Posted by: Editor on Aug 16, 2006 – 12:27 AM
newsandinfo  Five years after the world-famous Straw Market was completely destroyed by fire, construction of a new building is likely to begin before year’s end.

First Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of National Security William Munnings confirmed that by the end of the week tenders would be out for bid for a market replacement, paving the way for the construction of a new state-of-the-art facility.

“The tender is supposed to be going out this week and they have about six weeks to respond. And after they would have submitted those, then it would take about eight weeks for the preliminaries, following upon which will be the groundbreaking.” Mr. Munnings said.

The $15 million, three-storey building was designed to accommodate up to 600 vendors. It is understood that provisions have also been made for other artisans and craftsmen to display their wares.

Michael Foster is the architect for the new straw market, which will be re-built on its original site on Bay Street over-looking Woodes Rogers Wharf. The new straw market is expected to take two years to complete. It was on 4 September, 2001 that a raging fire tore through the market, destroying everything in its path, leaving behind millions of dollars in damage.

More than 500 vendors and their helpers were thrown out of work as the majority of their straw goods were destroyed in what some termed the “great fire.” The blaze also destroyed the Ministry of Tourism and Vendue House, and it attracted international attention, as the market was well-known for its hand-crafted straw goods.

Since the fire, vendors have been housed in hot, cramped quarters under a tent situated on the old Bahama Electricity Corporation parking lot at the western end of Bay Street.

Undersecretary in the Ministry of National Security Peter Deveaux-Isaacs boasts that the new buildings will have more than enough space for the vendors to showcase their goods.

Source: The Nassau Guardian