High Rock Member of Parliament Kenneth Russell is again expressing concern about some aspects of the work being done at the construction site of the Ginn Resort development in West End, Grand Bahama.

Russell, who recently voiced his concerns in the House of Assembly, said in a press statement yesterday that a few weeks ago when he was asked to visit the site, the concerns "expressed to me at that time were three-fold: a concern relating to employment, a concern about the elevation of the intended back-filling of the land at the Ginn site, and a concern about dynamiting to construct canals which will provide the fill material."

"There is a real fear that the artificially high elevation of the site resulting from Ginn's back-filling of the land will result in the flooding of West End and surrounding communities during storms and heavy rainy seasons," Russell said. "Reports are that the new elevation of the Ginn site is to be as high as 10 feet above the current elevation of the community of West End." The High rock MP said he recently received "a number of anxious calls from concerned residents in West End," adding that there "are very pressing concerns about what is being done at Ginn's development at West End."

"I decided to return to the Ginn development site last Thursday," Russell said. "I must admit that I was not prepared for what I saw on my return visit. In addition to the queries relating to employment, the slow rate of new job creation and the question of future flooding resulting from the artificially elevated land, there was also the alarming issue concerning what I can only describe as huge Olympic-size deep water pools being excavated."

These excavations, Russell noted, were already underway at the time of his previous visit to the site and they did not appear to present any special concerns.

"That is no longer the case," Russell declared. "Once I arrived at the site Thursday, I understood why I had received so many urgent pleas from the West End community to visit the site again. To my surprise and horror, those Olympic-size water-filled quarries first seen during my previous visit are now being filled with scrap metals and other debris, presumably from the old building at the site that had been torn down. The pits are being covered up with quarry."

During his visit, Russell said did not see any representatives from responsible government agencies at the site.

"There were no signs of anyone from health services, environment health, the Best Commission or the Ministry of Public Works," the High Rock MP said. "This work is being carried out during the daytime, during normal working hours. This suggests to me that Ginn had received approval from Government to bury this material in the pits. An employee who spoke with me on the condition of anonymity and confidentiality expressed concerns for his safety as well as for the safety of people living in the nearby West End community."

Russell said he is especially concerned "about the long-term health risk to the residents of West End if the materials being buried contain hazardous substances, as these could contaminate the ground water."

"The potential for contamination is a terrible threat for us and for our children," Russell warned. If toxic substances enter the water table it can adversely impact the health and indeed the lives of future generations living in the area three, five or 10 years down the road."

Calling upon Prime Minister Perry Christie's administration to act with haste, the High Rock MP added, "I call upon the Christie administration to put a halt to this dangerous activity at the Ginn site and to cause the developers and their agents to respect the laws and regulations of our country. Most importantly, I call upon the Christie administration to ensure that in its haste to approve investment projects, it does not jeopardize the future health and welfare of our people."

Russell recalled that it was only a short time ago that Prime Minister Christie was praising the Ginn project as the poster project for all other investors to follow, adding that Ginn reportedly has a strong environmental record in the United States of America.

"It would be lamentable, indeed, if the Christie administration is not requiring the Ginn Corporation to observe our laws and regulations regarding the protection of our environment," Russell said. "And it would be a scandal if the Christie administration is permitting Ginn to do in The Bahamas what it does not do, indeed cannot do, in the United States of America."

He said the Prime Minister "cannot allow this indiscriminate, unsupervised landfill dumping to continue."

"The potential for serious damage to our health, to the health of our children is a far greater threat to us than most of the blunders that the Christie Administration has visited on our country — far more serious than the Cabinet room fight, the fishing boat scandal, the wasteful Junkanoo bleacher scandal," Russell said. "indeed, potentially more serious than the incompetent handling of the economy of Freeport in recent years. Without our health, economic development becomes irrelevant."

The High Rock MP said it is "urgent then that the Prime Minister disclose to The Bahamian people all app-rovals and concession and permits granted to Ginn."

"In particular, the people need to know what approvals have been granted to Ginn which allows them to scarify the land, obliterating tree cover, excavating deep pits and burying debris with impunity and with total disregard for the safety of our environment," Russell said.

"I again call upon the Prime Minister to put a stop to the continued disposal of such dangerous materials in the backyard of our unsuspecting citizens."

DANGEROUS ACTIVITY? — Following a visit to the Ginn site last week, High Rock MP Kenneth Russell is calling on Prime Minister Perry Christie's administration to put a halt to "this dangerous activity at the Ginn site and to cause the developers and their agents to respect the laws and regulations of our country."