|
The Cozumel News in English
 |
|
|
|
Each week we select articles from local newspapers that amuse or interest us and then translate them into English. We wish to stress that these translations are literal --English versions of exactly what was originally written in Spanish by reporters for Por Esto, Diario de Quintana Roo, Novedades and El Seminario. It should also be mentioned that we cannot always verify the facts in the stories we publish here. We leave that job to the newspaper that originally published the article. We appreciate hearing from our readers so please feel free to E-Mail US your questions, suggestions and comments. You may also wish to consider starting a discussion on any topic below that interests you by posting on the Living on Cozumel Forum.
Note: These articles are a great deal of work to find and translate. They are under copyright. But we all know what a temptation it is to want to share interesting info all over the internet. We don't mind you copying short snippets. But .....
Please GIVE CREDIT to "Cozumel News in English" at WWW.CozumelMyCozumel.Com. It's the right and fair thing to do. Don't you agree? |
The Cozumel News in English, Vol 39 |
May 28-June 3, 2006 |
The Cozumel News in English, Vol 38 |
May 21-May 27, 2006 |
We would like to give special thanks for the very kind assistance of Israel Sanchez, a professional translator who has volunteered to help us with the more difficult passages. (Thanks, Izzy!). The simpler stuff was translated by the editors.
Chankanaab Plans |
Chankanaab Park, the principal asset of the Cozumel Foundation of Parks and Musuems will be operating in a partial manner in June. Tentative plans are to have the park fully operational by July 15. According to the Foundation, the famous lagoon is cleaned up and made beautiful once again with the investmen of 20 million pesos (around $200,000 US) and a similar amount will be put up by private businesses that have attractions in the park the largest of whom is the Dolphin Swim.
The president of the Park's Foundation( FPMC ), Eduardo Novelo López, informed that by the time Chankanaab is ready to open again, the beach spaces will be better than ever.
The restoration of the beach which was completely shattered by Wilma has had to be filled with 4 thousand 900 cubic meters of sand and still this is not enough. Another 7 thousand cubic meters will be needed before the job is finished.
This quantity of sand, exceeds by a great deal the one thousand 800 cubic meters limit quota normally imposed. However, the town council has received permissions to extract sand from the dunes on the other side of the island. The enormity of this project illustrates clearly the size of the impact provoked by Wilma that is causing this level of reconstruction to be necessary.
Novelo López reported furthermore that great advances have been made in the projection to restore the lagoon that opens into the ocean . This lagoon is extremely unique. It is the only interior lagoon in the world where coral grows.
DEBATE RAGES OVER PROPOSED MARINA PROJECT |
The town council and the privately owned company, Fonatur, presented their proposed plan for a new marina before a full house at the Xel-Ha Auditorium on Friday in Cozumel. This is an ambitious real-estate project that includes plans for hundreds of new hotel rooms, the enlargement of the present-day hotel Presidente in addition to condos, residences, a commercial center and a new private pier. Proponents of the project say that it will give Cozumel a competitive edge in the newly emerging "nautical tourism" market and create many local jobs.
Environmentalists oppose the project which would include artificially flooding a large section of the land. The mayor and Fonatur officials admitted at the presentation that , indeed, they still lacked the Environmental Impact Statement from the government that will be necessary in order to develop the proposed Caleta project.
And although they affirm that they are currently having studies of the subterrean aquafer carried on, Fonatur's delegate could not remember the person, office or institution who was accomplishing said study.
The emphasis of the presentation was on how the new project would create a source of future jobs for Cozumeleños and a veiled warning was implied that if the project wasn't approved by the July 2 national election, policies might change that would mean a missed opportunity for the development to go forward.
This debate is strikingly similar to the one which occurred 12 years ago over the building of the Puerta Maya pier and complex. Here, too, environmentalists feared the destruction that would be caused to nearby Paradise Reef which, sadly, has become a reality since the project was completed. And in yet another grave blow to the environment, the pier here was so badly built that it was completely obliterated by Hurricane Wilma leaving behind a dangerous and unsightly residue of detritus that is further harming what little remains of Little Paradise.
