An idea of financing the SAR government
Once of the main things that I am asked and challenged on is, if the people of La Gonave decide to govern themselves, how will this new government survive?
First there are several things that I think should be in place before taking such action as creating a Special Administrative Region. Not in any order, security, food, basic infrastructure, training, universal identification, chosen currency.
Now there are many more things that go into it, but I will start off with these basic things briefly, and then get on to the top of financing the SAR.
As mentioned in the previous post, security has to be created. This is something that the local people on La Gonave support, and that leaders on the island organize. Food is something that is needed over everything else. Having the ability to supply some food, lowers the cost of food, keeps more money on the island, and helps prevent famine and food crisis. Basic infrastructure is something that has to be done. Either the current dirt airstrip or creating a new airstrip further inland, needs to be paved. Now this doesn't have to be a major mega runway, but the existing dirt runway wouldn't allow for non-stop use in various types of weather. In addition some roadways need to be built to move people and goods around. Training is important for the services, tourist, and industrial needs of the island. Many of these can be on the job training, but the best and brightest are needed to fill these roles. Universal Identification is needed to ensure that people from La Gonave are benefiting from La Gonave. Having a major flood on people from the mainland to access the limited number of jobs on the island would defeat the purpose of building an island economy. Chosen currency. This can be the dollar, or the gourde, or both, or neither, but a chosen currency is needed for the SAR. One could be the initial used currency and later be replaced by a currency that represents the SAR.
Now, on to what this topic was suppose to be about, which is financing the SAR. I think the best bet is once the SAR is formed that they seek a loan to build a small power plant, water treatment plant, and landfill. In addition money should be used to build a small amount of roads and enough to build at least a 1 mile airstrip. Last, enough money should be set aside for the construction of a hotel/casino.
When you mention the word casino, people get a little concerned. Let me explain. In Haiti casinos are legal, based on the information that we have found. So this is good from the standpoint that a casino can be built while still under Haiti regulations. The difference is that the casinos would have a normal traditional payout and be regulated under the SAR. This will allow the casinos to operate like they do in most places of the world, and not have mixed results for player payout which sometimes is the problem in Haiti. The existing casinos in Haiti regulate themselves. The casino at the SAR would be government owned. This allows for 100% of all money going into the casino to flow into the governments pockets. Adding hotel rooms to the mix and charging a low room fee, only adds to the income.
Building such a resort doesn't have to be like the mega results in Dominican Republic, Macau, Bahamas, or Las Vegas. They can be smaller and offer the same types of services, and still net major results. A small mid-rise building of about 13 floors, small footprint, and a area for some retail, spa, indoor rock climbing, small theater for shows, nightclub, and a 12,000 sq ft casino could be accomplished with very little investment.
The image above is an idea of what I am thinking. While the above picture is an office building in Indianapolis, it does have a large area (indoor ice rink) that would be the perfect compact size to accomplish what I mentioned above.
So think of it this way, build a facility a small power plant that can power the facility and utility services needed to run the resort. Build a 1 mile paved runway strip, water treatment plant, and roads which will connect the resort to the airport. Total costs could be less than $80 million US. To be on the safe side the SAR could seek $100 million in loans and bonds, anything left over could be used to build up the island's school system.
While this sounds a bit crazy, look at places like the Bahamas. Atlantis is a mega resort and pulls in a lot of money. The Bahamas is known as a tourist spot for cruise ships as well. The average citizen in the Bahamas has one of the highest living standards of all of the Caribbean, even higher than the Dominican Republic. The Bahamas has less land, and less people than most countries in the Caribbean, yet due to having tourism as a backbone, residents live with more modern conveniences than other places in the region.
This is something that can change the island for the long term, and also bring in foreign investment. By building a hotel/casino and establishing what I mentioned, La Gonave will have a dedicated power source, dedicated waste treatment, paved runway, road access, and trained staff, which benefits the entire island. As more development happens, the more the island will succeed.
