Bimini Boom
7/27/2006 3:33:07 PM by Tony Albelo
We dive headfirst into modern-day Bimini to discover how the island nation plans to move into the future with a carefully calculated balance of progress and preservation while staying true to its historic roots.
Photos by Peter Caspar
For Ernest Hemingway and many other world famous adventurers, Bimini was a tiny island getaway. It was an escape — whether to relax, to fight giant marlin or to lay around on the beach. Bimini was their version of paradise. Even the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. chose Bimini as his place of inspiration when he wrote his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
Bimini is also home to two of the most famous myths attached to the Western Hemisphere: the Lost City of Atlantis and the Fountain of Youth, both of which are believed to be located on the island.
Bimini is comprised of three islands: North Bimini, South Bimini and East Bimini. East Bimini is a narrow piece of land made up of mainly mangroves and uninhabited land. South Bimini is home to the South Bimini International Airport and several hotels and marinas, while North Bimini is comprised of three towns, Porgy Bay, Bayley Town, and Alice Town. Most of the marinas and hotels for visitors exist in Alice town; on the southernmost end of North Bimini.
In the past year, Bimini has gained attention from unfortunate incidents such as the Compleat Angler fire and the Chalk’s airplane crash. And Bimini’s future has come into question by many Bimini regulars, including Biminites themselves. But what does the future hold for the smallest of the Bahamas 700 islands? To better understand where Bimini is heading, we need to understand the intricate history from which it has come.
THE BEGINNINGS
Bimini and the Bahamas have led a short but storied history. For hundreds of years, the lack of large expanses of land and the absence of traditional treasures, such as gold or silver, made many early settlers pass up the islands. In fact, the Bahamas remained mostly uncolonzied for nearly 200 years since its discovery in 1492. Bimini itself was not settled until 1835, more than 300 years since the discovery of the New World by Columbus.
In its days, Bimini has seen slavery, the abolishment of slavery, English rule, American rule, Spanish rule, and then English rule again. Bimini has also had its share
of colorful characters such as Ernest Hemingway, Zane Gray, Dr. King, Michael Lerner (of I.G.F.A. fame), famous boxers, beauty queens and plain old interesting inhabitants. Bimini has also served as the stomping grounds for pirates, shipwreckers, rum runners, and drug runners. But during all of these changes, Bimini’s charm has remained intact.
GOVERNMENT PROJECTS
Sometimes the laid back Bimini way of life can get to you. But the local and state governments of the island have not let island living get to them as they forge ahead, delivering on many promises and planning for the future.
It was during the early 1900s that Bimini was known for shipwrecking (an ominous term; today we call it salvaging). Because of the shallows surrounding Bimini, ships would often run aground. Back then, it wasn’t easy to navigate the Bimini waters, and, even in modern times, navigating into Bimini Harbor (North Bimini) requires knowledge and keen eyesight.
The channel for entering Bimini was a unique practice of running south and matching up two white poles on land until they lined up. Even if you followed the “white poles of life,” large ships still stood the risk of running aground at low tide. Needless to say, this was a tricky way to enter and only experienced navigators felt confident entering the harbor. Earlier this year, the Bahamian government made good on a promise to improve the entrance by dredging a brand-new channel into the harbor, marking it with traditional nun buoys and channel markers. For Bimini, this was a major move in improving boat friendliness. Additionally, a new channel was dredged to the northern point of the island, making navigation a breeze for even the most inexperienced boater.
As the world gets more and more connected, Bimini has tended to shy away from technological advances, but late last year a fiber optic line was run from Grand Bahama Island to Bimini. This line will greatly improve on-island communications, cell phone communication (soon allowing GSM technology) and Internet access. DSL service is now available almost anywhere on the islands. The government also recently added a new airport terminal which is able to handle more passengers and makes checking into Customs & Immigration much easier and faster. Many of the current improvements
and future improvements are aimed at making it easier to enjoy the islands. Slated for the near future is a cultural center complex in Alice Town. The center will have live entertainment, music, tourist information and shops. The government is also teaming up with local businesses to improve island facilities. Bimini Bay Resort is partnering on the island’s new sports facility, which will house a complete set of sporting venues such as basketball courts, tennis courts, a baseball diamond and track. This facility will come into good use by another partner project, the newly planned high school which is also in the works for the islands.
The Bimini and Bahamas leadership is planning a bright future for Bimini, while still maintaining its quaint island charm. Quite the undertaking, but it seems to be taking form quite nicely as of late.
DEVELOPMENT BOOM
When faced with such unique communities as found in the Bahamas, great care has to be used in building new developments and hotels. Such is the case in Bimini. Hotel and marina development is a careful balance of adding new jobs, opportunities, economic growth and cultural responsibility. Let’s take a look at how the balance is achieved with two distinct properties:
Brown’s Hotel & Marina
When Harcourt Brown’s grandparents arrived in Bimini in 1864, it was barely inhabited. Being an industrious young man, Harcourt
built one of the first docks in Bimini, Brown’s Dock, in 1933. In 1948, he expanded the dock and built Brown’s Hotel and Restaurant. For many years the hotel, restaurant and marina were staples in the fishing community. But during the early 1990s, the docks & hotel fell in disrepair.
Then in 2004, an enterprising group of men joined forces with plans to rebuild Brown’s. Bimini Heritage Ltd. is intent on encompassing as much history into the renovations as possible. Not only are the docks going to be completely rebuilt and modernized, but the hotel will also be renovated using the latest building techniques. A historic boardwalk, being called “Heritage Village,” is also in the plans, expected to link the world-famous End of the World bar to the south with Big John’s Hotel and Lounge to the north. “This will allow anyone, not just Brown’s guests, to enjoy the beautiful view of the harbor. And it will join three historic sites in Bimini,” says Project President Stanley Levine. “It will be like walking through a novel.”
