The Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources noted the comments made by vendors at Potters Cay Dock to the media and wishes to clarify for the public that claims made were misleading.

The Ministry met with vendors and representatives of both Vendor Associations on the morning following the fire - 12th April, 2021 with a view to plan the immediate response to the fire and the way forward. A request for proposals for the clean-up of the site was submitted through the Government’s eProcurement Portal on Wednesday, 14th April, 2021 upon receipt of the incident report from the Royal Bahamas Police Force Fire Branch. Responses to the request came almost immediately.

Before the contract for the clean-up could be awarded and executed, the vendors along with outsiders, including political personalities, began clean-up of the site. Debris remains in the water behind the stalls and will be removed as a part of the clean-up exercise.

In our meetings with the vendors, the Ministry made it clear that the order of action would be guided by the final report from the Ministry of Public Works structural engineers and we indicated that the report could take ‘a few weeks.’ This report is critical in determining what the safety implications are for the site as some of the supporting steel in the causeway may have been compromised by the fire. This report is also critical to service providers such as Bahamas Power and Light, the Water & Sewage Corporation, Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) and REV Cable Bahamas as they must be assured that the area is safe for the installation of their equipment. It was also agreed by the vendors and government officials that we would build back better and use the new stall design as the template for the future redevelopment of Potters Cay Dock.

Further, as a temporary solution, Mr. Matthew Rolle suggested an alternative short-term location for the vendors in the area near the former Produce Exchange. This idea was accepted by all the vendors present including Mr. Dwain Bastian, who went on to request that he be allowed to set up operations in the area where the reefer coolers are located. At no time was it ever suggested by the Ministry that vendors be relocated to the building that housed the former Produce Exchange “next to chemicals” as Mr. Bastian stated. The Ministry advised the vendors that given the fact that there remains a number of unoccupied stalls at Potters Cay Dock, we would speak to the lease holders of those stalls about allowing the affected vendors to occupy them temporarily. The vendors are fully aware of this situation. They are also aware that the Ministry has secured an architect to complete the layout of the structures proposed to be built on the site, pending the report from the Ministry of Public Works engineering team.

There is no intention or desire by the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources to see the displaced vendors unduly hampered from making a living, however, we must be guided in our efforts by the advice of the engineers as far as the safety of the vendors and their customers are concerned. Most importantly we pledged financial support in helping vendors rebuild their stalls and will commence once we get the all clear from the technical teams.