Long Beach Puerto Plata

planner

.............. ?
Sep 23, 2002
4,409
26
0
Bulldozers descended on Long Beach this afternoon! I called someone I know who has a business down there, here is what she told me:

All businesses in Long Beach constructed of wood are being bulldozed today. All businesses in Long Beach of other construction are being given until Friday to remove all their possessions then they are being torn down.

Apparently there is a meeting on Friday at the Ministry of Tourism (not sure where) each legitimate business owner will be given a new location for their business!

The places being bulldozed - I saw people running in and out trying to salvage anything of value and pull it out of the path of the trucks.

Crystal is not effected but everything else across the road, around the corner and on the waterfront is being removed!

Wow, no notice.... I am sure there will be trouble soon.
 

BushBaby

Silver
Jan 1, 2002
3,829
329
0
79
www.casabush.org
My intrepid, in-house NewsHound is out scouting the story as I type. She will report back just as soon as she can with the update info. Photos MIGHT be available if she is allowed to take some (Or can sneak some even if she is NOT allowed!!). ~ Grahame.
 

planner

.............. ?
Sep 23, 2002
4,409
26
0
NO the wooden structures are not illegal but the entire business might be.

Supposedly some of these businesses were purchased from previous "owners" who of course might not have actually owned anything.

My information is all second hand. My observations were not. I saw the bulldozers, dump trucks and many many police and military. Unfortunately I did not have my digital camera with me!
 

planner

.............. ?
Sep 23, 2002
4,409
26
0
Karen and Jim who own the Irish Pub were in shock! They have until Friday to move all their equipment out and find a place to live as well!

Rocky it was unbelievable to see people running in and out of some of the businesses trying to salvage equipment, lining them up in the street.
 
B

batich

Guest
What about Portofino?

What about red englishman Dereck`s corner bar?
 

planner

.............. ?
Sep 23, 2002
4,409
26
0
Portofino's was not effected when I was there and is actually not on Long Beach.

As far as I know there is no longer a "corner bar" Not sure which one you are referring to. If it is right near Cristal - it is gone.
 

Lambada

Gold
Mar 4, 2004
9,478
410
0
80
www.ginniebedggood.com
A 75 year old man sits with bowed head and vanished dreams. All Manolo wanted was to be able to end his days living in his favourite spot above what used to be Hansi's bar in Long Beach. The others are picking up what they can of their belongings and hoping to sleep at the homes of friends or family tonight. But Manolo will stay. He will stay until the bulldozers demolish the concrete apartment he has called home for many years. That will be on Friday.

I'll cut the 'reporting' and get to the facts. To start with Politur would not allow vehicular access to the area. I asked why. 'A broken vehicle'. Untrue. Broken homes and lives, yes. No broken vehicles. I have a good memory for faces so I will find the 19 year old whipper snapper in Politur uniform who lied to me and I will take a photo of him. Tomorrow or later in the week.

All the casetas are down. The area is a mass of zinc & palm roofs all flattened. People are salvaging what they can. By Friday all the concrete structures will be down. For those that know Manolo (the Cuban who retired from US to here) that is the Manolo referred to above.

The French Canadian who owns the place next to the Irish pub said they were told yesterday. Businesses will get compensation I understand. There is a meeting with Felucho (Tourism Minister) on Saturday. Should be quite a meeting. Residents will not get compensation I was told, even though they have been paying rent. Residents were informed this morning.

The businesses have Clausurado notices plastered on them, plus Salud Publica notices. The general belief is that the Government has bought the land to sell to a hotel for hotel, casino and pools. The old Beach Hotel also has a Clausurado notice but people believe it will be renovated as a historical building. At the same time bulldozers are on the beach doing the sand renewal operations with lots of people watching all along the Malecon.

I have some pictures & Grahame will contact Robert for posting. It will be on Channel 8 tonight - I bumped into the Channel 8 reporter & we shared info. The Army was blocking off the Montemar entrance to the area, so I parked further away & walked. No problem if you were a pedestrian. Residents were salvaging plastic chairs etc, some pick up trucks arrived for the wooden poles and sheets of zinc.

If you want to see the old Long Beach before it disappears entirely go tomorrow. Take a mask - knocking down concrete structures is dusty work.

A lot of people are now homeless. And many who worked at the businesses are out of work. Everyone without exception blamed Leonel. Everyone. They don't know why it happened & they weren't forewarned.

I was a Government supporter until tonight. This is absolutely monstrous. Sorry for the long post. I'm seething.

