I STRONGLY OBJECT TO THE BICKNELL'S WALL AT OLD WHARF FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS.

1) No permission was granted for the wall to be built, and it is ILLEGAL.

2) It is unsightly, and oversized

3) It is a obstruction to turtle nestings

4) It will interfer with the sand flow to the other coves over time.

I EXPECT THE AUTHORITIES TO PUT A STOP TO THIS CHAOTIC ILLEGAL PRACTICE NOT ONLY IN OLD WHARF BUT ISLAND WIDE.

SINCERELY,
HARVEY S REYNOLDS

By HARVEY REYNOLDS on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 05:24 pm: Edit Post
I STRONGLY OBJECT TO THE BICKNELL'S WALL AT OLD WHARF FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS.

1) No permission was granted for the wall to be built, and it is ILLEGAL.

2) It is unsightly, and oversized

3) It is a obstruction to turtle nestings

4) It will interfer with the sand flow to the other coves over time.

I EXPECT THE AUTHORITIES TO PUT A STOP TO THIS CHAOTIC ILLEGAL PRACTICE NOT ONLY IN OLD WHARF BUT ISLAND WIDE.

SINCERELY,
HARVEY S REYNOLDS

I VERY strongly agree.

Sincerely
Marie J. Rochester

Mr Reynolds,

Many who care about TB are in accord with you. You have only to refer to the thread on this site headed OBSERVER ARTICLE RE WALL IN TREASURE BEACH, if you hve not yet explored it, go back 14 days for a full picture.

Those who are able are encouraged to write to the addresses listed by Diana McCaulay on Jan. 14th in that thread, with an additional copy to the Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Barnett, M.P., at:

edmund@tpdco.org

There are those also, who, while in support, are unable or unwilling to write or email individually.

If there is a caring and resourceful person (not associated with TBNet, who remain conscientiously neutral) willing to devote time and effort to the endeavor, a simple petition could be circulated, which would be signed by all who care, as we do. This would not be a 'legal' document, simply an additional indication of community concern. Resident and visitor alike could weigh in.

Copies would be scanned and emailed to the four addresses.

The petition could read:

"Regarding the current and future construction on the Bicknell shoreline property at Old Wharf, Treasure Beach: We, the undersigned, request that all applicable building codes, land use regulations, and environmental restrictions be enforced, without exception, and that any illegal structures be removed and correct terrain be restored immediately."

As I am in the US, I am not able to do much more than cheerlead! Wish I was there to orchestrate an effort.

Treasure Beach is at a 'fork in the road'; we must act quickly.

Will someone step up?

BRAVO to Harvey Reynolds.

Mr. Reynolds, I agree with you 100% and want that wall to come down as much as you do. I fear it will not come down because I doubt the authorities in charge will take the time or effort to go up against Mr. Bicknell. Look at the illegal canal and see what has happened to the people responsible for it. Absolutely nothing.
Mr. Reynolds, I pray I am wrong. Our civil servants are supposed to work on behalf of ALL the people {edited by TBNet}

Miss McCawlay, would you suggest we circulate a petition? What about writing to the Minister of tourism? There are many of us who want to help fight the wall and it sounds like Mr. DuRand has some excellent ideas.

Lets face facts there is no way that monstrosity is going to be removed now!

Blimey, can you imagine the mess and further destuction if it was, so why is it not covered up by sand or plants, I am sure that would be possible.

But I do think the person responsible should have to pay a hefty (and I mean very large)fine for not getting the appropriate permission. Hopefully this would a start to detering anyone else from doing this.

In my experience, petitions are less effective than individual letters, but also have their place. An easy way to do it is via a free on line site like http://www.thepetitionsite.com/

Yes, no problem writing the Minister of Tourism, but his Ministry does not really have planning/environmental functions.

Diana from JET

Totally right Monstrosity. The wall will stay. If there is a fine and I doubt there will be one, I believe it will be very small. What we call a minor slap on the hand.

Bad joke, Joke.

IF there is a hefty fine wouldn't it be wonderful if that money could be used in Treasure Beach toward helping our environmental concerns or if it could go to JET to give them more resources to keep assisting wherever necessary?

