Column: A New Marina For St. George’s
[Opinion column written by MP Kim Swan]
I was overjoyed when the Throne Speech highlighted a new Marina for St. George’s will become a reality in 2022.
The week prior I was on Ordnance Island making a Facebook live post about the economic benefits to St. George’s with all the yachts stopping over enroute to the Caribbean. While there, I took time to convey how important our transatlantic marine traffic is to the economic and social health of the East End.
The St. George’s Marina announcement was an early Christmas present and shows that rebuilding the economic fortunes of our town indeed remains a critical priority for the government and for me personally.
Developing the infrastructure of the East End creates jobs and opportunities for Bermudians. We, in the East End, are proud of our seafaring heritage and we have long been connected to the water. Historically, the water is our lifeblood be it in the fishing sector, the sporting sector or marine tourism. The water is all around us and it defines us.
I am particularly excited that the Ministry of Public Works will be renovating our St. George’s marina. The preliminary steps are complete, the funding is secured and the work is about to begin.
It is our hope that this larger marina will not only look more aesthetically pleasing, but will also bring better functionality to a greater number of boats than before, making it easier to provide a wider array of services to the boats that both call it home and who visit our shores when they sail across the beautiful ocean.
The jobs that marinas create are varied. Larger marinas mean more boats which means more capacity for service which creates more sustainable businesses servicing those boats. From repairing boats to outfitting boats to furnishing boats, to cleaning boats, there are so many businesses that thrive from a marina and so many jobs that can be created.
We East Enders know the sea and we know how important it is to invest in infrastructure for seafaring. I do look forward to not only the jobs this project will create in construction, but, the jobs that will be created thanks to this larger and more modern marina.
- MP Kim Swan
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yawn
Looking forward to the boost to the economy that this marina will give to the town of St George’s.
Here’s hoping that they actually have guests and not just crew on board.
Looking forward to spending our tax dollars on another Cross Island like project that opens to political pomp and then dies like a large piece of concrete!! Why not host these vessels at Cross Island and create instead a little “village” for our sea dating visitors? Just saying….
Actually, there were multiple working groups setup to figure out how Bermuda could capitalise on the success of AC35. I know, I was on a couple of them, including how to make Cross Island a continuing asset.
All of the ideas, and I mean ALL of them, were stomped on a crushed by the dimwits in the PLP.
More bullsheet.
Re=read whats written above.
“Larger marinas mean more boats”.
Sad.
And to think the previous administration thought of attracting larger boats here, the current admin thought it was a joke. Prove there just walking on the OBA coat tails.
What exactly is the plan , we havent seen any conceptual drawings this government and more importantly KSwan are wanna be politicians they are all hype and no substance. Dont tell us what you are trying to do where is the plan hes talking about a Marina where is it going or are you moving boundaries and fences around ordinance island and calling it a marina….for 25 years the plp have pushed stgeorges aside and you vote for them …and after this debacle you will vote for them again
After killing the St. George winter yacht industry 20 years ago, now the PLP Government wants to revive it. Why the change of heart? Just because Kim Swan crossed the floor?
Ha! This old chestnut. St. Geo folks have been waiting on this for eons. This is just another announcement with no details like vertical farming and marijuana legislation and fishing and so many other things that the PLP trot out to the media only to have nothing ever begin. Oh please.