Then as now government functionaries and private businessmen argued that the Puerta Maya project would be good for jobs and a 'legacy for our children." Again, in reality, this has not proven to be the case. At the present time Cozumeleños are not allowed to come into the area to do business, for example. And, in fact, they are not even encouraged to come here and shop. And all the best jobs are taken by foreigners with most of the money going off the island to off shore investors. And, to add insult to injury, they tell lies to the tourists about how it is not safe to shop anywhere but at Puerta Maya.
Today with this new discussion over the remaking of La Caleta there is serious concerns not just from environmentalists but also from the many small, independent businesses that work out of this marina. They fear that the fancy, new complex that's proposed with it's deep-pocketed investors would be difficult to compete with. Furthermore at this point the information from the town council has been that the taxes they plan to impose will be the same as those paid by the other marina, Puerto Abrigo, a place where many boat owners won't go because the taxes are out of their reach.
However, there are voices definitely in favor of the project, which massages boat owners who feel the situation at the current marina is too chaotic and disorganized.
Many who have watched how the world goes here for a long time feel that the project is a strategy with the manifest objective of salvaging the value of a string of lots owned by Fontatur in the zone of the island between the actual marina and El Presidente. Currently these lots are worthless because, local functionaries admit, after a politically incorrect dirty trick by Spanish businessman,, Joaquín Haces Calvo, who masterminded the Puerta Maya project., he managed to procure for himself all the beach front concession from the Caleta to the aforementioned pier thereby stripping access to the sea from the Fonatur owned lots and reducing them to a very low value in the highly speculative real estate market of Quintana Roo.
TOURIST JOY RIDE TO JAIL |
A tourist concluded his day visiting the island behind bars after having caused an accident with his own car when he crashed into the raised area in the center of a traffic circle on Juárez. Costs to repair the damage to the car and the circle are estimated at $15,000 pesos.
In the first minutes of this Sunday the tourist, Timothy Wade Smith,22, driving a blue Jeep Cherokee pickup with Mexican plates was intercepted passing another car at a speed beyond the posted limits.
The aforementioned driver sped onward to the traffic circle at the juncture of Magisterio and Juárez at which point he appeared to lose control of the steering wheel and crashed into the big center of the traffic circle damaging his car and various garnishments on the circle.
For the time being the foreigner is being held behind bars until the judge can make a ruling and the damages paid.
COZUMELEñOS PAY FOR THEIR OWN BEACH SAND |
In record time and with a different financing method than was utilized in Cancún where the Federal Government contributed $217 million for similar works, Cozumel is in the process of recuperating their beaches.
Cozumel's beach renovation is being accomplished by direct contribution of the hotel sector to the city government who supply the sand necessary for reconstruction of the coastal beaches..On May 3 the Town Council received approval for the project from the Federal Environmental Agency, Semarnat. After accomplishing an environmental impact study, they made an exemption for Cozumel that would allow them to extract sand from a dry, firm bank at the north end of the island and move it to various coastline locations.
The pilot plan will begin at the hotels Playa Azul and Sol Cabañas, which are located five kilometers north of San Miguel, the island's urban zone. According to the Municipal Director of Tourism, Federico Ruiz, hotelkeepers will be the ones that pay if they want to recover beach their beaches and at a cost of 350 pesos per cubic meter. (around $35/cubic meter).
Cozumel Mayor Boycotts Board of Directors Meeting of the Foundation of Parks and Musuems |
It is lamentable that the Foundation of Parks and Musuems of Cozumel be seen only as a political spring board when planning and creativity is what is needed to make it profitable, affirmed Cozumel's Mayor, Gustavo Ortega's, who boycotted a recent meeting of the Foundation's Board of Directors.
Mayor Ortega contends that the institution should be run like a business and not like a mere step ladder in a political race
It's a secret to nobody that some people who have been trustees of the Park and Musuem's Foundation have gone on next to compete for votes in public elections and are thereby using the prominence of their position with the Foundation as a publicity resource.
