January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
BDA is cruising toward a bright future
Dockyard is alive with activity in a way I have not seen in my lifetime and we owe it all to a pier called Heritage.
On Wednesday, Minister Derrick Burgess, WEDCO Chairman Walter Lister and I had the honour of officially opening the newly constructed Heritage Wharf.
It is a $60 million project with a critical dual purpose.
The first is to protect Bermuda's competitive position as a cruise travel destination.
Increasingly, the cruise industry is retiring its fleet of small cruise ships - vessels of less than 700ft.
It is an important industry trend for us to recognize because ships larger than 700ft cannot fit into Hamilton through Two Rock Passage or into St. George's through Town Cut.
We looked at widening those shipping lanes but decided, collaboratively, that the environmental damage would be too great.
So in 2006 we came up with a plan to build a port facility in Dockyard to accommodate up to two large ships at a time - and today Bermuda is appropriately competitive in the cruise travel business.
On Wednesday I saw firsthand the fruits of that labour as Dockyard went from what one politician called "a graveyard" to a bustling tourist destination.
Commerce
That is the second part of Heritage Wharf's dual purpose.
As the Norwegian Dawn - at 960ft and 2300 passengers - berthed in Dockyard, a new spirit of commerce and entrepreneurship was pumped into the west end like air into a balloon.
Take Dockyard's new Phoenix Store Pharmacy for example.
That household Bermuda business brand knows about successful retail and it has decided the next place for success is Dockyard. A vendor who operates visitor tours on segway scooters is similarly inspired.
He raced over on two wheels Wednesday to say: "Thanks for building the wharf".
We exchanged two thumbs up and he motored away.
The Dockyard trolley was packed, the outdoor tables at Bone Fish were full, the Clocktower Mall was busy and the Visitor Information Centre was a hub of activity.
I was especially impressed with the VIC. It was bright, vibrant and inviting.
I commended Minister Burgess on the fine work of his talented crew. That facility will serve our visitors particularly well.
We built a new cruise facility and it is now helping entrepreneurs build a future.
Wednesday was a gratifying day because this project was wrought with challenges.
For example, it needed to be completed within a tight timeframe and we found contractors who were undaunted.
Then there was the pregnant dolphin across at Dolphin Quest. Construction site vibration put her pregnancy at risk, so we found an environmentally sensitive solution and did not expect congratulations from our detractors.
Pessimism
In fact, throughout the project we were met with mostly pessimism and doubt - but I suppose those people could not see the vision. Fortunately, my Government colleagues and I could.
The country expects us to be visionaries. We knew Dockyard could come alive as a visitor destination and a centre for entrepreneurism and it has.
One of our great visionary partners for the west end is Andrew Dias at WEDCO. He says he looks forward to a time when a resident of Spring Benny Road or Granaway Heights comes to the junction of Middle Road and turns left as often as he turns right.
That is his new vision and, thanks to Heritage Wharf, it is a vision well within view.[[In-content Ad]]
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