Please could I have an email address that I can post the document I wrote called
The Green Lung Of Paget which is a summary fact sheet of about 18 points on the Bermuda Botanical Gardens taken from the Park Management Plan 2004.
I would also be very interested in knowing who started this great website!
Well done! Val Wallace

Please post a way I could help... I am an onion off the rock and want to stop this. I know plenty of Bermudians not on the island, and I am sure they would love to get involved.

DJH

A typically misguided idea from the present government! Every person who does or has ever lived in Bermuda should fight this move. At a time when other countries are rushing to protect their remaining open spaces and places of beauty, our government is destroying them.

This government has stated that building a new hospital on the current site will cost $100 million more than if we build at Botanical Gardens. That is a fair point. But if we continue to take the cheaper alternative, how long before we lose all of our land to construction? Conservation may require us to make difficult choices in the short-term so that we can preserve our natural beauty for future generations.

It's rare for me to say this but for once I agree with the PLP. I don't think there's any disagreement that the current hospital facilities are old and need to be replaced, so the question then comes down to when and where?

Assuming that the figures are correct, i.e. that building on the botanical gardens will save $100m and lead to a quicker construction time, then I believe this is the best option.

I haven't seen any arguments that the gardens contain rare or endagered species and on the grand scheme of things they aren't exactly an international draw for tourism, in fact friends I've had visit who have visited the gardens and been on the tour said it was pretty dull. As far as saving a space for our kids future, Bermuda has tonnes of the stuff in the form of beaches.

At the end of the day, you have to put human life and well being above trees and grass so rip the lot up and lets build the hospital. If the treehuggers are objecting to this and feel so strongly about it, then go ahead and raise the $100m to save the gardens.

As much as I am opposed to this development , is the public outcry not 'too little too late ?'

The fact of the matter is , we all should have become very concerned about what was happening on our island (NOT "country" or "nation") 20 years ago. Has anyone looked at the 'Google Earth Maps' Bermuda ?
The only recognizable green areas from space are the 9 golf courses.

We are already a concrete jungle and it will get worse as we are deluded into thinking that we have to build even more houses to solve the housing problem. A problem that is RENT price caused NOT a lack of structures problem.

Bermuda's beauty is nothing more than an illusion caused by pastel coloured buildings and strategically placed hedges.

Remember how shocked we all were by the amount of 'newly visible' concrete and neighborhoods after Fabian.

Still , NO to the building in the BG .

I agree maybe the hospital needs replacing and upgrading. However, the very fact that we have a previous hospital falling apart and the cost to re-build maybe a bit more, we the taxpayers will end up bearing the brunt for the cost in the increases each year in taxes in our cost of living. So why not build on that site?
Botanical Gardens is one of the many open spaces left for our families, friends and visitors to enjoy, even if it is only to layback and look at the heavens or across the greenery we now have.
I say ' No' to destroying one of the few open spaces left for our upcoming generations.

For Government, the potential hospital project would be another grand physical manifestation of the PLP's power and legacy. We don't need another ego-driven white elephant for Bermuda - we need solutions sensitive to the needs of our community, balancing the need for improved healthcare facilities and green space. The Canadian consultants created a nice solution for a hospital somewhere in their country. I expect better from the guardians of the public's trust and expect better for Bermuda. There are other alternative solutions to the need for upgrading hospital facilities, including decentralization where appropriate. Potential sites for development of smaller, decentralized facilities abound in the immediate area of the existing hospital. This approach would also allow phased development, avoiding the worst aspects of the Berkeley debacle. A design charette or competition, similar to Swan's Hamilton Docks effort - would be welcomed. Naturally, Government and Hospital Board will portray those opposed to the Garden's site as being opposed to the community's quality of healthcare. This is a convenient PR technique using offensive 'framing' of potential opponents. Wake up Bermuda! Don't forget we elected the government to work for us and pay from our pockets through customs, levies and taxes. Personally, I would mourn the loss of the Gardens throughout my children's early childhood. I'd mourn the joy of the annual exhibition which is one of the singular event bringing together all of our socioeconomic, policital and cultural diversity. I'd mourn the further disintegration of the fabric of our community. Stand together, stand for a better solution.

