mar-2018c

44 45 WEST END DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Correia Construction Company Limited 3 Meadow Lane, Devonshire DV08 Bermuda T: 1-441-236-4373 | F: 1-441-236-2544 Email: correia@correia.bm www.correiaconstruction.bm Let Correia Construction be your contractor of choice with over 40 years of expertise in all areas of construction; Marine, Commercial and Residential. to consider restoring the entire Royal Naval Dockyard as a cultural tourismdestination.In 1982,Parliament passed theWest EndDevelopment Corporation (WED- CO) Act,which set up a quasi-autonomous agencywith themandate to develop the area and repurpose all of its existing naval structures,while preserving their historical and architectural integrity. Today,the Royal Naval Dockyard is themost visited site in Bermuda,underscoring the value of architectur- al heritage to the tourism industry.It is part of theWest EndDevelopment Corporation’smixed-use develop- ment-a combination of historyand culture,arts and crafts,entertainment,retail shopping,restaurants and pubs,tourism,watersports,amarina,residences,and even some light industrial.“We’ve got a fewareas that still need to be developed,but themajorityof the buildings are complete,”says Joanna Cranfield,WED- CO’s Business Development Manager,“and it’s currently a thrivingworking and residential hub-and the histori- cal integrityhas beenmaintained,throughout.” According to General ManagerAndrewDias,funding for the $60million project came primarily from the government,but also from tenants who lease property fromWEDCO.“Theyalso agree to fixup the area they are renting,”he explains.“Wewould do the exterior structure and theywould do all of the interior.We have been responsible for providing the infrastructure, whether it be power,water,sewage,telecommunica- tions,roads,even bringing,to some degree,the tourism to the area byhaving two of Bermuda’s largest cruise ships come to port,with over 90 percent of Bermuda’s passengers coming through the Royal Naval Dockyard. So,we’re providing commerce to entities that wish to invest in various businesses.”