While leading a delegation to tour the Baker’s Bay Golf and Ocean Club yesterday, Prime Minister Perry Christie announced that the club will soon provide over 250 jobs for Bahamians not only in Abaco, but across the country.
In 2002 during the prime minister’s first term in office, he promised to develop islands and cays around the country.
Shortly thereafter, owners of the Discovery Land Company, whose interest was similar to that of the prime minister’s, showed a particular interest in Great Guana Cay, Abaco.
The plans of both the prime minister and the owners at Discovery Land came to fruition with the construction and near completion of what the prime minister calls, a luxurious development that reflects authentic Bahamian architecture, arts and lifestyle.
“You and the home owners are to be saluted also for creating one of the most environmentally sensitive and sustainable developments to be found anywhere,” he said.
“The development itself reflects that of wealth, but still is founded upon Bahamian culture. But apart from the extensive luxurious club, golf course, marina facilities, amenities and infrastructure, 48 high end residences were completed over the last two years. Currently, 35 homes are under construction at a cost of $150 million and another 30 coming on stream this year and 90 additional residences are forecast for 2016 and 2017.”
In addition to pulling in hundreds of millions of dollars into the island’s economy by catering to some of the biggest international sports, entertainment, financial and business leaders, the Baker’s Bay Club and Resort is aimed to aid Abaco’s economic boom by employing some 800 people with 94 per cent of them being Bahamian.
The prime minister announced that that number of employees, although already large in number, is expected to increase to nearly 1,200 people who will receive not only top of the line training, but major benefits.
“The challenge of the demand for skilled workers exceeds the capacity of the local Bahamian workforce and local specialty subcontractors,” he said.
“The developer, after meeting with the government of the Bahamas, will employ over 250 additional Bahamians in construction jobs and mount a jobs fair to attract Bahamian employees from throughout the country. They will also be permitted to a limited number of essential work permit holders, who will also be able to sustain multi-disciplinary on the job technical skills, training and apprenticeship programmes designed to equip Bahamian employees and subcontractors with high levels of proficiency.”
Michael Meldman, chairman and CEO of the Discovery Land Company and also partner at Baker’s Bay said he couldn’t have asked for a better place to invest in.
He said the club and resort are exactly what he envisioned them to be, a luxurious state-of the-art modern community that still mainly revolves around the Bahamian culture.
“When I look at this property, I always say if were able to commission God for a piece of property that was suitable for what we do, for lifestyle, for recreation and to embrace the environment, Baker’s Bay would probably be how you would picture it,” he said.
The prime minister said the Baker’s Bay Golf and Ocean Club have made a positive impact on the economies of both Abaco and The Bahamas.
