Let's Build Gonave, Haiti!

If you don't know what co-working spaces are, they are usually a facility that houses multiple different companies at the same time, under the same roof.  These can be startups to well established companies.  They can be from a single worker/owner to a company that has over 15 employees.  Parts of the co-working space allows for the business to have an office with four walls, or they can choose to have a dedicated desk in an open air room, or sharing a space with someone else who is with a different company. Usually all of the businesses will have access to the same conference room for a fee, access to printers, and wifi.  So the question is, could Hurko Co putting it's headquarters on La Gonave lead to a co-working space? Hurko Co could build the facility and base it's operations there, and then lease out other space in the facility for many startup businesses that exist or will exist in Anse-a-Galets.  I mentioned the Business and Innovation Park in a pr...

View the company website here. Be sure to check out the company website and like them on Facebook . Go Gonave!

We have ordered a special variety of blackberry that could survive Haiti's relenting heat.  While the island has favorable conditions, heat could prevent the plant from surviving or produce fruit. Blackberries are a fruit that is not only known for pies and jams, but also known for it's high vitamin properties.  In places like Seattle, wild blackberries are everywhere and as a result millions of blackberry flowers produce several tons of fruit that is rarely harvested by the general public.  In fact all of the states in the lower 48 can grow blackberries. Given that there are many different types of blackberries, many will not survive in Haiti.  We are hoping to create the correct soil chemistry, as well as reducing heat to grow blackberries.  If correctly modified we could possibly make a variety that has no problem surviving in Haiti.  While this plant will produce a tremendous amount of fruit for locals it also is a wonderful addition for honeybee...

Additional honeybee equipment has been purchased.  We are getting hive tools, and several queen cages shipped in all the way from Hong Kong.  The purchase of the actual hive boxes will be this month in Seattle.  Shipping is usually more than the hives themselves so these larger items will be picked up in person. We e many different types of plants and fruit plants that will make it's way to Haiti.  We have done some research to see how to best grow these crops and how to best make soil amendments.  Not only will diverse food be available for local Haitians, but also honeybees will make it possible for these crops to exist. Our orders are now 3 months behind due to the volume of items we are purchasing, and the distance they are coming from.  Our Seattle office is the perfect place to get these shipments in due to our location to Asia.  This drives down the cost of doing business in Haiti, which will set our cooperative apart from most of the ones ...

If La Gonave became a Special Administrative Region, one major way to bring in need revenue is to build outside of Haiti.  Building apartment buildings could bring in monthly revenue that could then be used to develop the region.  For example, the average house purchase in Seattle, is $500,000 US.  That is usually a 3 bdrm 1 bath house that is under 1,200 sq ft.  The average rent in Seattle for a 1 bdrm, 1 bath apartment of 6-700 sq ft is about $1,700 US per month! So by simply building a small container apartment building in say, Tacoma, which is just outside of Seattle, you can still have high rent, but on cheaper land.  Land in Tacoma is a little cheaper than Seattle, and you can find land that is literally a few blocks from Downtown Tacoma.  Tacoma even is expanding their light rail line, as well as their rail terminal, port, and University of Washington Tacoma campus.  All of which are downtown.  Tacoma is booming because Seattle is boomin...

One major problem with Haiti's growth is the severe lack of container ports.  Shipping containers have to carry goods and services for people.  In fact if there were no shipping container ports, the world economy would crash.  With shipping ports, while vital, they can be extremely expensive. With a shipping container port you need expensive infrastructure, expensive gantry cranes, rail systems, etc.  Also the expensive cost to run and maintain the ports and the certifications that are needed for the port and employees can be a problem. See the Port of Seattle below in Seattle, WA. La Gonave needs some sort of port in order to have goods and services delivered.  One way of solving all of this and for a very cost effective start is using a hovercraft.  Yes the US military landed a hovercraft on the island before.  A hovercraft can handle the rough sea, the coral reef and shallow water, the rocky soil of La Gonave, and it is by far cheaper th...

