MORE than a year after being shuffled out of the picture by Government, the St. George's Renaissance Consortium said this week that it had still not been given a reason why.The consortium, led by the Canada-based Quorum, had been heavily favoured to acquire the former Club Med property in St. George's, but was dropped suddenly in favour of a US-based company, KJA, in December 2005.

Up to that point, consortium leader Wanda Dorosz said they had spent more than $2 million on the project that would have brought a Four Seasons hotel to Bermuda.

Speaking from Toronto this week, Mrs. Dorosz dispelled rumours that they were standing by for a possible return following the termination of US-based KJA company's agreement.

"We just want to move into the future," she said. "If it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't meant to be."

She said her contacts in Bermuda informed her there were some 17 developers interested in the property.

When asked if she would ever consider investing money in Bermuda again, she replied: "We love Bermuda and I never say never when it comes to any future development, but I want people to know I took the high road, it's in my DNA. I respect the process and as we have said before, we have healed.

"The Government in its wisdom did what it had to do," she added.

The consortium's $220 million plan, unveiled in November 2003, included demolishing the old building and replacing it with a hotel of at least 90 bedrooms and a cottage complex of 90 condominiums, designed in a European style with public squares and fountains.

An underground theatre, seating between 400 and 500 people, would be used for cultural events and the consortium had gathered support from several overseas cultural institutions which would have resulted in world-class theatre coming to the island.Despite its stunning setting for a top-class resort, the property has remained vacant for more than 18 years with several investors putting forward ambitious plans, backed by tens of millions of dollars, only to have them collapse.

[bul] In December 1993, the United Bermuda Party's Jim Woolridge became the first in a string of Tourism Ministers from both major parties to claim that good news on Club Med was just around the corner.

He announced that he had met with a group of businessmen from Massachusetts who had viewed the site and were interested in building a new hotel.

But before anything could move forward, the Government had to deal with the fact that Club Med still held the lease to the land on which the hotel stood.

[bul] In 1995, the French resort company proposed reopening 100 of the hotel's 340 rooms and simultaneously slashed its asking price for the building from $32 million to $13.5 million. Its argument was that it would be easier to sell the business as a going concern.

But the Government rejected the proposal, as Works & Engineering Minister Leonard Gibbons pressed ahead in taking Club Med to court to reclaim the property, arguing that the company was in violation of the terms of its lease.

When the matter went to Supreme Court in August 1995, Puisne Judge Vincent Meerabux reversed his decision on whether to send the matter to arbitration and legal proceedings began that were to continue, on and off, for more than two years.

[bul] In February 1996, Club Med approached Government with a proposal to reopen the hotel by May of the following year.

The Government set aside its legal action and compromise agreements were reached on re-licensing requirements relating to fire safety, sewage treatments and room standards. Club Med decided reopening would not be possible until the spring of 1998, but in March 1997 proposed to reopen as a timeshare property.

Government responded by re-launching its legal action to take back the lease. The result? Club Med gave up the lease in September 1997.

[bul] In 1998 the Atlanta-based Camberley Hotel Company was in the frame as the next potential developer.

Talks between the company and Government progressed well over the subsequent months and by July the company had come to a labour agreement with the Bermuda Industrial Union and had set early 2000 as a target opening date.

A month before the November 1998 General Election, Camberley president Ian Lloyd-Jones said his company's $32-million revamp plan for the hotel would be put on hold until after the poll.

The Progressive Labour Party won the election and David Allen replaced David Dodwell as Tourism Minister. Talks continued, but by May 1999 the Camberley deal was close to collapse due to finances, or the lack thereof.

[bul] By late 2000, Mr. Allen sparked some optimism by announcing that Malaysian development company Aman Capital wanted to redevelop the site. But by December 2001, the plans had effectively collapsed.

In September 2002, after a short battle with cancer, Mr. Allen died.

Three more bids to redevelop the hotel site were considered by Government, but one of the competing groups got fed up with waiting for a decision by late 2002.

[bul] A year later the St. George's Renaissance Group, backed by the Quorum, got the nod for a limited-term exclusivity agreement.

Costs were estimated at around $80 million and the group wanted to be in business by 2005.

By March 2005, the plans remained on track, with a much-increased cost estimate of $210 million and the Four Seasons hotel chain set to manage the resort.

However, by December 2005 the Renaissance group, with its $220 million worth of financing in place and primed to press ahead, was dealt a major blow when it appeared Government stopped talking to it.

[bul] The next move was unveiled by Dr. Brown in January 2006 when he revealed that talks had started with US-based KJA Company and Jack Avedikian. Ten months later this agreement was terminated.

Rejected consortium still waiting for an answer