If the hospital needs buliding and the botanical gardens are the best and most efficient place for it then go ahead. The gardens aren't exactly great, or a gold mine of rare species.

The question people should be asking is who's going to build it?, the last thing we want is the government lining their own pockets and those of their friends with another Berkeley disaster. Lets just make sure they hire the right contractors, either from Bermuda or overseas, rather than a friend of the premiers who once helped out erecting a garden shed!

Breaking news: Tonight's meeting has been moved to the North Hall of Bermuda College. I've just spoken with someone in the communications department of the hospital. She said they want to provide as many public meetings as it takes for people to be heard. I was glad to hear that. It's so important that we show up in person at these meetings. Get the facts, question the reasoning, be heard. So far the Friday and Saturday meetings are still scheduled to be at KEMH.

The gardens should be considered sacred in this country where the size of cars (to match inflated egos) and greed-inspired commercial take-over of open spaces has reduced our quiet spaces to handerchief size. Our children and grandchildren deserve better from us.We have no excuses. We should know better and should set an example before its too late.

Every other country in the world has hostipatls in major metro areas. Why not put it someplace in North Hamilton?
Also, im Bermudian living overseas and want to know if you will have a mailing list to keep us up-to-date and what we can do from a distance to help?

@ Onion in NJ and Steven:

More ways to help are on their way to this site soon! I hadn't actually intended that this site recieve such wide coverage before the Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) meetings.

I am waiting to see what questions the BHB manage to answer first before drafting up a letter and encouraging everyone to write to various people. However, I will launch a "cyberaction" of this sort very soon.

You can subscribe to this site's RSS feeds as a way of staying up to date. Alternatively I am just about to add a link for people to subscribe to updates by e.mail.

Thanks for your support!

We need to all get involved on this. I for one refuse to let the BG get ripped apart without a fight. There are plenty of other solutions being thrown around for the hospital that does not include destroying a national park where people have been enjoying themselves and their families for over a century. My mind boggles at how quickly it can be decided to write something like this off. The BG is our heritage as much as it is our legacy.

Sensible Voter, Incredibly Sensible Voter, Mr. Hospital and Anti-Tree Hugger are all the same person. I can easily spot this because all of his/her comments are coming from the same IP address.

If you are going to try and pretend to be lots of different people - at least try and figure out how to change your IP address.

Note to the troll: you will be banned if you continue to post under different usernames and act in a troll-like fashion.

Dear Mr Botanical Guardian,

You're obvioulsy as IT literate as you are a well balanced and reasonable evaluator of the current situation. Surely the same IP address means nothing more than the same office/server?, when you work in a office of several hundred people then this could simply be work colleagues who share the same opinion.

I have one word for your response "minge".

Our leaders are trying to downplay this proposal by saying "it is ONLY 30% of the gardens"; "get over it……"; and further "we'll just build around the trees….you may even have one in your room".

Their sarcasm was an OVERT slap in the face. It seems that our government was first trying to avoid an official/serious response to a legitamate concern from the public! Now that they see the uproar caused from their standing on this issue, they are trying to quickly recover. They now sound as though they had a taste of "humble pie" in realizing that they cannot just shove proposals down the public throat....not if we can help it!

Despite how small our island is, we do contribute to the overall ecology, further the universe. What happens here does play a part!

We were first told to "get over it…..it is believed they have the drawings started"- as if the decision was already made, but now headlines reveal the premier saying that "No plans have been drawn up and we will listen to the public once they have all the information before them".