In many of the site's older blogs I talk about rail.  Most of the options are light rail vehicles.  The idea is to either connect the entire island by rail of some sort, and possibly start a leg connecting Anse-a-Galets to Pointe-a-Raquettes first.  Light rail is cheaper than heavy rail.  Think of the New York subway system as heavy rail.   Light rail is the type of rail that forms the backbone to Portland and Seattle's transit lines.  Then you have streetcars which are even lighter in weight than a light rail train.  These can look like San Francisco's iconic streetcar, or the modern streetcar that you see in Portland and Seattle. There is another option as well that is lighter than the streetcars and even cheaper.  A typical light rail vehicle can weigh 100,000 lbs, and cost as much as $6 million per vehicle.  A Utlra Light Rail Vehicle costs as much at $1 million or less, and weighs about 10,000 lbs.  Many tourist resorts and ...

Bidens Pilosa Picture Update. This is what the Bidens looks like after a month and a half.  The plants now have a purple appearance to the stems.  They are more woody in texture and if I extend the plants out, they are at least 10 inches.  These plants look as if they are going to be more in the form of a bush. Keep in mind that while these plants should have bloomed by now with flowers, they were transplanted three different times.  The greenhouse failed to do what we needed, however the seeds sprouted three days after being transplanted. These plants will do well in a tropical environment more so that the mild winter of Seattle.  Possibly the plants will bloom and if so, we will show what these blooms look like.  These plants are needed for the honeybee industry and will be a great wild plant that currently exists in Haiti.  We probably won't do any additional updates on the plant and consider this experiment a success. Look for this plant...

Our efforts to reforest La Gonave and aid in the honeybee project got a boost on March 11, 2015.  At our North American facility in Seattle, WA we planted Bidens Pilosa in a greenhouse that will mimic the environment in La Gonave, Haiti.  The Bidens Pilosa exists in Haiti, and often in the US you will see the plant along roadways.  The plants help pull pollution out of water, thus it is very helpful in filtering water, and pulling water into the ground. The Bidens Pilosa will be a major contributor to the honeybee project on La Gonave.  In Florida the plant is a major source of nectar for honeybees.  Also the plant is planted amongst mango trees to help pull nitrogen out of the soil.  Too much nitrogen and mangos don't manage well. We are excited that we are starting the first steps of producing wildflowers on a scale to be planted on La Gonave.  While the plant does exist on the mainland, there has not been any confirmed reports of ...

Currently we have started getting donations in for the start of a honey farm on Gonave.  PlaceProps and Amazon.com of Seattle, WA are assisting in this effort. We will be getting contributions on a monthly basis, so we will work hard on getting money to assist in our goal.  We also have contributed money towards this project as well. Go Gonave!

One of the folks here is working on a quicker solution that would require minor investment, but would have a strong future on Gonave.  I just wrote a blog today talking about using local coffee to supply Coffee Cubes LTD.  We are also looking to see if Starbucks would be interested in coffee that is from Gonave.  Our offices are based out of Seattle, which is where Starbucks is located.  So getting connections would be easier than say if we were in another part of the country. The idea would be to grow a specific coffee bean, that would then be imported to America, and then onto Starbucks.  Now this will require some homework on our part due to Starbucks having a large volume of blends, and due to Starbucks high standards.  This is still in the early stages, but could prove to be a major accomplishment if this gains traction.  Starbucks isn't the only company we are looking at.  Even Tully's will be considered as well.  Guess what, they ar...

With construction cost being so high, and given Gonave's limited amount of resources, using shipping containers could be a viable option. These shipping containers can look like any modern store front.  Given how fast they can be put up, and given their sturdiness, these containers can be a major game changer for Gonave.  Imagine having some 20 shops opened for tourist.  As I mentioned in a previous blog about cruise ships, according to Seattle's  Economic Department, cruise ships bring $1.2 million dollars to the economy every time they dock.  Imagine a ship per week landing at a port in Gonave.  Bringing almost $5 million a year a cruise ship terminal will payoff.  Adding a retail center will bring in even more money.   As you can see this is a small mall that was created by shipping containers. These containers can be assembled in a matter of hours, and can provide immediate infrastructure. This is an example of how a motorbike s...

When looking over ideas to Gonave's future, and using natural energy (wind and solar) to power the island, there are other things that Gonave can do in the distant future.  I wrote last year about creating a power company called Gonave Power and Lights.  GPL could adopt some of the same things many American cities have done to conserve power.  Gonave stands at an advantage because it is just now beginning its journey into power consumption. If future development comes to fruition, then many homes will start using power and water unlike ever before on the island.  The extreme expense will limit the amount of infrastructure that can initially be developed.  Looking at Hurko Co. development ideas, one city block would be developed at a time, with each block packing in a couple of hundred people.  Not only does it shave off expensive infrastructure, but it makes ecological sense.  With the development, no large road networks need to be completed, the co...

