 8 pm and their two showings on Saturday at 4pm and 8 pm. The venue is Brayton Hall, Providenciales under the patronage of Washington Misick, TCI Premier and First Lady DelthiaMisick.
Describing the close familial relationships between the TCI and the Bahamas, for many on the crew it will be like coming home Gea told us, for others it will be a treat to visit for the first time, the places that their grandparents described.
Tickets are only $60 for general seating and $75 for VIP seating.
Gea maintained that the team wanted to keep the show as accessible to residents as possible.
As for why you should come out and see the play, other than the great price point:
“The way that people have responded to it is non stoplaughter, people have been moved to tears because there’s some emotion. It does not only lend to Bahamians. It’s a family drama, and anyone who’s ever been a part of a family is going to get something out of it, and something moving.”