News from the Turks and Caicos Islands for
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Commentary: The future of Salt Cay in the balance
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| Published on Thursday, June 25, 2009 |
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By Candy Herwin
The character of Salt Cay is encased in her history and the old historic landmarks. The salt merchant homes, churches, old boat house, Governor’s house and Deane’s dock are monuments to the rich history of Salt Cay and bring life and meaning to an important heritage that shapes the unique aspects of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
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| Candy Herwin has lived in the Turks and Caicos Islands for 17 years and runs a guesthouse on Salt Cay called "Pirates Hideaway". She was formerly a reporter for Radio One in Beirut, Lebanon, but now prefers the quiet life in Salt Cay |
In fact, history and culture are two of the more fundamental components that build the ‘identity’ of a nation and to allow them to be destroyed by neglect or lack of investment shows total disrespect, not only toward the generations that follow, but to the hard work and skill of the ancestors of Salt Cay islanders.
Change is inevitable and there is always an element of risk. Salt Cay has reached that point in ‘real’ time when constructive decisions need to be taken that will allow a new approach to solving the current decline in the population, history and culture of an island.
The repetitive promises and ad hoc budgets are not working. Salt Cay needs a vision and a comprehensive plan to revive the island and there is certainly room on Salt Cay to incorporate a modern, low density and sensitive forward thinking development that will boost tourism and benefit the whole economy, while preserving the historic and cultural character of the island.
The voices of the Salt Cay community were given a chance to speak out and air their views during an interview with Robert Hall, broadcast live from Salt Cay last Wednesday and they spoke volumes attesting to the burden of a failing infrastructure, lack of employment opportunities and how they welcome development.
On a wider scale, the move towards globalisation on many levels means that governments across the world are uniting on policy formation governing “green’ technologies and sustainable development. Many countries are uniting through enhancing their own unique cultural identity and finding new avenues of tourism, nature conservation and wealth creation.
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| The Governors House |
As I have often, one of the better definitions to describe a ‘sustainable development’ is that given by the US Environmental Agency that says, “Sustainable development marries two important themes: that environmental protection does not preclude economic development and that economic development must be ecologically viable now and in the long run.”
Many countries across Europe and the Caribbean are moving towards combining sustainable development with economic growth of small communities. Small towns are being showcased as eco friendly tourist destinations after the revival of their historic and cultural aspects which not only require substantial investment but the cooperation of governments and stakeholders.
Feasibility studies are not made overnight and are a slow and expensive procedure. Many prestigious organizations have flown into Salt Cay and are continuing their collection of data and are formulating extensive reports on many aspects of the environment.
Top notch architectural teams have been drafting advanced designs that incorporate all aspects of ‘green’ building codes and ‘open space’ technology and ways in which a sensitive development can best blend with the natural and historic surroundings.
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| The Old Boat House |
It must be remembered that the dereliction of the historic sites are in need of restoration not only to restore the cultural identity but also to attract a new generation of overseas visitors.
The priority areas for Salt Cay remain the restoration of the dock, roads and upgrades to the airport. It is evident that a five-seater plane that flies into Salt Cay two or three times a week cannot bring in the volume of tourists needed to keep money circulating within the community.
People need jobs and a better quality of living, they deserve it… it’s Salt Cay's time to be given an opportunity… and they have been given an opportunity and the majority of residents living on the island support it!
For those interested watch the second documentary this Friday night at 8.30pm which airs on WIV4... The Future of Salt Cay: In the Balance.
Happy viewing! | | | | Reads : 690 |
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