If other people along the coast had Mr. Biknel's
kind of money they would have done the same with their property. If New Orleans had a good wall
Cathrena would not have drown it.
Some of us need to pay success with praise instead
of envy. I still have my Willie Penny to bet that
that wall will never come down.

Mr Bowl you might be an expert on Treasure Beach, but I believe your opinions on what happened in New Orleans are plain wrong.

Actually, Bowl, New Orleans had lots of walls and levees and other types of construction. What they did NOT have was their wetlands, and that made the damage from Hurricane Katrina worse. If memory serves me right, there is now a lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers for removing the wetlands.
Diana from JET

Here are some links:

Why loss of wetlands made the Katrina disaster worse

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4393852.stm

The lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers for failing to maintain the levees - take home lesson - man made things need to be maintained - how good are we at that? This is more relevant to the canal, but still interesting...

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/11/18/louisiana.katrina.lawsuit/index.html

Also some information on why sand dunes are important from New Zealand - a country which has much to teach us about protecting the environment...

http://www.doc.govt.nz/publications/conservation/native-plants/pikao-or-pingao-t he-golden-sand-sedge/coastal-sand-dunes-form-and-function/

Diana from JET

Bowl, I can not place myself in Mr. Biknel's shoes because I have nothing like his kind of money, so I can not say what I would have done. I would like to THINK I would not have built anything so intrusive. If I had bought the same piece of land he did I might have also had to build a wall to save my property from future damage. I know I would have not built before I had full permission from all the agencies involved, and I do not think Mr. Bicknel waited for all of those. The problem might have more to do with allowing ANYTHING to be built on that sort of land, but if the laws are so lenient he would have a right to build anything he wanted. I DO know I would not have disturbed turtle breeding grounds when building.

Please do not imply Mr. Bicknel's wall will one day save Treasure Beach from the fate of New Orleans. To do that it would be necessary for the ENTIRE COASTLINE to have walls such as Mr. Bicknel does. Damaging water entered and ruined New Orleans through all the breaks they had in their levee system.

You are probably correct in saying that wall will never come down. Not in our lifetime.

By Bowl on Saturday, February 27, 2010 - 07:58 pm: Edit Post
If other people along the coast had Mr. Biknel's
kind of money they would have done the same with their property. If New Orleans had a good wall
Cathrena would not have drown it.
Some of us need to pay success with praise instead
of envy. I still have my Willie Penny to bet that
that wall will never come down.

I doubt that very much. Some people care about the enviorment.

MANY of us care about the environment. I would venture to say most of those who do not APPEAR to care about the environment simply have not been told how this sort of damage will start to ruin things for them, their children, and their children's children. When they are told, even young children are horrified. Let's just hope we are not ruining things for these wonderful and innocent young people.

New Orleans is a city, situated mostly below sea level. It needed a levee for the collective protection of all its residents. As an extension to Bowl's fallacy maybe we should start thinking about a seawall to protect all of Treasure Beach.

I heard there was something in the school where they showed how hurting one thing like coral can have serious impact on many other things. People told me the children were quite impressed to learn this. I think the environmental protection is more a matter of awareness than people not caring. When they are aware, they care. A lot of environmental actions probably need to start by explaining things well to the children.

In respond to Bowl and Mr Bicknel money .A man with wealth and power who has no respect for the enviorment and the people within is a very poor man in my book.

TB you are a wise person. You have a wise philosophy of life. I expect you are rich with happiness.

I have just received a letter in the post from The Hon. Chris Tufton, M.P., in which he states,
"I have been following up on the matter and so far had discussions with the St. Elizabeth Parish Council, the developer and the owner of the property."
He assures me that he will,
"continue to monitor the situation to ensure that whatever decisions are taken is (sic) in keeping with the laws of the country and in the best interest of the community."
Thanks due to Hon. Tufton for a personal response and, it appears, an interest in seeing the issue resolved legally.
I am planning an appeal to Mr. Bicknell that goes beyond the merely legal to the ethical, cultural, environmental, and aesthetic aspects of his impact in Treasure Beach. I have had no communication from him or Jason, but I am optimistic that an amicable dialogue might be helpful in mitigating the more egregious elements of the development. We shall see.
Hold a good thought!