Just a thought!
Go Gonave!
First there are several things that I think should be in place before taking such action as creating a Special Administrative Region. Not in any order, security, food, basic infrastructure, training, universal identification, chosen currency.
Now there are many more things that go into it, but I will start off with these basic things briefly, and then get on to the top of financing the SAR.
As mentioned in the previous post, security has to be created. This is something that the local people on La Gonave support, and that leaders on the island organize. Food is something that is needed over everything else. Having the ability to supply some food, lowers the cost of food, keeps more money on the island, and helps prevent famine and food crisis. Basic infrastructure is something that has to be done. Either the current dirt airstrip or creating a new airstrip further inland, needs to be paved. Now this doesn't have to be a major mega runway, but the existing dirt runway wouldn't allow for non-stop use in various types of weather. In addition some roadways need to be built to move people and goods around. Training is important for the services, tourist, and industrial needs of the island. Many of these can be on the job training, but the best and brightest are needed to fill these roles. Universal Identification is needed to ensure that people from La Gonave are benefiting from La Gonave. Having a major flood on people from the mainland to access the limited number of jobs on the island would defeat the purpose of building an island economy. Chosen currency. This can be the dollar, or the gourde, or both, or neither, but a chosen currency is needed for the SAR. One could be the initial used currency and later be replaced by a currency that represents the SAR.
Now, on to what this topic was suppose to be about, which is financing the SAR. I think the best bet is once the SAR is formed that they seek a loan to build a small power plant, water treatment plant, and landfill. In addition money should be used to build a small amount of roads and enough to build at least a 1 mile airstrip. Last, enough money should be set aside for the construction of a hotel/casino.
When you mention the word casino, people get a little concerned. Let me explain. In Haiti casinos are legal, based on the information that we have found. So this is good from the standpoint that a casino can be built while still under Haiti regulations. The difference is that the casinos would have a normal traditional payout and be regulated under the SAR. This will allow the casinos to operate like they do in most places of the world, and not have mixed results for player payout which sometimes is the problem in Haiti. The existing casinos in Haiti regulate themselves. The casino at the SAR would be government owned. This allows for 100% of all money going into the casino to flow into the governments pockets. Adding hotel rooms to the mix and charging a low room fee, only adds to the income.
Building such a resort doesn't have to be like the mega results in Dominican Republic, Macau, Bahamas, or Las Vegas. They can be smaller and offer the same types of services, and still net major results. A small mid-rise building of about 13 floors, small footprint, and a area for some retail, spa, indoor rock climbing, small theater for shows, nightclub, and a 12,000 sq ft casino could be accomplished with very little investment.
The image above is an idea of what I am thinking. While the above picture is an office building in Indianapolis, it does have a large area (indoor ice rink) that would be the perfect compact size to accomplish what I mentioned above.
So think of it this way, build a facility a small power plant that can power the facility and utility services needed to run the resort. Build a 1 mile paved runway strip, water treatment plant, and roads which will connect the resort to the airport. Total costs could be less than $80 million US. To be on the safe side the SAR could seek $100 million in loans and bonds, anything left over could be used to build up the island's school system.
While this sounds a bit crazy, look at places like the Bahamas. Atlantis is a mega resort and pulls in a lot of money. The Bahamas is known as a tourist spot for cruise ships as well. The average citizen in the Bahamas has one of the highest living standards of all of the Caribbean, even higher than the Dominican Republic. The Bahamas has less land, and less people than most countries in the Caribbean, yet due to having tourism as a backbone, residents live with more modern conveniences than other places in the region.
This is something that can change the island for the long term, and also bring in foreign investment. By building a hotel/casino and establishing what I mentioned, La Gonave will have a dedicated power source, dedicated waste treatment, paved runway, road access, and trained staff, which benefits the entire island. As more development happens, the more the island will succeed.
Just a thought!
Go Gonave!
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