Dolly evicted for Dart park

(CNS): A new park on Cayman Brac, which will cover just over an acre of land owned by the Sister Islands Affordable Housing Corporation (SIAHDC), will be totally funded by Dart Cayman’s Growing Communities, the District Administration Ministry has announced. The park will feature an amphitheatre, half basketball court, an eight-foot walking path along the perimeter, cabanas, grilling areas, restrooms and playground equipment, and the landscaping will feature coastal indigenous plants, the ministry says. However, the move has brought the deputy premier, who has responsibility for the ministry, into conflict with one of her constituents, who says that her 95-year-old mother, Dolly Brown (left), must move to make way for the creation of the park.

Colleen Gibson claims that Deputy Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly promised her that her mother, Dorothy “Dolly” Brown, could remain in her home until she died, even though the land it sits on is owned by government. (Below: Colleeen Gibson outside Dolly Brown's home in Watering Place)

She said that her mother, who is bed-ridden and cannot walk by herself, is assisted by a staff member from social services 14 hours per week and the rest of the time by a helper that Gibson pays for herself.

“Now, all of a sudden, she will be evicted from her home of 70 years,” Gibson wrote in an open letter to the deputy premier. “This seems highly unfair to treat a 95-year-old woman and a matriarch of Cayman Brac in this manner. It appears government has little concern for the elderly at this time. The least government could do is relocate her to a home where she will be happy for the few remaining years on Cayman Brac.”

The piece of land where Ms Dolly’s home is located, which will form part of the park, was sold by members of Ms Dolly’s family to the SIAHC on December 2004 for CI$30,000, but Gibson said that she and other members of the family did not know this at the time. When she found out later, she said, she spoke to O’Connor Connolly and received assurances that her mother could remain in the house for the rest of her life.

Gibson, who is 65-years old and a grandmother herself, works full time making traditional craftwork out of silver thatch that she sells in her own clothing and variety store. She wrote, “Miss Julie, I am unable to take on the monetary burden that would be put on my shoulders. The room I built twenty-five years ago is now not acceptable for a woman of age and disability and her special needs. I am not physically able to provide for her.

“Miss Julie, please help me. You have known me almost 50 years and over those years we have built a friendship that means a lot to you and myself. We have seen good times and bad times and you know me – I never walk away from a problem but this is a mountain I can’t climb.  Please, I need all the help I can get from you and, as a fellow Bracker, I am asking you to call on all the government people that are involved in this problem to provide a fair and humanitarian solution to this unfortunate situation.”

In a statement from the ministry, O'Connor-Connolly noted that Ms Dolly’s husband left the house and his share of the land for his grandson and the other share belonged to his brother, who left it for his children. “After government was approached to purchase the land, we purchased it for CI$30,000. As Ms Dolly had no family member who offered to take care of her or house her I was not prepared to put her out on the street so I told her that she could continue staying there. Subsequently, there was an agreement for Ms Dolly to live in the structure but over the years from various home visits I have become increasing concerned about her living conditions.”

The deputy premier said that government had built an additional room onto Gibson’s home and Ms Dolly relocated there. “For whatever reason, Ms Dolly chose to move back to the old wooden house,” she said.

“In May, after the flooding District Administration officers, whilst conducting a flood assessment report, found the house to be in a deplorable state, the plumbing was not working, plastic bags were stuffed in the sides of the wall and some of the wood is rotten and we spoke with both of her daughters about moving Ms Dolly to better living conditions and again was met with family resistance as no one wanted to take her.

“At first Ms Colleen wanted to find out if the building could be moved to be placed behind her shop in Stake Bay but when PWD looked they too decided that it was not possible to move this old building as it was on a cement slap and the structure was not sound. Then Ms Gibson demanded that government renovate the room that we built on to her home years ago. She has since changed this position and has agreed for social services to rent a place to put her mother in. Social services and Administration stands ready to do this tomorrow and now Ms Gibson wants to wait for a week more before this occurs.”

O’Connor Connolly concluded, “Successive Governments have and will continue to care for its elderly and in fact budgets millions each year for this purpose however whenever possible families must and should also assist.”

The deputy premier’s ministry has stated that the park will be sited at Watering Place, where the deputy premier was raised, in between the affordable homes complex and Pop-a-Top Park, an area of beach land that is also owned by government. It will be totally funded by Dart Cayman’s Growing Communities, including labour, and government resources will not be used. The ministry further stated that the park is a goodwill gesture only and is not part of any deal or in exchange for anything.

O’Connor-Connolly said, “Brackers have a strong sense of community and they like open spaces where families can get together. This park will provide another avenue for family cohesiveness,” she stated. “Every park user knows the benefits of green space, but the benefits of parks, trails, and green spaces extend far beyond users. From improving our physical and psychological health, to strengthening our communities and making our neighborhoods more attractive places to live and work - the benefits of parks are endless - to individuals and our communities.

“Beyond the benefits of exercise, a growing body of research shows that contact with nature improves physical and psychological health. Older adults who participate in a variety of social and recreational opportunities benefit from the social connections and interactions that are fundamental to their well-being.  Parks have long been recognised as key contributors to the aesthetic and physical quality of neighborhoods,” she noted. 

“Over the past years, and in partnership with successive governments, we’ve created community parks in East End, North Side, George Town, Bodden Town and West Bay, and we’re pleased to now focus our efforts on the Sister Islands and Cayman Brac,” said Ken Hydes, VP Place Management & Experiences for Dart Realty (Cayman) Ltd.  “We’d like to thank the deputy premier for helping us to get this Growing Communities project off the ground.”

Construction is expected to start in November, subject to the necessary construction permits being in place, the ministry stated, adding that future plans include a 25-metre pool and an area for portable bleachers to host local swim meets. 

The following was sent from the DAWLA Ministry:

I, Tara Bush, PR Officer for DAWLA, apologize to Deputy Premier and Minister of District Administration, Works, Lands and Agriculture and the Ministry for causing any embarrassment relating to “Brackers get a Dart Park” release which I wrote. The writer (me) is accused of plagiarizing a statement from GIG Harbor Foundation website – relating to parks -- by using a portion as the Minister’s quote. 

I researched the material, so it is extremely important for me to point out that while the quote from the CIG Harbour website is too similar to ignore – the benefits of parks is also noted on several other sites. There are commonalities in the benefits of parks in the statement.  While this doesn’t make it right, it is what happened. For some of the commentators to castigate the Minister is truly unfair. The blame is mine.

Tara Bush