For the chief executive of the municipality, this way of seeing the foundation as an aid to political campaigning is what impedes the growth of the institution and keeps it from becoming financially strong. He added if this attitude is allowed to continue, the foundation will continue to stagnate as has been seen in the last few years.
In an exclusive interview with this daily newspaper, the mayor Gustavo Ortega, heaped severe criticisms on the Park's and Musuem's Foundation, an institution that, indeed, people rarely dare to challenge.
However, in the opinion of Cozumel's mayor, the institution is being taken in a bad direction because its executives have neglected development and the diversification of attractions in their care in order to dedicate themselves better to furthering their own ambitions.
According to the Cozumeleño mayor, even before Wilma destroyed Chankanaab Park there was no longer as much to see. Because the lagoon and botanical gardens were not such a popular attraction and in fact, if not for the dolphinorium, a private concession, Chankanaab would be practically dead as a tourist attraction. The mayor attributes this situation to the fact that the foundation has invested little in the renewal of its attractions and used the resources for other purposes.
He compared this to what happened with Xcaret park. Here, he said, the board of directors of the park were definitely always thinking of it as a business and doing everything they would to invest in it so the business would do well -- unlike the executives at the Cozumel Foundation.
Ortega Joaquín affirms that he has wanted to suggest these and other improvements, but has been completely ignored. And he said besides that just before leaving office the former governor, Joaquín Hendricks , changed the statutes. He knew that the new mayor would not be representing the PRI party, and perhaps at the request of the powerful members of the board of directors of the parks foundation amended the laws so the new mayor would have a voice in counselling the foundation -- but not a vote.
For that reason Gustavo Ortega did not attend the meetings of the aforementioned Foundation -- as a gesture of protest. "If they don't want my active participation, I'm not going to be of assistance."
NOT MANY CROC'S LIVE IN COZUMEL'S LAGOONS BUT THERE IS EVIDENCE THEY ARE REPRODUCING |
According to studies commissioned by the Cozumel Parks and Musuems Foundation, there are approximately 500 crocodiles on the island right now. The study goes on to explain that one of the foremost ecosystems representated on the island are the mangrove areas that border the lagoons at the north and south ends of the western facing side of the island. Colombia Lagoon is most notable but there are also these same ecosystems in lagoons in the north. The crocodile know precisely as the "Acutus" has become established particularly in the southern ecosystem habitat which offers great diversity of other wild life as well.
This is a crocodile that is known to like salty or brackish water such as is found in rivers that feed into the ocean. There are currently 91 such animals in the Columbia estuary area according to the biologists who are monitoring their activity here.
It is interesting to note that the study mentions that the number of females is very low compared to the number of males however, this mangrove ecosystem is ideal for the Acutus crocodile's reproduction.
The crocs play an important role in the equilibrium of the ecosystem because they live on dead and living organisms. These cold blooded animals which are unique to certain parts of the Pacific and the Carribbean, also clean the mangroves.
A strong indicator that reproduction is doing well and giving high hopes to the success of a possible croc farm for tourists down the line is that 9 nests have so far been detected this year with a total of 30 eggs. Work is ongoing to move endangered nests to safer areas of the preserve where the juveniles and baby crocs will be less likely to be at the mercy of predators.
As of the present time there is no problem with poaching these animals because the Cozumeleña people take care of the flora and fauna of their environment.
In addition some of the crocs that are only juveniles have already measured a little over three meters, 29 centimeters which should be enough to give anyone who wants to hurt them a good scare!.
CROC FARM IN THE WORKS |
All the conditions are in place on Cozumel for the possibility of the island's first crocodile farm. Because there are investors interested in a lot in the industrial zone where this project could come to fruition.
The group of businessmen has been discussing their options with the Cozumel Parks and Musuems Foundation who confirm that there is, indeed interest in this enterprise. Furthermore,the project has been examined by biology specialist who coincided that this initiative is very viable for the island..
