1,000 Sign Petition Regarding Botanical Gardens
More than 1,000 people have signed a petition asking government to immediately halt work on a new maintenance yard in the heart of the Botanical Gardens.
Action group Take Back Our Park launched the petition just over four weeks ago to try to persuade government to halt the work, which will involve building two large two story buildings and a three story water tower.
In addition, there will be a large staff parking lot surrounded by fencing with electric sliding gates, which the group says will dominate the center of the Botanical Gardens. This site will also be used as a daily mustering station for all Parks staff.
Jennifer Flood, a spokesperson for the group, said, “I have been giving tours at the Bermuda Botanical Gardens for a number of years. Our visitors — locals and tourists alike — really enjoy the time they spend there and leave refreshed, and enthused for Bermuda, our plants and our history.
“It is deeply disturbing that those whose responsibility should be the enhancement and development of Bermuda’s only Botanical Gardens have so utterly missed this unique opportunity to unify, improve, beautify and add to Bermuda’s very limited allotment of open space.”
The petition says, “Government is currently building a large maintenance yard and water tower at the center of the Botanical Gardens to replace a yard that was previously there over a decade ago.
“We feel the Botanical Gardens, one of our treasures, belongs to the people of Bermuda and should therefore not be used for industrial purposes such as a maintenance yard.
Graphic associated with the petition:
The organises said what this project means for the Botanical Gardens and Bermuda:
- Two large 2 story buildings, a 3 story water tower and a large staff parking lot surrounded by perimeter fencing with electric sliding gates will dominate the center of the Botanical Gardens
- This site will provide a thru-way for heavy trucks going from Berry Hill to South Shore Rd. and vice versa and will disturb the peacefulness of the Gardens
- 100-120 Parks staff will be driving to this site on a daily basis to collect and/or drop off heavy trucks, trailers, tractors and equipment creating noise and activity within the Gardens
- Increased rush hour congestion and traffic along South Shore Rd and hospital zone
- Heavy trucks, trailers, tractors and equipment will be parked at the site nights, weekends and holidays and will be viewable from within the Botanical Gardens
- Site to be used for repairing and maintaining Park vehicles and equipment therefor causing on noise pollution and an unsightly view for visitors to the Botanical Gardens
Why the organisers said this project needs to be stopped:
- The Botanical Gardens is Bermuda’s most important park and one of our most important tourism sites and we feel the sight of these large buildings, water tower and heavy trucks, trailers, tractors and equipment parked in the middle of the Gardens will dominate the view and ruin it’s integrity
- The increased heavy truck activity driving through the site, trucks filling at the water tower as well as the increased noise from the maintenance yard and staff congregating a daily basis will have a negative impact on the Garden’s peacefulness
- The site is vital to the overall layout of the Gardens and is currently the only way to easily get from one side of the Garden to the other
- This department, Parks Maintenance was identified for outsourcing in last years budget potentially making these new building redundant
- The original Planning application in the paper listed the address for this redevelopment as 169 South Road. No mention that it was in Botanical Gardens nor that this site was zoned as Park therefore we feel inadequate notice was given to the public about this project.
- To protect the integrity and beauty of the Botanical Gardens for future generations.
Mrs. Flood added, “I appreciate that the site has been used for some form of industrial use for a long time, however, the original use of an area does not mean it has to remain so – prime example is the masterful repurposing of the Arrowroot Factory.”
For more information about the petition, visit the Facebook page or contact takebackourpark@gmail.com.
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Category: All, Environment, News
Sign the petition! This is an almighty eyesore in the middle of our biggest and nicest park! It will take years for trees etc to cover this monstrosity
Seems like this Government only listens to a certain segment of the community, recycle plant closed, recycle plant open.
They seem to only listen to civil servants who strangely enough somehow thought this was a good idea.
This whole thing is such a joke. Bermuda can’t be that broke if we’re borrowing more money to build something a unnecessary as this. I would love to see the financial analysis Government put forward to justify spending this. All those roofs on the building there are falling off and the building are falling down, and this is what we’re spending it on. What about using the $ for some old folks homes instead. Shameful
Sign – please. The area that is being ruined is huge.
