FREEPORT, Bahamas, June 19, 2020 – The Grand Bahama Port Authority, Limited (GBPA) is partnering with the Royal Bahamas Police Force and the Department of Environmental Health to bring resolve to the dangerous and unsightly problem of dumping derelict vehicles in and around residential and commercial areas and on verges.
Since the passing of Hurricane Dorian, residents of Grand Bahama continue to recover and restore their surroundings. The massive flooding destroyed thousands of vehicles, and many remain either on private properties or in public areas on verges. In an effort to avoid hazardous and environmentally unfriendly conditions near their homes, some residents have enlisted tow truck drivers to remove and discard the vehicles. However, disposal of the vehicles presents a challenge as, to date, residents have not had a facility for them and the borders of the country have been closed during the Emergency Order. In addition, licensees in this category of service are few.
“As a result of these challenges, and in the wake of Doran’s disastrous impact, vehicles have been discarded on verges in the Civic Industrial Area and near Queen’s Cove subdivision by the masses, and in other areas near residences,” said Ian Rolle, GBPA President. “To bring immediate resolve to this matter, we have identified and designated a plot of land to store vehicles.”
Troy McIntosh, Deputy Director of Building and Development Services, said, “We now have appropriate space in the Civic Industrial Area to safely store derelict vehicles from around the island. We will be working with licensed automotive tow truck companies to arrange the coordinated delivery on behalf of the owners. The vehicles will be stored at the site until such time as the island’s borders open to allow their transport to a facility in the United States for crushing.”
The GBPA’s City Management Department is partnering with the Royal Bahamas Police Force through Urban Renewal, along with the Department of Environmental Health, to ensure that residents are using the proper channels to dispose of these vehicles.
Nakira Wilchcombe, Director of Building and Development Services and Chairperson of the Keep Grand Bahama Clean Committee, stressed the importance of discouraging illegal business operations.
“We have received numerous complaints from residents in our city about the improper discarding of vehicles at illegal automotive operations in residential areas,” Wilchcombe said. “We are very concerned and are working diligently to address the issue. We want to send a clarion call to illegal operators to cease and desist. We encourage them to come into compliance and obtain a license to conduct business in an area zoned for this type of operation. Our Customer Relations team and Commercial Department can guide interested persons with setting up proper operations, among other things.”
Interested persons may visit the GBPA website www.gbpa.com to obtain an application and receive more information, or may contact the Customer Relations Department at 350-9050/9051.