The promoters of this idea mentioned that at the onset they had planned to accomplish this project in Punta Sur ecologica Park at the southern end of the island which is already a wildlife reserve.
But this plan has since been rejected after analyzing the cost to bring electric energy such a long distance and another property owned by the Park Foundation has now been suggested. .
The farm would be located at the south end of 65 in the sector that leads to the southern industrial zone. There an installation would be built to foment croc reproduction and serve both as an educational center for the island's classrooms and also a tourist attraction.
TOURISM OFF IN EL CENTRO |
Tourists were scarce in downtown Cozumel this Thursday because only two cruiseships arrived with approximately four thousand cruisers on board. It is calculated that only half came ashore and that most that did were carried off immediately on ship-sponsored tours to other parts of the island.
Downtown shops continue to remain open despite the fact that sales are 40% lower than they generally are at this time of the year, according to one experienced shopowner on the waterfront.
Many store owners can afford to stay open despite lackluster sales and minimal profits thanks to the insurance payments from Wilma damage. However, the hardworking sales people who need to stockpile money now to get them through the upcoming low season are not happy. Most work on commission and lack of customers really hits them hard.
It is expected for this Thursday that the situation will get a little better since Carnival Conquest expects to moor downtown and bring passengers ashore at the downtown ferry pier.
In the meantime the transatlantic Mariner of the Seas and the Rhapsody of the Seas will be unloading passengers at the International Pier where passengers can come ashore from 8 AM until 6 PM which should bring decent business to the stores south of downtown at this pier.
BIG PLANS FOR HIGH SEASON, SHIPS FOR REEFS |
This winter the number of international flights to Cozumel will increase as Frontier Airlines begins flying directly into Cozumel on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays beginning in December, informed Raúl Marrufo González, director of Cozumel Tourist Promotion.
Continental will also increase their direct flights to Cozumel this winter and, while it is not yet confirmed, apparently Delta Airlines will increase their operations between New York and Cozumel at this time as well.
The Tourism Director went on to say that this Thursday he would be taking part in a big Tourism Fair in Mérida, Yucatán, the object being to drive more Mexican tourism to the island during the summer vacations periods of June to September.
This is an area, Marrufo, explained that has received very little attention but it is an important source of revenue to convince tourists from other parts of Mexico to drive or take the bus to have their vacation on this beautiful island.
In like manner, he said than the international event Underwater Mexico, originally scheduled for June 1-3 has been postponed to Dec 1-3. This because of the turmoil of the upcoming national election will prevent many important participants from joining in.
However, he assured that the sinking of the ships Pátzcuaro and Lagoon Mandinga that that was originally scheduled to take place on Thursday, June 2 as one element of the aforementioned event, would still take place. He said they will take advantage of it being Navy Day to have a celebration and sink the vessels at Las Casitas beach (just north of downtown and across from the navy family housing.) The intention with the sinking of the vessels is to create more artificial reefs for snorkling and diving.
THIS WEEK'S 'NOBODY DOES NOTHING' AWARD GOES TO TELMEX* |
A cable of considerable proportions that hangs very low at the intersection of Avenue 70 and 12th Street in the Emiliano Zapata, neighborhood represents a danger for the minors that go to school in this zone. There is an elementary and a kindergarten school right there. After school children are seen grabbing the wire like a toy and swinging on it lwith no idea of the danger to which they expose themselves because the metal structure above from which the wire hangs threatens to fall down.
The residents indicated that it is important that this problem be taken care of and they shouldn't have to wait for a serious accident to occurr before something is done. Neighbors in the area have informed Telmex but to date their calls have not resulted in any action.
The low cable also poses a big risk for moped drivers. Thanks to the poor illumination here a moped driver travelling at excessive speed here after dark and having the misfortune to impact against this obstacle would surely be knocked from his vehicle.
All Rights to the Above Material are Reserved. If you feel you must copy and paste any portion of what you've read here, please give credit to Cozumel News in English at www.cozumelmycozumel.com. Thanks for your cooperation.
Other Links in the Living on Cozumel Section |
|
