(8th) Street Hassle

[Jacko]

Hmmm..the thread is named "8th Street Hassle" and that appears to be what it is....if my business was operating there, it wouldn't matter if it was Mosquito Blue or not, I just would want whoever was causing the mess to manage the construction mess better....knowing all along how difficult that management might be.

[ryberg]

Originally Posted by barbj050

personally i think this unfair to the mosquito beach...this being a one sided discussion of a hotel owner near where the mb is being built....just my opinion...

And you are certainly most welcome to express it! I for one would be happy to hear those from Mosquito Blue/Beach/etc or the Alhambra or Treetops or any other nearby property or establishment affected by this situation express their opinions here, too.

Steve

[nadams]

I sure hope that other guests staying at Playa Maya or nearby or passing through were not upset lately about this construction that is going on. When we were staying at Playa Maya the week of Sept 25th it was not an inconvenience for us and we had a stroller and a 4yr old with us. If anything, we were trying to stay out of the workers way, and keep ourselves careful so that you would not step on any big rocks or the like. When everything is done being built, it will make the area look even nicer.

[trog]

Obviously the business owners affected and the city have a communication problem between and amongst themselves.

[ryberg]

When TnJ talk(s), Playa Maya listens! In reply to his/their recent request, here's a quick shot from this morning's tour on the beach, a different angle for you this time. We're guessing they're shooting to open by the holidays, if not before.

As a bonus and since it happens to be there, I'm adding a close-up shot of the sign elaborating the "no dogs on the beach" policy of the municipality. You may be able to make out the actual wording, if I'm lucky.

Steve

[TnJ]

wow! - whatta change!!! Was wondering also if those construction holes are covered or lit at night? Thx! Tj

[ryberg]

A bad development on this topic: today we were informed by a technician from our cable provider that the construction at this site had resulted in damage to the underground cables that provide cable TV service to us and 5 other hotels in this area. He said he could not determine the full extent of the damage because some canals and holes dug along the street (the latter for the placement of palm trees, as previously noted) are filled with rocks, bricks and/or building materials such that it is impossible at present to see and check all the cabling. However he did show us one smaller registro that had been left uncovered right at the main entrance/traffic point of the construction site, which was partially filled with rocks and other such things, and pulled out of it for us to see 4-5 cut or damaged cables as evidence.

The receptionist at Mosquito Blue told that even in urgent situations he had no way on a Saturday to talk to the manager or the owner (both of whom have discussed this issue of underground cabling where their workers are digging on multiple occasions). After some time they did send a man whose position was unidentified to me (I asked the receptionist at one point but he didn't know the man's relationship to the hotel, either), which initially I appreciated, but with whom the discussion did not in the end go in exactly a friendly fashion. He disputed the report of the cable technician (who incidentally told me that her personally knows the manager at MB and would report to her directly), but I don't think I can comment further in any manner that would be sufficiently objective (which I have tried to be in this posting, if you consider the content and wording).

Don't know what else to say at this point, except that maybe we'll have to go with a dish for TV reception or something!

Steve

[TnJ]

hope you get some form of compensation from the Mb.

4 us TV isn't required while there. just ocean view, sounds of waves & good eats. We can watch Directv @ home...

[ryberg]

Dropping in here to provide a bit of update and some good news, if somewhat tentative or limited in scope, still.

Things kind of came to a head in several ways after the experience I reported above with regard to the apparent damage to cables/equipment and the resulting loss of cable service for various properties in the area. Maybe that was a blessing in disguise, as it triggered more joint discussion and led to a series of 3 meetings on the 7th, 8th and 9th involving officials from the large hotel association and government tourism and public works departments, and also represenatives and complaints not only from Playa Maya but also from nearby hotels Alhambra, Pelicano Inn, Treetops, Illusion and Jungla Caribe, as well as other affected entities such as Dive Mike and providers such as Cablemas (cable TV), Dita (transportation) and DIIME (who puts up those info signs with maps). Things even stretched beyond to some others also interested, such as the head of one travel agency prominent in bookings in Playa and her disparaging comments on things like trucks constantly filling the street (she emphasized the need to convince tourists particularly in the wake of hurricane Wilma that things were actually functioning normally here) and even a TripAdvisor review about us here which emphasized the same thing, saying

...entry from the beach may be quaint for some, but it is very difficult when there are crumbling brick stairs to climb down from a street that has dump trucks and construction equipment occupying every area. There is no parking...