What is the truth surrounding this proposal? Does budget/money rule our decisions when it comes to life…...all life…..our lives…. animal lives…. and yes, plant lives?!? We all saw the devastating affects of budget mishaps with Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. Do WE want budget to sway us from other options....the better option perhaps?

Even if money is the driving force...let's look at where that comes from?!.....SAVE OUR GARDENS!!!!

Please help our leaders to understand the importance of GREEN SPACE. They make comment of health-care requirements, when they fail to realize that oxygen alone is a vital element when it comes to health- and when we diminish our trees/plant-life we are weakening our ecosystem- which in turn affects ENVIRONMENT, which leaks into HEALTH, possibly affecting TOURISM, which eventually reaches the ECONOMY, and so on.

Help to show our government that this issue should not be taken as lightly as they would like to see it!

We all see the worldwide issues concerning our planet, and it's time for us to help the earth to fight back, by preserving the bits that we can!

To the 'Anti-Treehugger' and those of like mind, individuals like yourself only come to APPRECIATE/ RESPECT nature in times of natural disasters - when forced. Take time to realize the importance of Mother Earth before she "rips your lot up"!

……and yes, I'm proud to love the Earth…..that's right up my GREEN alley!

SAVE THE GARDENS!!!!

Sincerely,

Little Dawn of the Forest

As Director of Oopen Airways (Asthma Reg charity #458) I must say NO to the building of the new hospital in the Botanical gardens. Children spend too much time indoors and it is the indoor environemnet which is most hazardous to the health of children who suffer with asthma. Children need to play in the fresh air.
There is plenty of room to rebuild the hospital on its present site. Move the extended care unit to the extensive open spaces new Mid Atlantic Wellness Institute, lovely south shore views - this unit does not need to be near the acute hospital..

I happened to work on the new operating rooms and the new maternity ward some years ago. The noise and dust were kept to a minimum. I don't think that the people who are talking about returning the existing hospital area to open space and gardens realise the massive amount of concrete and steel that is in that building. The cost of knocking it down and transporting it away would run close to a million dollars. The accompanying noise would be heard and felt at the new hospital site.

My suggestion would be to knock down the original hospital building which would be easier to demolish and easier to dispose of. Build on that site and reduce the footprint by increasing the height of the building. Retain the present hospital, parking lots and nurse's residence. There would be further saving because of the possibility of using the present hospital's mechanical facilities.

@ Sensible Voter:

Ah yes I forgot to mention that you were using similar false e.mail addresses for all of your comments (buildit@bermuda.com - is sensible voter's address while Anti Treehugger's address is hospital@bermuda.com, incredibly sensible voter's address is dm@hotmail.com, and now your new username De Masta - has dj@hotmail.com for an address.

So there is a group of you who work in the same office, all write in the same arrogant and dismissive manner and all use similar false e.mail addresses eh?

Pull the other one!

You have been banned. I gave you a warning not to continue posting under seperate usernames and you didn't stop. You changed your IP address but then used dm@hotmail.com instead of dj@hotmail.com.

I welcome a debate here but I do not welcome anyone who tries to influence it by faking different commenters . If you really are seperate users and would like the ban lifted you will need to e.mail me individually and request it.

Sigh, Sensible Voter, I'd hate to burst your pseudo IT bubble, but as your IP address is registered with a time and date stamp, we can go back to your company, or ISP, and complain about internet abuse. They can easily work backwards through the logs to pinpoint exactly which terminal and what username you are on. I'm sure that your place of business wouldn't be to impressed if it became known that they had trolls on company time, not something that would be taken lightly in this day and age....

Hey I am super mad about this and my friends and I have already decided to tie ourselves to the trees when they start.

Everyone I have spoken to no mattter what their skin tone or political persuasion wants to save the Botanical Gardens. Some of them however, especially those who work at the hospital are against a same site rebuild primarily because they want a new hospital built as quickly as possible, without it costing the earth and they don't want to work through the noise of jack hammers (and other such annoying disturbance) for several years. They are also concerned about how much this disturbance may affect the patients.

