Bahamas Public Parks and Public Beaches Authority Executive Chairman McKell Bonaby last night broke his silence over the $141 million the authority has spent in less than five years, defending its work and arguing that the government is not using it as a slush fund.
Bonaby acknowledged the poor state of many public parks, but suggested that the contracts issued to more than 1,000 small contractors during his tenure have contributed to stimulating the economy.
“Now, the fact of the matter is, there is a lot to be desired, but it’s not something that happened overnight,” said Bonaby, who appeared as a guest on ILTV’s Beyond the Headlines with host Shenique Miller.
“Some of the parks have not been well maintained for the last 10 to 20 years. Some of the parks we were able to maintain right away. Some of the parks, it’s actually a work in progress. So we want to address it as soon as possible. But the capital expense alone, if we were to tackle all of that cost, the cost would be even more than what you’re seeing today. And this is why I’m saying, the fact of the matter is, parks and beaches is huge. It’s underestimated, but it’s huge.”
His sit-down interview with Miller, who many view as a Progressive Liberal Party-friendly host, came after months of silence on the overspending at the authority and the run-down state of many of New Providence’s public parks.
The Nassau Guardian has attempted to interview Bonaby on the issue since at least July 2024, but he has never returned this newspaper’s calls or texts.
Last week, The Nassau Guardian reported that, in less than five years, the authority spent more than $141 million, going over its allocated budget every fiscal year. The authority has never, under Bonaby’s leadership, publicly accounted for how it has spent its money.
Amid outcry about the large outlay already spent by the authority, Bonaby said last night that the entity should be allocated even more public funds to continue its work.
“But what I’m saying to you, Shenique, is this, it is such a broad task, a humongous task with all of the assets that we own, a serious conversation needs to be had where Bahamians need not to balk at what is being submitted for Parks and Beaches to run its operations over the next year, and I would advocate for more for the next whoever becomes the new chairman,” he said.
Bonaby, who appeared subdued during the interview, said the authority manages over 200 parks on New Providence and has engaged 1,200 small contractors, some of whom may not have otherwise found work.
“Let’s talk about our 1,200 contractors that we have alone, approximately 1,200 small contractors, small business owners, people who may not have a degree, people who are still Bahamians, people who need to look after their families, people who are looking for an opportunity, as a state-owned entity, that is also a role that we play as well,” he said.
He said the authority has beefed up its park management department, accounts department and hired new lifeguards.
Asked if the PLP is using the authority as a “slush fund”, Bonaby said, “Definitely not.
“If you look at the work that Parks and Beaches have been doing since 2021 to now, you see that we’ve been pretty consistent about how parks and beaches are supposed to be used.
“So, for instance, under the previous administration, there was allegations of road work being done on certain roads where there were a certain amount of persons being paid for work not being done. That has not been levied under this administration. This administration takes accountability seriously.”
He said under his leadership, the first ever set of audits were conducted and competed at the authority.
He did not say why those audits have not been made public.
“And so, when we talk about the amount that is being spent at Parks and Beaches, there’s a negative connotation there,” he said.
“The connotation there is that there’s no accountability, there’s no transparency, and there’s no value for money.
“But what you have to also consider is Parks and Beaches is growing as well as an entity. I’m the third chairman. The first chairman was Greg Burrows. He had about a year and a half or so on the job. The second was the other chairman, and now myself. And so it is a very young and fledgling institution. And so in terms of looking at how we make sure that the public is now viewing Parks and Beaches in the right light. Parks and Beaches is tantamount to the cleaning agent of the entire country.”
Asked about what he’s done since becoming chairman, Bonaby said, “We started off in 2021 in a dilapidated building where the staff had to go home at least three days out of the week.
“We didn’t have a full complement of staff. We moved into new headquarters, and I’ve said this in the House of Assembly, we had run down a park cleaning equipment. We had no ride on lawn mowers. We had no lawn mowers, very little weed whackers. We didn’t have a fleet of vehicles. We had two vehicles for about four inspectors to carry out inspections on the entire island. Now, Parks and Beaches can boast of a whole host of vehicles, a fleet of vehicles that it now has under its remit.”
Bonaby said thousands of Bahamians have benefited from the authority.
“Over the over the course of five years, there are thousands and thousands of Bahamians who have been positively impacted by Parks and Beaches, thousands and thousands, from small contractors to medium sized contractors, people who are unemployed, unemployable, are able to come to Parks and Beaches and able to apply for a contract and get their lives back on track.
“It’s been something that multiple administrations have used to stimulate the economy, to keep money at home, in Bahamians’ pockets.”
When Miller asked Bonaby why he evaded a reporter’s questions on nomination day about the issue, the Mount Moriah MP pushed back.
“Well, the fact of the matter is, no, I couldn’t say all of this in that environment,” Bonaby, who is seeking re-election, said.
“That’s a celebratory environment, that’s an environment where I had hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of supporters coming out to a nomination. I wanted to sit with you and others in the media for a more fulsome conversation.”