The fact that a hotel not even on the street or in any way responsible for such problems on the street could be the recipient of complaints of that nature posted on the Internet and available for the whole world to see, and photographic evidence of the type on this thread, but lots more of it from these varied sources and over a lengthy period of time, seemed to be the most worrisome to the authorities involved. They were also presented copies of the evidence along with a letter addressed to the mayor and signed by management at all the nearby properties listed above and by Mike Bolt, requesting appropriate action be taken to preserve the interests of the community and public as a tourist destination of appropriately high quality.

These authorities proceeded to issue a warning of pending clausura and accompanying hefty fines if the mess was not cleaned up, the material not removed to within the site and the site not properly sealed off (all as per existing regulations), by the noted deadline last week. Mosquito Blue was invited to these meetings as were the others involved but did not respond to the invitations or attend. They clearly did respond to the authorities actions, however, and promptly followed up on the official warnings and instructions, for the most part. Some backsliding seems to be in evidence since then, but for the moment the situation has improved, certainly visually and in terms of access, and we will keep monitoring the situation optimistically.

Steve

[Jacko]

One for the good guys!

[ryberg]

Originally Posted by Jacko

One for the good guys!

Yeah, well, don't send out the fat lady too soon, there, Jacko!

On the other hand, as long as you're in, say, a helicopter with a chute at the ready, access doesn't seem to be such a big issue...

Steve





(Photos taken 26 November 2006. Truck in second photo is parked, not just turning around.)

[TnJ]

hmm, guess we'll have 2 taxi to PM via bulldozer

[ryberg]

Well yesterday the MB folks cut our power for the entire afternoon -- 5.5 hours -- in order to move our high voltage lines to a position under the street that would be safer in the future from the expanding roots of the palm trees they are planning to put in. (These are the same lines that the owner/management directly and repeatedly assured us would not be affected in any way by their construction work, as you may remember from previous posts.)

I should say that this blackout had been very nicely and politely scheduled with us in advance, although for a duration of approximately half an hour and for the previous day, which we had chosen precisely as it would be the last day prior to us going 100% full yesterday. The joke may ultimately be on them, however, as the second-in-charge of the electrical utility arrived on the scene, checked with his boss, and announced that they had no permission to do such a thing. They produced neither anyone responsible for the project to deal with this official nor and evidence of permission for the move, and the process, sent their workers off on a lunch break, as well (thereby extending the blackout an hour or two by that move alone). Finally the authorities agreed that they could continue with the change, already begun, in order to limit the problems it was causing others, and that they would be fined accordingly for their actions.

One might not be too harshly criticized for arriving at a conclusion which could be summed up more or less as, "ah, well, maybe they just don't want to put in the effort or they don't care so much." However these ideas are actually hard to reconcile with other aspects of the situation, for example, the fact that the work has been going on 24 hours a day for the last couple of weeks, at least (you cannot believe how thankful we are that we're not affected by the noise from that in our location!), or even by the level of effort and the ad hoc engineering that can be seen in these shots (taken just a few minutes ago) of an improvised basurero outside their building on 8th street.

We are not responsible for that at all, of course, but we see it as embarrassing and feel the urge to apologize to those who have been visiting here and passing by, or who will do so soon enough during the holidays.

Steve


(A guy actually climbs up the makeshift ladder to throw more in.)


(Different angle, displaying more depth.)
.

[ryberg]

OK, in the interest of sincerity I freely confess that I could not help but snicker a little when Delmy informed me of this one: the above-pictured trash heap actually caught on fire a couple of evenings ago, and it was our own receptionist, Ana, who called the fire department. This evidently is in keeping with our tradition of calling the authorities on their behalf, such as to evacuate their workers during both Emily and Wilma this year (!). Apparently one guy and their guard were trying to put the fire out but failing. Just hope it doesn't continue to be a problem.

Several of the trees are up now, and they generally look nice, although with those hurricanes in mind, it's hard not to wonder how long they would hold up in such a storm. After all, there were palm trees for some time in front of the property (and not as far forward) on the beach when it was the Albatros, and those were swept away by Isidore or Ivan (not sure now which), neither of which hit us head on. But I also admit they look nice.

Steve

[ryberg]

Questions about the status of this project on other threads and being outside with the camera yesterday and this morning prompted to me to get a couple updated shots of things. It's definitely a post-modern effort, particularly with respect to materials and some form, even a kind of record-breaking attempt at eclecticism, as you see conical palapas residing over everything from palm trees and wood slats to marble, glass and fitted stone (that I think looks quite good -- I would have used even more of it) to steel girder-type structures providing shade and geometrically formed cement painted in a kind of burnt red or light olive.

The first shot is from yesterday evening and shows more of the street side; the second was taken early this morning as part of the beach update I was out doing.

Steve