Big John’s Hotel and Lounge is already up and running and employs some island favorites such as Stevie S. and his Hypnotics Band (made famous at the Compleat Angler). The lounge has become the de-facto “place to be” for island nightlife. The hotel has seven rooms which are beautifully decorated in traditional island style, with hints of the 21st Century.
Bimini Bay Resort & Casino
In some cases, projects must be built from scratch in order to deliver the best high-end amenities and economic impact. Since most properties on Bimini have a great history, it’s important to preserve historical aspects of certain locations while achieving the original aspirations for any new properties. Such is the case of the Bimini Bay Resort and Casino.
The land being used to create the project once held the private estate of George Lyon, the man responsible for building the now-familiar house that sits atop Paradise
Point. Shortly thereafter, Rockwell International purchased the 700-acre parcel and used it to “wine and dine” executives and clients. A division of American Express, Robex Resorts, purchased the land in 1980 with plans of building a completely integrated resort. For many years, the Robex project was neglected and the land stood unused and in disorder. Then in 1997, the project was resurrected by the Bimini Bay Resort project and the land saw new life.
Bimini Bay Resort and Casino is following through on the plans to bring a first-class resort to Bimini as well as socio-economic prosperity. During the past few years, the project has really started to take shape. At press time, more than 150 condominiums and a dozen single-family homes had been built. In addition, the new 150-slip floating dock marina is completely operational, as is the pool and poolside bar and grill. The landscaping, architecture and engineering are a melding of island style and modern techniques. All of the buildings are built to withstand the rigors of Caribbean weather including construction and impact-resistant windows. With pastel colors and white trim, the homes and condos look like something out of a fairytale. Overall, the property
is beautiful and not overbearing and will continue to add homes, condos and other resort facilities. Later this year, a four-star restaurant is opening featuring a fusion of Continental and Caribbean cuisines. Ultimately, the property is expected to rival any resort in the Caribbean.
THE CONSERVATION DEBATE
Since the mid 1900s, almost every project in Bimini has been met with some sort of resistance from environmental groups. Projects like Port Royale and Buccaneer Point not only met with resistance from conservationists, but they ultimately failed economically. The current landscape in Bimini seems to hold a much different outcome.
Increasingly, developers are meeting the needs of the island by taking the environment into account while making a financial commitment to the island as a whole. Developers are striving for sustainable and responsible developments. Being the largest development on the island, The Bimini Bay Resort project has come under much scrutiny. But the management at Bimini Bay is taking a “whole-istic” approach to the development plans.
For starters, they are addressing many issues that have arisen from developing a first-class resort such as theirs and tackling other issues that will make Bimini a better place to live. In the long run, their goal is to achieve an overall net benefit to the island.
Locally, they are supporting the community by making strategic investments in the future of Bimini and its children. They have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the local schools for computers and educational software. The clinic in Bimini will soon be staffed by a full-time doctor, partially funded by the Resort. There are also many beautification projects underway in Bimini, either wholly or partially funded by Bimini Bay. The Resort also built its own state-of-the-art reverse osmosis water plant. This water is made available to the residents of Bimini and serves as the water surplus for the island. In past years,
this surplus consisted of only rainwater and shipped-in water — traditionally unreliable sources.
But what about the environment itself? Isn’t land being cleared and filled? The government-approved plan for the Bimini Bay Resort does include land clearing, dredging and fill. Both sides agree that the very nature of construction necessitates a change where the building occurs, especially on the undeveloped land of North Bimini. The challenge is to find out how to mitigate these changes while still providing all of the benefits that this type of property brings to the table.
In addition to minimizing the impact, there must be a plan in place to add and/or rebuild some of the lost natural habitat. The project’s plan covers all of these aspects.
The original approved plan calls for a total of over 5,000 units (mixed-use) on the 700-acre parcel. In an effort to lessen the ecological impact, Bimini Bay reduced the total number of units to just over 2,000; a reduction of more than 50 percent. The project continues to carry out environmental assessments to monitor the environmental impact and future potential impact.
“Any conservation or ecological issues must be considered alongside the potential economic and social benefits to be gained from the development. That is not to say that we consider development ‘at all costs,’ but more that a balanced decision should be taken in the light of all concerns,” says Jacqui Boardman, a senior partner with Acona Limited, an international consulting firm specializing in corporate responsibility.
However, most agree that the large-scale project cannot be looked upon as a static plan. The plan evolves, changes and adheres to the conditions. New factors are always analyzed as the plans and construction progress. Boardman adds, “There can be a fair balance between development and conservation providing all economic, environmental and social issues are taken into consideration during that process.”
THE FUTURE
For much of recent history, Bimini has stood unchanged. All the parties involved in its development are doing their part to adhere to Bimini’s rich and colorful past. The upgrading of island infrastructures, such as the improved communications and new navigation channels, are a welcomed change to visitors and natives alike. Existing hotels and marinas will continue to upgrade their facilities, and their attention to the history of Bimini will ensure the preservation of the island’s unique character. It seems that the new developments and resorts will enhance the islands as they embark on creating Bimini’s new and prosperous history. As the Bimini leadership and developers continue to maintain a careful balance between progress and preservation, Bimini will always be the picturesque “island in the stream.”
Ashley B. Saunders and Robbie Smith contributed to this article.