HTML Copyright © 2001-2003, awsltd.netRADIO ABACO NEWS
North Abaco gets Inspector: Inspector Gregory Barr took up the post of officer in charge of North Abaco on 16th January, becoming the first inspector to hold the position. A 25 year veteran, Inspector Barr has also served in Grand Bahama and Bimini. Commissioner of Police Paul Farquharson noted that the supervision of the police officers was of great importance and there would be new police stations in Crown Haven and the cays.
Bahamahost Graduation: A total of 79 Bahamahost candidates from Hope Town, Treasure Cay and Marsh Harbour graduated on 26th January at Below Decks, Abaco Beach Hotel & Resort, with the ladies all dressed in Androsia prints. The graduates, aged from 16 to 66, heard the keynote address from MP Agatha Marcelle, permanent secretary to the Ministry of Tourism, who urged them to practise their new skills. MP for South Abaco Robert Sweeting also addressed the graduates.
How Now, Sea Cow? A manatee was spotted swimming near Harbour View Marina, Marsh Harbour, on 25th January. The next day it appeared again and over 200 tourists were able to see the fascinating creature. Local resident Albert Albury said he had seen manatees in the harbour before back in the 1980’s, but not close to shore like this one. He noted that they were usually called sea cows by local fishermen. Another name for the manatee is dugong. Manatees are the mermaids of marine mythology.
Sandy Point Subdivision: The new government subdivision in Sandy Point was inspected on 6th February by Gordon Major of the National Insurance Board, the main investor in the project. Eventually to comprise 126 lots, the first phase will contain 96 lots. The subdivision will have a dual carriageway at its entrance and have all amenities. The contractor, Mike Stubbs, is at present working on base roads, swales and drainage points.
The Bridge: Proponents of a bridge to link Grand Bahama and Abaco made a presentation to local government at the court room in Marsh Harbour on 7th February. Chairman of the Bridge Committee Leonard Knowles said that he contacted Prime Minister Perry Christie three weeks before the meeting and that he had been told that public meeting must be held in both Grand Bahama and Abaco in order to form a consensus. Deputy Chairman John Bain noted that Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport is a premier health care centre. He said that Abaconians would be able to get in their cars and carry loved ones to Rand memorial in the middle of the night in an emergency. Barry Malcolm, ex-Vice Chairman of the Port Authority, said, “If we can galvanise the communities involved, then (the bridge) may come about.” He pointed out that the water was not deep and a string of cays provided the ideal setting for a causeway/bridge combination. Technically, he said, the project was very doable. It would take four to five years to complete and cost $64 million.
Dockside Fire: Fire broke out in the upper level of the Ro/Ro vessel Union Spirit while carnival equipment from Freeport was being unloaded at the dockside in Marsh Harbour shortly after 8 am on 12th February. Local volunteer fire fighters were quickly on the scene to use the dock’s fire hydrants for the first time, then later used sea water to fight the outbreak which, according to Union Spirit’s Captain Williams, was located in the vessel’s exhaust system.