Excellent, Roger. Did you post a letter to MP Tufton or did you send it via email? I ask because I wonder if he only answers REAL letters. I take it you also communicated with Mr. Henzel and Mr. Bicknell. If so via what means did you do this?

Well good luck with that Roger.
We shall see indeed.

I did send Tufton an actual letter on 17 January, which was also posted here on 18 January as a document file.

I have not yet contacted Bruce Bicknell or Jason directly; I expect that they have followed our threads here, as pertains to them, but I can't be sure of that. As it is a matter of some sensitivity and significant consequence to all involved, including our TB community, I want my communication to be constructive, conciliatory, and effective (a tall order!), so I am currently crafting a letter to that end. It may be such that the letter, (or letters) verbatim, should not be posted here, but I will gladly share the essence of it and any responses with the forum.

I gather MP Tufton chooses not to respond to his email. What about Mr. Henzel and Mr. Bicknell. Did they get real letters or emails? You may correctly surmise I did not receive responses to any of my emails to MP Tufton. Not even an auto response acknowledging receipt.

They don't have time to answer letters or to even say they received letters but they have the time to go from villa to villa asking for a big fee because there is a sign on the villa property with the villa name visible from the street and they say this is advertising. THIS IS NOT A JOKE. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS. [edited by TB.Net]

Roger, I would doubt Mr. Bicknell reads this forum. He is a very busy person and he is running a large business. Mr. Henzell is also quite busy and travels a good amount of the time. It is not like he sits around Jakes all day with little to do. I also cannot recall the last time he posted something here on this Forum which does not mean he does not read it or someone else does not read it for him. Breds also has stopped posting here. I do wish you the best in crafting your letter because you seem to be a voice of reason. I am looking forward to you sharing the essence of what you write to both of them and I would like to know if you receive responses. I thank you for what you are doing.

Establishments are supposed to pay something to the Parish Council for displaying a sign with their name on it ON THEIR OWN PROPERTY? You said it isn't a joke. If it is not a joke it is highway robbery.

It is not a joke nor highway robbery. It is the law. Remember,ignorance of the law is no defense.All public signs are deemed as advertising,whether it is placed on your property or not.It is one of the Local Government revenue source to finance street lights, garbage collection, minor road patching etc. This is not unique to Jamaica.The size of the fee, if considered exorbitant is a better line to argue on.

how much does the sign fee cost? is this paid once or each year?

If the sign is a property name Parish Council, I doubt there is a fee. I do not have access to that law.

If it states a name with 'Rooms Within' or such, it is a commercial enterprise and have various responsibilities to the public and the government as defined in our laws and acted on by the various local and central organisations.

Wonder if my 'Nature Preserve' communication will attract said fee?

Thanks Roger and thanks Minister Tufton. It is good to hear that careful consideration is being given to this.

This experience has demonstrated the effect of clear and honest communication over the popular forms of effecting change.

I am encouraged. The best medicine in the middle of so much .....you know what I mean.

The lowest rate at the Kingston & St Andrew Corporation (KSAC)is J$2,500.It can go up to over $80,000 for larger signs such as billboards.The amount payable is therefore based on the size of the sign.It is an annual fee. Other local Parish Councils have their own rate structure.Business operators in the TB area can consult with The St. Elizabeth Parish Council for the rates applicable.

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE ME A UPDATE ON THE WALL AT OLD WARPH. I HAVE NOT HEARD FROM ANY OF THE RELEVANT GOVERMENT AGIENCIES.

CITIZENS, WAKE UP. GET INVOLVED.

HARVEY REYNOLDS

I have been away for three weeks and on my return to office, I checked with the environmental ministry on the status of the wall at Old Wharf. I am told that following the hearing of the appeal, the decision was referred back to the St. Elizabeth Parish council and it was recently approved.

Diana from JET

Has a precedent thus been set easing the way for future walls of this type?

Yes, IMHO.

Whoever is thinking about another wall Please be careful with the next wall.

Seems like a precedent has been set {edited by TBNet}

What an unfortunate homecoming.

On the other hand, how convenient this is for the builder. We can now have two "interesting" things being constructed simultaneously in Treasure Beach.