FREEPORT, GRAND BAHAMA — As part of its ongoing efforts to rid Grand Bahama of derelict and ruinous buildings, the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) began a two-phase demolition exercise on Wednesday, September 15, 2021, with demolishment of the single-story portion of the former Rolle’s Furniture building located on West Atlantic Drive and Explorers Way.
In 2016, the building suffered damages caused by Hurricane Matthew and has since depreciated to a state beyond repair.
Renardo Karageorgiou, assistant city maintenance manager at GBPA with responsibility for the project, said the building is being demolished due to structural disrepair.
“GBPA’s executive team and general counsel worked in tandem with legal counsel for the Rolle family, longstanding licensees and owners of the building, to find an amicable solution,” said Karageorgiou.
“Unfortunately, after several years of negotiating plans for redevelopment and reintroduction of business activity, the site was deemed structurally unsound. As a result, we had to take the necessary actions to ensure the health and safety of visitors to the building and have it demolished.”
The demolition of the Rolle’s Furniture building is also important to the revitalization of the downtown area.
“Over the last few months, we’ve seen some building owners conducting renovations and heard of the AML Foods grocery store coming to the town center,” added Karageorgiou.
“The removal of this dilapidated building helps to enhance the aesthetics of the area as nearby businesses aim to attract more customers.”
The demolition exercise is the third occurring for this year and another example of the GBPA’s continued commitment to improving the general appearance of the City of Freeport for the betterment of residents and visitors alike.
Director of Building & Development Services Nakira Wilchcombe noted that the department has earmarked a number of buildings around the city for demolition.
“The GBPA applies an assessment process to determine whether a building should be repaired or demolished using a structural engineer’s report, which is executed internally and externally. A legal process would then ensure that everything is done legitimately,” Wilchcombe said.
She further explained that demolitions are not always the preferred course of action and unless a building is damaged beyond repair, GBPA encourages building owners to renovate their property.
“We want to encourage building owners whose premises have become derelict to keep at a minimum the external areas aesthetically appealing to residents, visitors and motorists to prevent the immediate vicinity from becoming an eyesore,” Wilchcombe said.
Phase two of this exercise, which includes the demolishment of the third-story building, commenced on Friday, September 17, 2021, and is still in progress. The entire demolition and disposal of associated debris will continue over a period of 10 working days until September 29, 2021.
Motorists are asked to exercise due care and attention when traveling on West Atlantic Drive and Explorers Way during this exercise.
