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Premier – We cannot just discard things that were done

- Gov’t to decide direction for HLSCC’s Culinary Arts Centre & Prospect Reef proposed hospitality training centre
Work on the Culinary Arts Centre was halt in March 2011. Government says it will decide on the way forward for this project as it just cannot discard projects that were started.
Prospect Reef Hotel was to be developed into a world class hospitality training centre.
Prospect Reef Hotel was to be developed into a world class hospitality training centre.
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – With concerns raised over the past few months since the National Democratic Party (NDP) Government took office in November 2011 that they seem to be sidelining projects that were started by the previous administration, Premier Dr. D. Orlando Smith announced that his Government will not be discarding such projects.

Speaking on NDP Radio talk show on a local radio station last evening Monday April 16, 2012, Premier Smith, who is responsible for Tourism, was responding to a question from a caller regarding the plans for the Prospect Reef Resort.

Hon. Smith told the caller that while the resort was purchased several years ago to be developed into a hospitality training centre and it was Government’s intention to do so, they are now looking at how they can go forward since a Culinary Arts Centre was started in Paraquita Bay during the last four years by the previous administration of the Virgin Islands Party.

“We now have to decide what direction we will go in,” Dr. Smith noted. “Because we obviously can’t be just discarding things that were being done because we have to be a responsible government and spend the tax payers money wisely.”

The Centre at Paraquita Bay was expected to be up and running by December 2011, an announcement that was made by Dr. Karl Dawson, President of the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) on June 9, 2011 at the 18th graduation ceremony of HLSCC.

Prior to his announcement, works on the centre which had begun in October 2010, had come to a halt in March 2011.

When Virgin Islands News Online had made contact with the relevant authorities affiliated with the project, the response then was it will restart as soon as funding was sorted out.

In seeking an explanation as to the status of the centre then, Neil Smith, the Territory’s Financial Secretary (FS) had divulged on April 14, 2011, that the project had been temporarily stopped because his department wanted to manage the cash flow.

“We don’t want to be placed in a position where we cannot pay persons their salaries,” he had told this news site.

The project is expected to cost Government an estimated US$2.2M.

Regarding the developing of Prospect Reef Resort into a tourism hospitality training centre, during the campaign trail last year, Premier Smith as leader of his party, had disclosed plans to develop the training centre as well as solve the time share issue with the Prospect Reef Vacation Club which he had claimed was ignored by the VIP administration.

During their previous administration, the NDP had purchased Prospect Reef Hotel in 2005. However, the Vacation Club sued Government for not honouring previous contracts with the former owners after purchasing the hotel. Negotiations since then were unsuccessful between Government and the time share owners.

12 Responses to “Premier – We cannot just discard things that were done”

  • ooooo (17/04/2012, 09:03) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    oh i see..doc wanted vip to clear up time share mess created by ndp?
  • billy b (17/04/2012, 09:08) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Oh VIP, get a life!!!!!!!!!!!! Nobody sidelining ayo project. You all just need to realize NDP knows the meaning of priority, YOU PEOPLE DON'T
    • radio 1 (17/04/2012, 12:36) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      everything you all blaming the VIP for you think you all will be able to use that for 4 years? eh
      • billy b (17/04/2012, 15:05) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        DUHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! Who spent the past four years running us into the ground????? NDP did in five months wah VIP struggling to do for years.
      • the rock says (18/04/2012, 05:10) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        right now u dont have a vip so i suggest u go and put the pieces together before the next 4yrs is up..and i am waiting to see who the members will be and who will be the leader!!the ndp is in chare now and there will do as they see fit...get use to it!!
    • fish market (17/04/2012, 15:41) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      say again? poor you NDP you all win the election and still not happy with your self
  • Confucius (17/04/2012, 10:09) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Monies Wasted: The NDP government purchased Prospect Reef Hotel in March of 2005 for the sum of approximately 6 million with the promise that they would turn it into a “world class training facility”. It sat doing NOTHING for a full TWO AND A HALF YEARS until the NDP were voted out of office in August, 2007. Let’s not forgot all the 31 resort staff who were paid off and given their walking papers too! The NDP claim they are concerned about jobs for Virgin Islanders? Well here is one place that could be employing 31 (or more) people if it were operating to it’s full potential! But to this day, the Resort isn’t even listed (not a single mention) on the BVI Tourist Board’s website! Who is running the so called “resort” and who is responsible for their marketing? If the government were serious about trying to provide jobs and fill rooms, don’t you think they would have this property included prominently within the single most important marketing tool available? On top of the 6 million invested in our so called “world-class” training facility, we need to add the cost of operating and staffing OUR “resort” for the past 7 years. And let’s not forget the salaries of the Board of Directors who have been collecting their pay cheques regularly! We (the taxpayers) can now take great pride in adding to our total debt, the costs incurred to date for the new “state-of-the-art” culinary arts center at Paraquita Bay, plus the estimated 2.2 million it will take to complete it ~ assuming it ever is completed. SEVEN YEARS later, we the taxpayers have invested untold millions of dollars into these properties ~ and we STILL have absolutely nothing to show for it! The utter stupidity and lack of action on the part of BOTH governments is beyond all imagination! First, the VIP had a new Peebles Hospital designed. When they were voted out of office in 2003, the NDP elected to scrap those expensive plans and completely redesign the whole darned thing. Next, the NDP buys Prospect Reef Resort with the intent of turning it into a world class training facility. They get voted out in 2007 and the VIP decides to build a culinary arts center in Paraquita Bay instead. Political EGOS have played a huge part in all this nonsense and the taxpayers have been footing the bill for far too many years! It is an outrage and it has to stop! It is time that we the taxpayers INSIST that government sell Prospect Reef to the highest bidder and use the funds to complete our the new complex in Paraquita Bay BEFORE beginning ANY OTHER NEW PROJECTS! This whole thing between the two governments is and always has been utter nonsense! Why after all these years is our hospital STILL not completed. ALL other projects (and political egos) need to be put aside until these two major projects are completed once and for all. Full stop!
  • Sigh (17/04/2012, 10:34) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    I urge that NDP government to finish ungoing projects before commencing new ones.... it seems like you in a rush to do do do. at the end of the day every one of them will remain unfinished!....... slow down a bit.
  • ndp attack dog (17/04/2012, 23:34) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    stop the blame game and let's build the country!


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