Abaco Chamber of Commerce Updates
By Alice Bain - The Abaconian 1 April 2002

Mr. Amos Ferguson addressed the Abaco Chamber of Commerce on March 14 in a meeting held at Sapodilly,s Restaurant in Marsh Harbour. He gave a short talk about zoning and land use"land use can be residential, commercial, recreational, educational or industrial"and by zoning you introduce regulations that allow legal recourse if the land use plan is not followed.

Marsh Harbour presently does not have any zoning in place. He explained that the role of the town planner is to take the goals and wishes of the community and to chart a clear and logical path to achieving them.

Mr. Ferguson gave a definition of town planning and talked about the difference between planned growth and organic growth in towns and cities. Marsh Harbour has been growing "organically, that is, there has historically been no long-range plan in place to direct the future development of the town.

He mentioned that this situation has led to problems as the city grows. Unless we take control of the growth soon, he predicted that we will have more problems in the future. During the question period after Mr. Ferguson,s talk, Chamber members expressed their frustration at the lack of success that the Town Planning Committee has had in Marsh Harbour and asked what the proper procedure was for submitting plans to Central Government.

It is clear that in order for Marsh Harbour to take control of its own growth, the town must agree on a plan, submit it to Central Government and have it passed into law. He felt that the process by which this might occur is still obscure, but it is clear that both Local Government and the business community need to be a part of local planning.

As a body representing the Abaco business community, the Chamber intends to take an active role in pursuing an effective town plan for Marsh Harbour.

Mr. Don Cornish of the Abaco Ministry of Tourism addressed the members on Abaco,s summer Goombay Festival. The festival has been held for five years now (the 2002 summer season will be the sixth) and is held every other weekend during the months of June, July and August.

The festival started off at Crossing Beach but outgrew that location during the first year and was moved to a stretch of road directly in front of Dove Plaza, which is cordoned off for the events.

Mr. Cornish wants to clear up some misconceptions about Goombay. "It is not, he said, "a party for natives. Neither is it an opportunity for crime. In fact, the large crowds and the police presence at every Goombay Festival should act more as a deterrent to crime.

Mr. Cornish explained that Goombay is not a fund raiser for the Ministry of Tourism. Goombay costs money"Mr. Cornish estimated that each Festival costs approximately $10,000 to put on, $2,000 of which is just in paying for the music.

Mr. Cornish stated that Abaco needs to offer a "balanced tourism product"and that tourists that come here are often in search of our native culture"the "Bahamian Experience. Goombay provides an outlet for the energy that tourists bring to Abaco and provides a cultural experience that Marsh Harbour is not otherwise able to supply. Because Goombay provides a service for tourists, and tourists provide the base for Abaco,s economy, Mr. Cornish said he would like to see more local business support for the Goombay Festival.

The Chamber of Commerce will be having an open meeting at the Jib Room on April 18th when the guest speaker will address the subject of the FTAA trade agreement which is scheduled to go into effect in the Bahamas in 2005.