Bogdonavich wins bid for Catherine Hall complex

Disappointed at being overlooked after several attempts to acquire the iconic Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre in Montego Bay, businessman Richard Lake is calling for greater transparency in deals involving government properties.

Lake’s firm, Caribbean Resources Limited, lost out to entertainment czar Joe Bogdanovich, owner of Downsound Records, promoters of the acclaimed Reggae Sumfest music festival hosted at the popular showground each year.

“There is a lack of transparency associated with these public tenders because we have bid three times on this property, and on most occasions, we would have had the largest financial bid, and yet the property goes back out to tender,” Richard Lake said.

“There needs to be public disclosure as to the reasons used to choose one bidder from the other, because it does not appear to be objective.”

The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) did not respond to several Gleaner queries, but said that it first advertised the request for proposal (RFP) to lease, develop, and manage the Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre in daily newspapers on February 23, 2020.

However, documents seen by The Gleaner appear to show that Caribbean Resources Limited made a bid in June 2018.

When contacted, Bogdanovich confirmed that he won the bid but was hesitant to speak in detail because the deal was not finalised. However, he expressed confidence that his vision would be beneficial to western Jamaica.

“I don’t know what these other people are talking about, but we are justified by the rules and I think our track record speaks for itself,” Bogdanovich told The Gleaner.

“Basically, we want to make it the most appealing international performing centre out of Jamaica and the Caribbean that will be on par with other venues internationally.”

He said he had lots of plans on the agenda and that he intended to woo promoters of many events to the western city, including all genres of music.

Lake believes that his company’s proposal was better suited for broad-based participation and represented more value added to the community.

“The basis of using such a valuable property only a few days a year just cannot be justified. There seems to be an emotional connection to the event, but our proposal incorporated those events continuing,” Lake said.

“They cannot justify an economic decision on the basis of using a property 10 times per year,” he argued.

Bogdanovich, whose takeover is being supported by the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, has been negotiating with the state-run entity over the past three years.

editorial@gleanerjm.com