“We want Government to halt work immediately on the maintenance yard (in the middle of the Botanical Gardens) and to revert this area to be a usable part of the Botanical Gardens forever linking both sides and enhancing it for future generations”
Please click on the link below to sign our p-etition:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YSM25FB
Please visit our Facebook page (TAKEBACKOURPARK) and “like us”
https://www.facebook.com/takebackourpark
As much as the 1000 plus people that signed this petition want this project to stop immediately, it’s not going to happen…What about all the funds ($) spent already
As I’d mentioned, “it’s too late”. Maybe sad yes, but it’s true. A few high trees and thick foliage along with few vines and presto! Problem solved and not a wasted dollar.
This must be an early April Fools joke that Government is playing. If not, explains why this group has already gotten so many signatures. What a stupid concept but then again, it’s how most of our civil servants think.
I agree this needs to be stopped. What a disaster for our only Botanical Gardens. I’m surprised not everyone wants to sign this. The whole concept doesn’t make sense and to do it in the middle of one of our largest remaining green areas is idiotic to say the least.
Get over it already!
Let me guess, you work for Government where money and natural resources are a bottomless pit.
Let me guess, you dropped your silver spoon.
Huh? Sorry if you think caring about why we are spending money on something this ridiculous and damaging our largest park/garden means I have anything to do with a silver spoon. Furthest thing from it. Just sick of watching civil servants make these bad decisions and we all end up footing the bill.
We have an article saying that Bermuda’s short $40M for the hospital and but Government has money to waste on this stupidy?
I agree that we need to save the botanical gardens from any more infringement than has already happened with the building of the new hospital.i would also like to know why the wall on palmetto road was rebuilt exactly the same way as the one that collapsed with no buttressing.Another wall that was built at Watch hill park after Fabian has bolts that are exploding the concrete,and do not tell me that it is because of the salt.There is a product that is certified by the ministry of public works in the U.K.that causes a chemical reaction with the rust and basically causes a plastic like substance to coat metal and protect it from more erosion.This product years ago used to be imported by Williams trading and having used it myself it works.I can not remember the name but I am sure that the government engineers could ascertain what it is.However if these are the same engineers that are making these errors I doubt if they will have the intelligence to do so.
Another great OBA gov plan. Yea right what a bunch of clowns!!!
This plan was actually proposed and approved prior to Dec 2012. It really doesn’t matter who approved it or why, it’s still a stupid, expensive idea when Bermuda doesn’t even have enough money to fund it’s own hospital
That is true, the idea was approved under the Progressive Labour Party Government…
Well the local MP is Works Minister Craig Cannonier – he did a rapid U-turn over the recycling centre when faced with opposition, so hopefully he will read this!
I believe he’s the MP for that area so it will be all about votes. The Botanical Gardens and the hospital are the only major things in the area so if a significant portion of those 1000 people are from that area, then he’d better get on board fast.
If Government were to think this through they would realize that actually this is as a gift. A thousand people don’t want this project to go forward so why not just stop the project altogether. Money saved. Tick. They get kudos for listening to voters. Tick.
We’re told that the Botanical Gardens we’re going to be available for the AG show and that a lot of the buildings are unsafe and are missing roofs or have roofs that are falling off. Now we hear that Parks is spending money on this. No wonder all our parks looks horrendous and unkempt and our buildings there are unusable. Who’s making this bad decisions. Government needs to realize that taxpayers and getting sick of paying for this type of foolishness.
Maybe your mind eludes you…We suffered back to back hurricanes last year
What do you expect, magic?
OBA – Listen to what the people of Bermuda are telling you in no uncertain terms!
Another environmental issue bungled and more citizens frustrated.
And everyday more people get status through a loophole , ya think the OBA would listen to the people ?
Coffee, ya mates created the loop hole.
That my friend clearly isn’t the point .
Partly, it is.
SERIOUSLY!!!!! That has alwasys been Parks Dept yard! They only shifted their vehicles, equipment, and themseles to the tree dump gate whilst this “refurbushment”, “upgrade” takes place at the gardens. Need a petition for something worthwhile.
So it makes sense to you that Bermuda spends $ to put in a large “new” maintenance yard in the middle of our National park when we’re broke and trying to revitalize tourism? Only people in Government think this makes any sense. But then again, it sure explains why we don’t have a lot of green space left.
Do you work for Government by chance because that type of narrow minded thinking, self serving thinking unfortunately seems to be prevalent in the civil service. Come one guys, this isn’t just YOUR money your spending when you some up with things like this.