Ginnie

Nearly forgot. Anyone going to Long Beach tomorrow take some food & water for the animals. A lot of abandoned dogs and cats. They're not strays, they have collars etc. Plus any help for the humans still there.......those out of work, for example.
 
Last edited:

sweetdbt

Bronze
Sep 17, 2004
1,574
70
0
batich said:
What about Portofino?

What about red englishman Dereck`s corner bar?

Derrick sold his business over a year ago. It is now the Irish Pub referred to in this thread.

Portofino guest House and restaurant are quite a ways further from the beach. I can't imagine they were affected if Crystals wasn't.
 

Lambada

Gold
Mar 4, 2004
9,478
410
0
80
www.ginniebedggood.com
No Portofino, Crystal etc are not affected. It is only the block from seafront where Irish pub is, going back as far as the road which is first right turn off Hermanas Mirabal. And everything behind it. Montemar isn't affected either.
 

Chris

Gold
Oct 21, 2002
7,951
28
0
www.caribbetech.com
This government is hungrier than the previous one. The previous one stole so as you could see it, massively and ineptly. This one is clever, it moves quick and does horrendous things quite elegantly.

Anyone know what the legal situation is of the area. (Well, what the legal situation was. Obviously it has changed).

Same story as the area between Sosua and Cabarete. And nothing much came of that to my knowledge.
 

BushBaby

Silver
Jan 1, 2002
3,829
329
0
79
www.casabush.org
Well we have 16 photos to up/download. Any geek interested in giving me SIMPLE directions as to how to do this & I will get on to it at 11.00 tonight. I am presuming I will have to upload to the gallery first & then make a URL?? ~ Grahame.
 

Chris

Gold
Oct 21, 2002
7,951
28
0
www.caribbetech.com
Grahame, if I had time now, I would do it, but have a granddaughter to put to bed. If no-one has volunteered in an hour or so, I'll check back and gladly do it.
 

sweetdbt

Bronze
Sep 17, 2004
1,574
70
0
I have to admit

reading about this is making me a little "farklempt":cry:

I spent the first week of my first trip to the DR in the Portofino Guest House, and hung out a lot on Long Beach. Spent a lot of time in that area over the next couple of years, but not so much lately. I have some fond memories.

I guess the handwriting was on the wall when they decided to restore the beach itself. This is just another part of the "clean-up". Unfortunately, people aren't sand. It may be that this needed to be done and will turn out for the best, but the folks who lived and worked on Long Beach deserved, at the very least, a few weeks to prepare before their homes and businesses were demolished. I'm thinking of some people I know right now and wondering what they're going to do. :confused:
 
B

batich

Guest
Who in the right mind will build a big hotel there without any decent beach??!! This part of the sea side cannot be used for swimming. Water is too shallow and then - rocks. For this reason a former all-inclusive PP Casino Beach Resort (across Casita Rica) is delapidating and falling apart. Nobody wants to stay there and to pay more than $30 P/N without a decent beach.
Horrible!!

Why did they do it to people??!!

There is a lot of non-populated and non-developed areas around PP!

Shame!!
 
B

batich

Guest
There is a huge unemployment in the country and economy is very weak. Why do they destroy these small businesses? On the Long Beach corner? Across from Crystall? I am missing the point.

Several years ago I was offered to buy the bar with a pool table in the back room (third from the corner if my memory serves me well). For only $15 000 from a canadian guy who had to leave the country in a rush because of drugs problem. I did not and regretted alot later. I do not regret now.

I always mentionned this missed opportunity to my friends as an example of Dominican opportunities. I hope this trend does not continue. Or this paradise on Earth will be lost like many other Caribbean paradises.
 
Last edited:

Rocky

Honorificabilitudinitatibus
Apr 4, 2002
13,993
208
0
111
www.rockysbar.com
BushBaby said:
Well we have 16 photos to up/download. Any geek interested in giving me SIMPLE directions as to how to do this & I will get on to it at 11.00 tonight. I am presuming I will have to upload to the gallery first & then make a URL?? ~ Grahame.
You can load them into photobucket, or if you're not familiar with the proceedure, send them to me by email and I'll do it.
 

Lambada

Gold
Mar 4, 2004
9,478
410
0
80
www.ginniebedggood.com
9e61re2.jpg


4288re2.jpg


6f4cre2.jpg


58dbre2.jpg


a5e8re2.jpg



I may finally have got the hang of posting pics!
 
Last edited: