The Government of the Virgin Islands signed two contracts totaling more than $235,000 to commence works for the Redevelopment of the Elmore Stoutt High School campus.
The signing which was facilitated through the Recovery and Development Agency (RDA), was conducted on the school grounds on Thursday December 2.
Sand Wise Limited was awarded the first contract valued at $136,079.50 for the demolition and debris works clearance.
According to the Procurement Officer of the RDA Nioka Murray, there were 17 firms who showed interest at the pre-bidding meeting and site visit. However, she said only 9 tenders were received by the RDA prior to the announced deadline date.
The second contract is for design consultancy services for the project and is valued at $99,480.
Murray said requests for proposals were sent to 10 local firms, however 5 submissions were received by the announced deadline.
After a thorough assessment of the bids submitted, Murray said Trojan Design & Development Limited were deemed to be the best value for money and was awarded the contract.
Premier was extremely responsive to project
Minister for Education Dr. Natalio Wheatley said the work to be completed at the high school is long overdue.
He said no significant work was done to the campus in over 5 decades besides the rehabilitation work that was conducted on the L Adorothy Turnbull building by his government shortly after taking office in 2019.
Dr. Wheatley also revealed that when he brought the concerns raised by the teachers on the need to fast track the new buildings, Premier and Minister of Finance Andrew Fahie acted expeditiously in ensuring the necessary resources were sourced to make the project a reality.
“The teachers told me, we can’t wait for that fancy building, we need action right away…And the teachers were absolutely right and I certainly acknowledge their agitation. And as a result of that I had a discussion – it was the PS and I in the meeting, along with I believe the CEO was there as well, along with principals and teachers. I immediately had a conversation with the Premier and the Minister of Finance and despite what persons want to say about him or about myself, he was extremely responsive to the concerns of those teachers. And he said just like he said in many other instances, let’s do it, let’s make it happen right away for the teachers, for the students, for the principals,” Dr. Wheatley stated.
Bureaucratic structure extremely frustrating.
The education minister also expressed his frustration on the bureaucratic structure within government which he said tends to cause delays in several processes, therefore affecting intended timelines.
He said, “I’m frustrated by bureaucracy. I’m terribly frustrated by bureaucracy and by the slow turning wheels in government. It has to go to this office and it goes to that office, it has to get his signature and it has to get that signature and we have to do this and we have to do that. It’s incredibly frustrating to me.”
“I wanted to go and start building the high school myself. I was ready to go to VI Block and Clarence Thomas and start getting the materials and get going, but of course there are processes to follow which are senior civil servants – our PSs – to take us through these processes,” Dr. Wheatley added.
2- phase process
Meanwhile, Premier Fahie detailed the expected outlook of the project once completed, stating that in the first instance, the plan is to have three two-story buildings constructed to accommodate the senior students who are presently being housed at the old CTL building.
He said the project will be divided into two-phases.
“The first phase runs from 10th December 2021, to 7th January 2022 and involves demolition of the concrete slabs from the remanence of the old buildings and the removal of debris from the facility to an approved landfill site, of course in an environmentally friendly manner with due safety to protect all individuals inside and outside of the site,” Premier Fahie stated.
He added, “Simultaneously, we are also commencing the design consultancy phase. This work will begin on 2nd December 2021 and must be completed by 14th January 2022. The cost of the design phase is just over $99,000. The selected consultant is Trojan Design and Development Limited who will be responsible for preliminary and final for tender architectural drawings, three render construct drawings, priced detailed bill of quantities, among other responsibilities.”