The glory days of Potter’s Cay dock are long gone according to vendors who complained to Eyewitness News Thursday about a number of issues plaguing the overall experience at one of the country’s oldest cultural hubs.
Potter’s Cay dock is home to a number of food vendors, mail boat operators and Bahamas Fast Ferries.
A popular hang-out for Bahamians and tourists alike, the entire area is in a state of disrepair, according to disgruntled vendors.
Pictures of dilapidated restroom facilities were sent to Eyewitness News following a recent investigative story on the run-down infrastructure at Arawak Cay.
Upon investigation, an overwhelming scent emanated from the restroom facilities at the dock, making it not only unbearable, but an eyesore with no operable urinals.
Vendors operating at the dock told Eyewitness News that it’s a “living hell” they must endure.
“We have a lot of people that come on this dock to have a conch salad and want to have a good time. When it comes time to use the bathroom, they can’t do so because the toilets are closed,” said vendor Jacob Fox.
“How hard is it for management to take the time to get three urinals into the facility and fix the other toilets so that we have proper facilities for these people who come on Potter’s Cay dock?”
The responsibility for upkeep at the mailboat hub falls in the hands of its new manager Gregory Minnis, who took office three months ago.
Minnis told Eyewitness News that his predecessor, who was appointed under the former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) administration, did not do a good job with the upkeep of the area.
“When we came out here, there was a whole lot of discomfort. And so we are right now trying to put things in place,” said Minnis.
“Hopefully, Bahamians and tourists, in another few months, will be comfortable when they come out here.”
According to Minnis, he will have an audience with minister Renward Wells, who has responsibility for the area, on Monday morning.
He said he would present Wells with a list of recommendations for infrastructural upgrades.
“First we will address the situation with the bathroom facility. Then we will begin adding proper signage and seek to alleviate all this parking congestion. We also want to create a no bottle zone. These things will take time, but we are working on them,” said Minnis.
A facelift however, isn’t the only thing that vendors are crying for.
According to vendors, staff tasked with the upkeep of the restrooms, need to do better as well.
“The staff keep these bathrooms locked all the time. It’s annoying when we, and patrons, are trying to get into the bathroom and we are locked out. We have to take the time to go find them and most of the time they aren’t even there. So, you’ll find that everyone then has to pee on the outside or into the water,” said Fox.
Minnis said janitors lock the bathrooms to keep vagrants from vandalizing and loitering and asserted that police should lend a hand with monitoring the entire area.
“The police really need to get on their feet and control this dock and get these vagrants off the dock so that tourists and Bahamians can come out here and feel comfortable, said Minnis.
He said new urinals should be in place by the end of June.
Parking issues, proper lighting and other aesthetic upgrades, should be rolled out by year’s end, Minnis confirmed.
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