AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Environment Development of a new barge dock?

I wish we had put in a dock. Maybe it would give us a shield.
The only way they can operate in rainy season is to tear up more private property.
Sure will stop all Real Estate sales South of town.

Chris, you might be right about the reef (still) recovering the hurricane seven years ago, with (60) hours of silt and sand churning. Will you be able to say the same thing about hours and hours, day after day of this churning silt? This will be going right thru the cut in Hol Chan. (since they are right in front of it) How long do you think the marine life will stick around in this murky crap? Do you have a background in Marine biology? I certainly don't. Maybe we can get someone more qualified than you or I to do a study and give us their professional opinion. (just a thought)

Destroying the road is not the only problem but the fact that in most places down south, the road simply isn't wide enough especially around the corners. Are they going to spend the time and money to widen the road also? Or are we going to have to pull our golf carts into the swamp or trees to make way for a 40' container?

When someone is hurt or killed by one of these big trucks traveling over four miles back and forth to town, will that also be shoved under the rug and ignored by the Town Council?

Have you considered filing a lawsuit to stop the move there? And getting an injunction to put a hold on dredging etc., pending the suit?

Gosh I wish I had concerned neighbors and active environmentalists like you guys on North Ambergris. Sea walls, Dredging and Mangrove cutting are happening like crazy up here and no one seems to care.Were just a little to far from the public eye.I've made about all the noise and protesting I can with out getting jailed or sued.
I'm down to threatening public officials that I'll vote against them and their party in the election and convince others to register and vote as well.
Nothing seems to get a mayor up off their puttie to do something better than a threat of loosing the votes.

The government roadways are only 21 feet wide in some areas of town, but the barge operators manage to get their deliveries made.

The "public" roadways are exactly that - public. That means the barge operators are entitled to use them.

If the roadways need to be widened and the town council doesn't get the opportunity to do this I am sure the barge operators will widen it with their equipment.

The barge operators have been driving on these roads for many years, if somebody is going to get killed by one of the trucks it is highly more likely that it will occur closer to town where the congestion is centralized.

The barges haven't halted the real estate sales in town, so I doubt that sales in the south will stop.

As Chris has said, dredging might not be an ideal situation, nor is cutting mangroves, but every single person on this island benefits from the deliveries made by the barges. Where do you think the toilet paper, toothpaste, oranges, engine oil, coca colas etc arrive here???

I am not saying I am happy about the barges moving to Boca Ciega. I am saying that the island needs the services and all of the comments being made are like little wishy washy excuses that will not hold up in court.

Jesse has come up with the only sensible comment recently. Get an injunction and let the courts sort this out.

Your opinion won't hold water unless true environmental or legal issues are addressed.

You still haven't mentioned the cart paths on private property. Being a realtor, you have easy access to the area plat and will find there is no road or easement across the eight properties in the Young estate. Do you think they have a right to enlarge those also? What do you mean if the Town Council doesn't get the opportunity to widen the roads. (The Town council has never done anything to repair these roads ) You also said the roads will be widened by barge operators if the roads aren't wide enough. Yes, they will widen them by destroying private property. This happens all the time. When there isn't room to pass, just go across private property, then it becomes the "new" road
We are in process of hiring an attorney.(do you recommend one?) We were told of a law whereas a commercial entity can not come into an established neighborhood and disrupt the existing way of living. (we'll see)
When I purchased my property from Sunrise Realty (9) years ago, I kept the advertisment listing. It states, "Soft birdsongs and wild bonefish greet you at this fine waterfront home. Privacy, quality and pristine condition." Will this still be the way Boca Ciega property will be listed? Or will it say noisy, dusty, smelly,no song birds, no bonefish and no privacy?
This could also be a ploy for all property values to go down, to purchase at a low price, then make a killing.
You are right, your opinion and mine mean nothing.

If you are waiting for someone to recommend an attorney, then you're too late. Action needs to be taken BEFORE they tear the place up and get moved...not afterwards.

If you look at the plats on the north of the island you will also note that there were not provisions for a road way in many areas. These areas will become subject to eminent domain.

You may remember that when you bought the property the description was indeed true.

You should also recall that you were advised by us to put in a road way where you wanted it to be, in conjunction with the neighbours or the government/town will propose where the road will go through the property and class it as eminent domain. A road way is supposed to be 40 feet wide - although in actuality they tend to be 25 - 30 ft wide in most areas.

The town council does what it can to maintain the roads. It tends to concentrate its efforts in areas where the majority of the inhabitants are.

I know when I call and ask for the council to work on the road or fog for bugs they make an effort and come by when they can. That is the type of service you expect when you choose to live so far from the town core.

Again Kathy, I understand why you are upset and it would be an ideal situation if the port in the back was adequete for the barges, but again you are dragging these conversations down with person attacks and opinions instead of taking immediate action.

Although you may feel this is a "ploy" for all property values to go down and then be sold out cheap, whose scheme do you think this belongs to? LOCALS DON'T THINK THIS WAY.