ESHS redevelopment not an election gimmick — Premier
While refuting any notion that the Elmore Stoutt High School (ESHS) redevelopment is an election gimmick, Premier Andrew Fahie said the project had been plagued by inaction for some time before being pursued by his government.
“For many years, there have been talk and talk and more talk about the need to develop and expand this campus, but it has been only talk with no action,” the Premier said during a recent contract signing ceremony for the ESHS redevelopment.
He continued: “This is not an election project. This project did not drop from the sky. You would have heard the timelines that were involved in getting to this time and know that it did not just start.”
And according to the Premier, the public may have been misled by the previous administration into believing that a loan was in place to fund the ESHS project.
“At one time we were being told that there was a loan for this project and the money was there. When your government took office, we checked but we could find no evidence of this. There was nothing there,” he stated.
“There were designs that were passed around,” the Premier charged, “but persons who were in position to get the campus redevelopment done did not do it.”
He further explained that some of those designs were not suitable to withstand hurricanes, especially after 2017 and particularly when the issue of climate change is factored in.
“We have seen the hurricanes becoming more frequent and more fierce. Those designs were also not suitable for the challenges we are now facing today such as COVID-19, which require different physical layouts and catering for the greater use of technology in learning,” the territory’s leader shared.
He also argued that some of the designs became outdated since 2017 and noted that even the pricing of the estimates for those designs was also outdated.
Premier Fahie has promised that works on the school’s redevelopment would be completed in time for the start of the new school year in September 2022.
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Talk Talk Talk… It’s been nearly five years since Irma took out the High School…
Both the last government and this one should be ASHAMED that the complex has not been rebuilt and is in service by now.
This situation is very much a re-election topic.
The education system and the future of the children of the BVI was never a priority. Even a blind bat could have seen through the stimulus list. When its convenient to them, they start to talk about High School and now asking for donors to fork up Millions, but yet money was spent on lawyers because according to them the colonists are coming to take over and are out to get them LOL….they squeezed out a 7% fee for money transfers, but did they mention any of what was collected would go towards fixing the education system??? Sick of them now…..so, dont forget the Brits are coming!!!
Fahie Don’t try to defend your self because most people in the BVI don’t believe a word you say.
If he says go right, please go left!
Yet you want to construct a building at the West End Ferry Dock constructed with Glazing. I guess when a hurricane approaches it will miss West End.
He is missing the point! It is not about the designs but about the capacity and best usage of the space! Any engineer could adjust a plan with an architect to ensure that the construction style used ensures greater strength and sustainability.
But we have no indoor gymnasium facility for the kids. Locker rooms and changing facilities? Storage for sporting equipment? No cafeteria for the kids to no longer have to roam the streets at lunch time. No modern library or study hall for less fortunate kids to still be able to access the technology needed for their studies. Where is the fully outfitted science lab area so that perhaps one day, a BVIslander could develop the vaccine needed for the next pandemic? Do the teachers and administrators have a proper Lounge/breakroom to recharge before their next class begins? Have we beefed up our security needs on the campus? Cameras? Security Guard Houses? Electronic scanners for weapons?
All of that would delay it further. Those things can be done in the next phase.
@Priorities, The Brits are already place.
Come on! The indolence that has been displayed by this administration who refused massive loans to rebuild, but refused out of a myopic self-regard. How could this be spun as a positive? Yet again we have this almost comical lack of self-awareness, and failure of intellect.
From he gotta explain that it’s not a gimmick you already know it is