All Eyes on Montagu of the Bahamas

This week, the Montagu Foreshore, a beautiful piece of real estate in Nassau Bahamas, will come under the spotlight at a town style meeting at The Nassau Yacht Club.
The Montagu Foreshore Steering Committee has asked residents, vendors, businesses and others for their views on the use of the property that stretches east of the Nassau Yacht Club to the Royal Nassau Sailing Club and includes Fort Montagu.
The committee was formed under the sponsorship of the MP for the area, Loretta Butler-Turner, the minister of state for social development.
The Montagu, as it's referred to, once played host to one of the most beautiful beaches in Nassau. But land reclamation, dredging and the erection of a sea wall are all thought to have contributed to severe beach erosion.
Over time, fish vendors moved into the area, along with jet ski operators, both competing for space to sell their seafood and launch watercraft. End result – traffic bottlenecks.
The Montagu's especially significant to Bahamas residents. Fort Montagu was built in the 1700s to protect the eastern entrance of Nassau harbour from an invasion by the Spanish.
The Montagu Beach Hotel, imploded in the 1990s, is the first hotel that opened year round in the Bahamas instead of only during the winter tourist season.
It was here that the Flipper film series was shot. And it was here that Nassau couples danced their Saturday nights away, or Bahamians coming of age took their first sip of beer in the English style pub.
Over the years, the quaint charm and beauty of this gorgeous real estate was lost.
So it's with a sense of relief that serious attention's being focused on an area where people congregate to jog, watch the sunrise, stage regattas and enjoy cook-outs.
“We have been working to understand the uses of Montagu foreshore, the commerce on the ramp and the recreational traffic and uses since the committee was formed under the auspices of Montagu MP and Minister of State for Social Development Loretta Butler-Turner in July,” said Diane Phillips, chairman.
“Now we are most eager to get public input as we prepare to draft a report for the minister's consideration…Public opinion is critical…”
The committee is hoping for a big turn out at the meeting at 6pm on Thursday.
Both Butler-Turner and Earl Deveaux, minister of the environment, are scheduled to attend.