Some environment / social concerns: The Egret Hatchery near the old Post Office needs Conservation, are there still ball fields and goats near North End of the harbor, the social fabric at the old marina was right and whoelsome for belongers and tourists. What will replace that afordable and gentle scene. Is this the beginning of the end and a Tortola like environment with mass destruction, mega ships, no services or simple island business,so sorry for Buck and B and T

Bath and Turtle is alive and well sharing space with Chez Bamboo, just a block walk from the Yacht Harbor. They have a great space and menu. One of their customers has billed them as "The New Downtown". I hope that sticks and people will continue to use them as the gathering/meeting place. For years it has simply meet up at the B&T for locals and tourist as well.
The new owners are putting the majority of the business' out of business for a pie in the sky big bucks hotel etc. It will never make it and the locals lose.

I remember the promises for the expanded clinic for the residents and the manic talk and promises for the Olympic size swim center at the local school- hopefully this wrecking of the island social center will be reversed too and it is not another brick in the wall from the investment club.

The clinic is being built. I just don't know how effective it will be. i.e. how much medical help it will provide. The swimming pool was being built with help form local folks and charities. It is almost complete. Someone was building a movie theater and small mall. Work has stopped for about 1 year. Maybe 20% complete. I don't know what to say about the "changes" at the marina. My concern is it will fail and become a white elephant. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

I saw the massive travel lift they have. Apparently it is a bit too heavy. have the done anything to build a proper concrete roadway/track for it?

Everyone keeps talking about the "new owners" making all of this mess but no one seems to know who THEY are???

Sounds pretty fishy to me

So it is like Trump and the taxes- they are not required to identify the owners and companies and bank accounts and track records and the locals arent allowed to make their own remarks and negotiations before this becomes overscale and interfering with residents, seems to remove B and T etc without public disclosure of what is all happening and a judicial process is weird. Operations like this remind me of Putin or Ayatola. We dont want to visit anymore if this type of paving over paradise is done ugly without the local residents, workers, and environment highly involved

In addition, my understanding is that they cut down the palm grove before the environmental study that is testing the soil to see if it will sustain the huge lift. Just a little backwards. Don't you think that before they destroy the environment that they should be required to do the study. It is entirely possible that the site is unsuitable for the project. All those beautiful trees may have been downed for nothing.

Here in Pasadena the same thing happened and they capitulated to the owners to avoid a expensive law suit- but the trees near the harbor should be sancrosant - aren't thr any rules there? The harbor is very beautiful and should stay quaint and soft. This is the Pleasures of the Harbor.

Money talks and probably lines the pockets of those who look the other way <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif" alt="" />

A Phil Ochs album!

Dan <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />

And I saw Phil do those songs in Grant Park at the 1968 Democratic National Convention outdoor marches The Flower Lady like the lady selling her baked goods at the entrance to the shops of the harbor and There But for Fortune and of course Jonie doing You take Paradise and Put up a Parking Lot- the Taxi came and took away my old man. The trees and the wood fences and open space are too charming to destroy. Rockefeller and his Little Dix Bay designers would cringe

So what is the plan for the Yacht Harbor area? We left in late January, Bucks was closing and I recall thinking it was a bad idea to move a grocery store away from the center. Yes, there is a clinic being built but it is not in that area. The "mall" immediately south seems to have just a bank and offices. The last two trees were going then and no one there could answer why. Rendevous was still there as well as it was a great spot for casual meals with a nice view. Putting a hotel there seems not well thought out...runnoff and sewage will not flush out of that inner harbor. So has anyone seen plans or specifics? And what is the benefit for the island?

Money in the pocket of the investors <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif" alt="" />

Make that "pie in the sky" *in 5 years* "big bucks hotel."

Please do visit Rose at the Rendevous/BathandTurtle/Chez Bamboo. She's open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and take away. Don't pay $2 a head at the YH, tie up or float in at the ferry dock or its neighboring beach and walk over to the "new downtown."

The ferry is temporarily docking at the VGYH while repairs are being made at the ferry dock, but there's no parking for ferry customers allowed there. The chains and guards have everyone on the Island upset.

Rumors are all we have, but the rumor is that the BVI Investment Group that owns the VGYH is made up at least in part by Assembly members. And the information block is subject to Party/petty politics: VIP vs NPI and Tortola vs VG. At that community meeting last month, the local Assemblyman complained that the government bureaucrats weren't giving him information or notice and the BVIIG man said it wasn't his responsibility to inform us, it is the Assemblyman's.

As I said, this is mostly the stuff of gossip, and it's all just my opinion, except that Bath and Turtle is still open, just at new location.