Outrageous! Resident puzzled at $100K Brewers Bay bathroom bill
A caller to the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) Let’s Talk radio show expressed surprise at the enormous construction cost for a bathroom facility at the Brewer’s Bay beach in the Second District.
The bathroom, which has been a long-promised amenity in the area, has suffered repeated setbacks over the years, but Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley assured the resident recently that progress is being made with the project.
Premier Wheatley told the caller that, while he could not give a date for the opening of the bathroom facility since it was under the remit of Labour Minister, Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull, monies have been allocated to the completion of the project.
The Premier related that his government apportioned $101,000 towards the completion of the project through a budget supplementary appropriation late last week. “I think, as a Minister of Finance, I’ve done my part,” he stated.
The caller, in response said that former Premier Andrew Fahie told residents three different quotes for the cost of the project – $163,000, $143,000 and $125,000. “It looks like everybody is telling you something different that isn’t adding up, I don’t understand,” he said.
But as the Premier sought to assure the resident that the figure he mentioned was not the total cost, the caller interrupted to express his dissatisfaction with the budgeted figure. “But, that kind of money for a bathroom… to me, that is like if you’re building a house. I mean, a bathroom for that kind of money?” He asked.
The premier promised in return to get the total cost for the public and also a breakdown of the bill of quantities so persons could see how the money was being spent.
Contract signed since February 2022!
Back in February 2022, K & C Construction was awarded a contract valued at $124,258.70 for the project under then-Premier Andrew Fahie. Works on the restroom facilities were expected to commence on March 1, and continue for a six-month period until August 31. However, it was not explained what caused the delays and why the project was never done.
Then-Natural Resources and Labour Minister, Vincent Wheatley, told residents at the time that it had been the government’s aim for many years to ensure that popular beaches have bathrooms.
“When we got in, we first started with the Long Bay bathroom at Beef Island, and that has since been serving the community as well as the visitors very well. We will try to do this at all our premiere beaches throughout the BVI. We have done The Baths many years ago, we still have to do Spring Bay, Savannah Bay, and all of our other popular beaches,” the former Natural Resources Minister stated at the time.
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AND AYO STILL WANNA PUT BACK VIP?
Over $100k for a bathroom? You could bill a house for a family of four for that amount. These corrupt politician don’t see anything wrong with what they are doing? They have no conscience or shame. The blind can see that they put their kick back in the cost of every contract. Lock these mother f**kers up. Nothing is going to change until corrupt officials are held accountable and jailed where necessary. The people’s greedy mentality also have to change. Honesty and Integrity must rule. So far greed and All for me is ruling. We must change that if we are going to survive as a people.
Isn’t that privately owned land?
The “very important people” can’t build a bathroom but want to lead the people.
I do not see why VIP is being blamed for something that is handled by public works and the other technical arms of government public officers through the tender process. The caller is misguided and so is the information in this article. The elected officials have nothing to do with the cost or the company who wins the bid to do the project. Let us get the facts and stop intentionally misleading people because some people hate VIP.
These thief’s not quitting.
What an opportune time to fly the gate. #2 must now explain. The premier put it right in the hands of Turnbull. All I can say is Mr sl**man goaaaal
Ask the man Mitch with the most integrity about this. Mitch would not know what integrity is even if it slapped him in the face.
You could build a one bedroom one bathroom house with that money
there is several things wrong with this contract andrew gave k & c… andrew would have surely gotten a pay back.
the vip is a set of scam.
What about the bathroom fiasco $$ with NDP …the one at Josiah’s ended up as a storage room. Is the one at Brandywine even open now and for who ?
six months and $124,000.00US to build a bathroom?
Come on man, that not right.
“The elected officials” are responsible for the performance of the government, FULL STOP
That bathroom is extra costly, maybe it will have gold faucets and gold tiolets.
Dont recall ANYONE complaining about the $300 k bathroom at Mr Loyds park many years ago! Thats like 500k todays money. Which admin did that? NDP?
@Youth: The buck supposedly stops with the govt. They approved the expenditure instead of evaluating the value of spending $150k on a toilet. Secondly, they accepted the bids provided instead of inquiring why they were so high. That’s because they are spending tax payers monies without any consequences.
