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Work begins on Multi-million dollar Christophe Harbor Development Project
By Ryan Haas
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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| Backhoe tears into a wall of the abandoned hotel |
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – Friday March 7th saw the first signs of progress in the multi-million dollar Christophe Harbor development project on the Southeast Peninsula when an abandoned hotel near Major’s Bay was demolished.
KHT Land Holdings, a partnership between Kiawah Development Partners of South Carolina, Auberge Hotels and Resorts, and JB Turbidy, is the lead developer of the Christophe Harbor project and had representatives on hand for the destruction of the hotel.
A group of beach-goers gathered to watch as a backhoe tore into the graffiti covered and dilapidated walls of the old structure.
Mark Pavluvcik, Director of Development/Construction at KHT Land Holdings, said Friday’s events were a “small, but symbolic land breaking for the project.”
“We plan on saving some of the groundbreaking debris for historical reasons,” Pavluvcik said, referring to some of the small cannons that lined the shore side of the hotel. ~~Adz:Right~~
“There will be a lot of activity in this area over the next three years. If a hotel ends up being developed on this land, we estimate that several hundred local residents will be employed in the construction and service trades.”
Pavluvcik added that Christophe Harbor still has many obstacles to overcome before citizens of the Federation will begin to profit from the project. He said that it was an extremely large undertaking and development on the area may not start for the next six to twelve months.
He further indicated that the large number of goats and cattle on the southeast peninsula were proving to be a major problem. “We have spoken to the person who owns these animals and we have worked out a deal to humanely relocate them to a northern part of the island. Our research has shown that once we are able to do this, the vegetation will return to the peninsula.”
In addition to harming vegetation, a study conducted by the St. Kitts Foundation showed that marine life and ecology was being harmed by sedimentary runoff created by the overgrazing ruminants. Pavluvcik stated that a solution to this problem needs to be reached soon because “the planning phases of the Tom Fazio championship golf course and mega-yacht marina are nearly completed and construction could begin very soon.”
Along with the golf course and marina, Christophe Harbor will comprise of several five-star hotels, boutiques, fine dining restaurants and villas.
The project is scheduled to be opened as a tourist attraction in the year 2010 and has been referred to by the Prime Minister, Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas as being “integral to [his] vision for St. Kitts and Nevis”.
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View of Nevis from Christophe Harbor
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Mark Pavluvcik (right), Director of Development/Construction, talks about KHT Land Holdings’ work on Christophe Harbor |
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