A Press Conference regarding a Sporting event turned into a Q&A about the Birds and the Bees.
Minister of Public Works, Lt. Col. David Burch, and the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Owen Darrell, were at Coney Island along with event organizers to discuss the upcoming event on Sunday.
Minister Burch said, “Today, we are highlighting an exciting event occurring this coming Sunday, the 15th of December here at Coney Island—the "Pink Sand Scrambling" motocross race. This event is historic and marks the return of motocross to the place where it all started, a sport that has been part of Bermuda's history but has not taken place at this venue in many years.
I am joined this morning by the Minister of Tourism, Culture & Sport Owen Darrell, Zane Desilva, in a dual capacity as Chairman of the National Parks Commission & CEO of Island Construction – a sponsor of this event, Mr. Larry Simons mentor and chief assistant to the man of the hour and creator of this event Jyire Mitchell.
This young man is an outstanding example of a bright, committed, focused and visionary young Bermudian.
I know there has been significant interest and some debate surrounding this event, and I want to take this opportunity to address why I made the decision to approve it and what the public can expect.
First, let me be clear, as Minister of Public Works, I receive recommendations from the National Parks Commission on a regular basis. It is my responsibility to carefully evaluate every proposal that comes across my desk. In this case, the event was reviewed in accordance with the Bermuda National Parks Act of 1986, and it received input from the National Parks Commission.
While I consider those concerns, I also must view the broader context of balance in the community. So, I met with Jyire and his team to seek their response to the NPC concerns – to say that their response was comprehensive would be an understatement.
They had satisfactory answers to each point raised by the Commission. Additionally, I subsequently met the team at Coney Island to walk the course and learn what plans they had for the site.
The track features will be temporary, including the soil and mulch jumps. They will be dismantled and removed immediately after the event, leaving no lasting changes to the landscape.
Additionally, the walking trails, which have been incorporated into the track design, will be fully restored to their original condition. No trees will be removed as part of this event, and the track will adhere to existing pathways to avoid further disrupting the environment.
The organizers' have worked closely with my Ministry to ensure that all preparations respect the local ecosystem.
The Planning Department has twice confirmed that no planning permissions are required for the work being carried out, underscoring that this is a temporary, low-impact public land use.”
During the Question and Answer period more questions were about the environment and noise and when a reporter got shut down trying to make a connection between a minister and a family member the environment questions continued, with very little asked about the racing itself.
