By CANDIA DAMES, Guardian News Editor

Many months after the Ireland-based Harcourt Development Company announced that it had purchased the Royal Oasis Resort in Freeport, many Grand Bahamians are wondering when the property will be redeveloped and reopened.

"In terms of the Harcourt Development at the old Royal Oasis, I understand that that should be commencing fairly shortly," said Greg Moss, president of the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce. "But as of yet it hasn't commenced in earnest and the jobs aren't being made available."

Moss indicated yesterday that the island's economy remains depressed. He added that the kind of aggressive development that was expected for the Ginn development in West End had still not yet materialized.

Added to this is the ongoing ownership feud ensnaring the Grand Bahama Port Authority. Moss opined that until that is resolved, the level of confidence in the Freeport economy would not improve.

The Royal Oasis Resort has been closed since it took a beating in Hurricane Frances in 2004. For many, it has been viewed as a symbol of drab economic life in the city, and the island-at-large. More than 1,000 Bahamians lost their jobs when the property was shut down and it had been in limbo until last November when Harcourt announced it had purchased the resort from Lehman Brothers. The company has said it plans to invest $400 million into the Royal Oasis, but it's not clear when major redevelopment will take place.

"When reopened, the resort will bring major benefits to the local area through increased tourism and employment," Harcourt said after purchasing the resort. It promised a renovated resort that will be home to a new hotel with a casino, convention/meeting facilities, spa, fitness center, food and beverage, retail, recreation and a host of other amenities. The company has also promised to restore the golf courses to their former glory.

Moss said that getting the property reopened would be significant for the people of Grand Bahama.

"Essentially, with the closing of the Royal Oasis we had 1,200 families affected negatively by that," Moss said. "As a result we've had a significant movement of labor out of Freeport, where the breadwinners had to leave the island. One would expect that the re-emergence of the Royal Oasis under the Harcourt group and even the construction that would lead up to that, would have an immediate impact on this economy."

He said 'one or two activities' like construction on the Royal Oasis would help to revive the island's economy. Harcourt Development officials did not immediately respond to inquiries about the property when contacted by The Nassau Guardian yesterday.

Government officials have had little to say about any specific plans for the resort in recent times. Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has said more than once that he does not intend to be a mouthpiece for any developer.