It is very difficult for these workers (and there are LOTS of them!) to accept a same site rebuild despite the fact the disadvantages to this option are only short term whereas building on the Botanical Gardens is a long term disadvantage. I don't blame them for this - I don't have to work there! How many of us would be content to think that far into the future and put up with our current daily lives being severely affected? I think anyone who is passionately backing a same site rebuild needs to understand that for a lot of Bermudians - this is going to mean a living hell for quite some time and we need to understand this.

Rebuilding on the existing site is possible but it is not going to be easy. I think that the hard working folks at the hospital believe that people who want an existing site rebuild - don't understand and aren't sympathetic towards the problems that this option will entail.

It is sad that this issue is being misinterpreted by so many people. For some it's a racial issue, for others it is about putting the value of health care side by side with the value of open space but what I think it should boil down to is that all Bermudians benefit from having the Botanical gardens either indirectly or directly and it is something that should be preserved for future generations. We are not sacrificing a hospital for this. We are talking about a few years of sacrifice (financial and other inconveniences) for the sake of saving something, which makes our island what it is. This is where the debate should be focussed - not on race or politics.

There is also the possibilty that the hospital could be built elsewhere but most people don't like the Arboretum suggestion either and I have yet to hear suggestions of any realistically alternative sites - Pembroke Marsh would cost far more than a same site rebuild since the marsh is 600ft deep!)

Equally overcrowded areas such as Singapore and Hong Kong have not built on their Botanical Gardens. I think destroying such a huge part of this island's heritage for any reason would make Bermuda one of the most stupid nations on the planet.

The Botanical Gardens is a lot more than a park! It is part of our identity! The only other leaders I can think of who destroyed such a significant part of their nation's heritage is the Government of China.

So while I do understand the costs... I still want to SAVE THE GARDENS!! :-)

Well, the BHB finally decided to consult with the staff of the Botanical Gardens today because apparently our opinions are very important to them. Funny, because we were actually the last to know that a hospital was to be built in the middle of our workplace. After the two hour consultation we were just as confused because it really had nothing to do with wanting our input at all, but to sell us their plan instead. I could go on and on about how flabbergasted we all are, but I'm sure everyone visiting this site knows the feeling well.

@parks employee:

Thanks for your comment. I hope you will make your feelings widely known like writing a letter to the editor and submitting a comment on the Government blog

Also - please e.mail me a photo of yourself and other Parks staff - so I can add you guys to the Virtual March.

Your voices should be heard!

I would like our MPs and the Hospital Board members to read Richard Louv’s 'Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder' towards understanding how their plans would impact our youth's well being.

Louv coined the term “Nature Deficit Disorder" to describe a set of symptoms linked to our separation from nature. These include an increase in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and childhood obesity, lack of creativity and curiosity, ignorance of local flora and fauna, loss of respect for nature and the living world, and a diminishing sense of community.

Louv serves on the advisory boards of the US National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. He spent 10 years traveling around the US gathering material for this book. He interviewed child-development researchers, environmentalists, parents, children, college students, teachers, scientists. and religious leaders.

Louv's theories ring true to me. Lack of access to nature has an impact on our youth's social, spiritual and psychological development.

Save the gardens - raise healthy & happy Bermudians.

More on the book:
http://www.hookedonnature.org/lastchild.html

You can buy it from Pheoniz paperback for $13.95+shipping:
http://www.booksite.com/texis/scripts/oop/click_ord/showdetail.html?sid=3059&isbn=1565125223&music=&buyable=0&assoc_id=&spring=

I'm sure the Bermuda Hospital is in need of renovating but I don't agree with the fact of taking away from the Botanicle Gardens.
Is that our only option?
This decison affects not only the locals but our returned geust from overseas.
Working in the hospitality feild we are often asked about Nature reserves such as Botanicle Gardens.
SAVE THE GARDENS !!