So as you may know I moved my offices from Albuquerque, to Seattle.  The move was pretty smooth, and only when I arrived in Seattle did I have a few hiccups.  So I am sorry for not having any updates. I will have a few updates starting tomorrow when I talk about water conservation on Gonave.  I also will re-visit the topic of water, and things that could be done early on to move Gonave in the right direction and be a leader in the region on water conservation. Future updates will focus on the topic of compost, and beer.  I have been working on the New World Ale beer, and I am still going to go the Ginger Beer. Go Gonave!

I recently started up my company which deals with residential leases, and will soon expand to other types of real estate.  If you noticed I haven't been writing lately, it is due to being very busy getting this company started.  I am in the process of moving from Albuquerque, NM to Seattle, WA.  The move is one that is strategic when it comes to business.  I will still be working on the Let's Build Gonave, Haiti campaign.  I still will be working on beers that will be brewed on Gonave.  I had to put the Ginger Beer on hold for now due to starting up my business.  The New World Ale, however was amazing, and will be making a second round of this beer to get all the flavors I am looking for. Stay tuned! Go Gonave!

Why rail? Building a light rail before roadways seems a bit backwards in most parts of the world.  The problem with roads are the large amount of vehicle pollution, road take up a large amount of space, and roads are expensive to maintain. Keep in mind, Gonave is a very tiny island.  Roads and highways should be built, but shouldn't be the initial first piece of land transportation.  Given that everything has to be imported, you would have to import fuel for all of the vehicles, and even import the vehicles themselves.  It all adds up to major expenses. If a light rail line was built, the initial costs would be pretty expensive, however the lines and rolling stock vehicles would last for a very long time.  Also wind turbines  could power the entire initial system.  Again the initial costs would be expensive.  A wind turbine cost $3-4 million for a 2 MW system.  A 2 MW system could power some 30,000 US homes.  A light rail train co...

When you think of a strong and vibrant Central Business District, you think of tall buildings, crowded streets full of cars, sidewalks full of people, and a synergy all of its own. Cities like the one pictured (Seattle) are always evolving.  They started off very humble beginnings, and then become world class cities.  For me all strong cities must have a strong and vibrant downtown.  One key element for Gonave is to turn the entire island into one city.  Given the small island size, and the steep terrain, it would serve best as one city with many neighborhoods.  In a previous blog I wrote about focus cities, which in themselves are not cities, but more of a economic focus of one neighborhood.  Gonave also would need to become a Special Administrative Region and govern itself and build it's own economic policy.  If Gonave does nothing or becomes a nation, like some propose, then it does very little to move the island forward, and could move the i...

Gonave has a dirt runway that would not be strong enough for larger aircraft to land.  Given that constructing a runway, and terminal could cost several million dollars, it wouldn't be something that would be immediately feasible.  Even a small scale, bare bones airport with a single 7,500 ft runway and a tiny 20,000 sq ft terminal would be at least $50 million.  So what is the alternative? As you know I like to find a cheaper way to do things that actually work.  When I was in Seattle this weekend I saw many seaplanes.  Many of these planes were small Cessna type craft, and not like the larger plane you see above.  Given the unique circumstances at Gonave, having a seaplane that takes off from Miami, or Haiti, makes for a more practical choice.  Funny that the above plane based out of Vancouver, Canada are the colors of the potential Gonave Flag.  I personally would have a yellow sun in the middle of the tail. The above aircraft would be t...

As Gonave develops not only should education be a main focus, but I think smart city design is also very important. Cities that build fiber optic lines, develop mass transit systems, focus on high density housing, and development that focuses on green technology lead the world.  Example, look at Seattle versus Miami.  While some would think Miami would be what a city should be, with the large amounts of hotels, a new plan for a large convention center and hotel, the large amounts of tourists, and a massive international airport, that Miami is the epitome of what all large cities should be. Look at Seattle, not only is large retailer Nordstrom from Seattle, but so is Boeing, Microsoft, T-Mobile, and Amazon.com to name a few.  Seattle has some of the best educational systems in the country, a large world known university (University of Washington), a massive downtown, lots of high density residential,  many options for transit, and it is on the verge of being a Wo...