Who designed this public restroom facility? Was it for free? Highly doubtful that it was pro bono and that’s a project cost. Now based on the design and the BoQ to build the facility, wouldn’t this have gone through the RDA of some other government body? Then the tenders would be received and evaluated. I see no plausible way the D2 representative could have influenced this apart from lobbying to have it done!!
Six months to build a bathroom? Is one man working. Even then six months.
Who do you think is paying for this? Not the PWD. the permanent secretary and the elected minister who have oversight signs off on these things. So in the end the ministers are to blame for money wasted under their watch.
Wait… what?
You are speculating also. Ask the Premier and Public Works to provide the full facts and then no one has to speculate. A contract was signed in Feb 2022 for $124,258.70 with K&C Construction to build the bathrooms. It was for six months and the bathrooms should’ve been finished by August 31, 2022. Here we are more than a year later with no bathrooms but the Premier proudly saying he allocated $100k more to finish the bathrooms. Mr. Premier tell us why we were so far off the mark with the original contract. Someone needs to answer or they need to go home!
https://bvi.gov.vg/media-centre/contract-signed-restroom-facilities-brewer-s-bay
There is a reason why we voted them out. Are you saying we should now vote out VIP for doing the same thing? Why we try to justify poor performance by comparing it to poor performance?!
Do you remember the sports ground was paying a cleaner over 100K to clean the toilets. Im sure she was subcontracting out. What about DDM costing over 9M that a massive hotel about the size of a house.
THe list goes on and one.
It’s the same no matter who you elect. We keep recycling the same set. Stupid is doing the same thing and expecting different results. Stop complaining because you keep electing them.
The difference between the VIP and NDP is pretty noticeable. It seems the people have a short memory.
How much did the people lose when they bought into BVI Airways? 7.2 million I believe … or something like that. How much was the wall at the high school? Over 1 million, I think.
Then of course, there were very substantial overages for both the hospital and the Tortola Pier Park … not to mention the flooding caused in Road Town because of poor design. And what is happening with Prospect Reef Resort that the NDP government bought (18 years ago) for how many million with the promise of turning it into a “state-of-the-art” training facility for the hospitality sector? I think that was another 6 million if I’m not mistaken. And still, there it sits, 18 YEARS later!
Has anyone in the NDP said anything about Prospect Reef lately?
I am not for or against any one party, but it seems to me that some of the same cast of characters who were involved in all these projects are running for office yet again.
So what is it that anyone thinks is going to change if you vote the VIP out? How do you know the bills won’t just get bigger still?
What kind of garbage house you gonna build for $100k?
You in dream world.
…so let’s get some of these independent persons in to the Government and keep this party political BS under control…
You are probably too young to understand grown up matters.
we had a progress report on the Central Admin Building? will it be completed before another administration come and go?
I hope they take care of it because I went to a funeral in the Capoons Bay burial ground, and you don’t want to see the state of the restrooms there. I don’t think those were used three times. It had no place where it is but friends and family needed a cheque.
Brewers Bay beach need a lot of stuff, theses bathrooms are priority. Its been fastly coming a popular beach.
The Minister of finance gets all the paperwork to pursue for project over a certain amount of money . So yes he is the green team VIP he needs to stop misleading the people
And the VIP beat goes on and on and on! This bathroom is just another one of those outrageous highly price contracts. Just last month a million red flags were raised about the cost of the new marketplace. To date there’s no answer and not to mention the cost of the 400K school at Jose Van Dike. It appears as if squandering the taxpayers money is engraved in the DNA of the VIP.?It’s all about . It’s all about themselves, their friends, family and cronies. But don’t get discouraged because a change is about to come. On April 24 the VIP cabal will become dismantled.
100k is nothing for a bathroom and a building to put it in.
Sure you can throw up some crappy stuff but why don’t we
do something properly for a change?
BVI people just love f**king confusion. Where can you build a proper concrete structure for under $250K? A standard sized cistern costs around $50K or more. A 1-storey simple block house is $300-$400K. A rest room the size/scope of the one in Noel Lloyd Park or even Cane Garden Bay will not be built for under $200K. Wrong or right is always depending on who is involved and that’s what’s wrong with this place. So many petty fools worried about the wrong things.
What’s wrong with it is exactly what you said. Someone accepted the lowest bidder to build the bathroom and now coming back for more money. How could that price be accepted in the first place? Give the true price and get evaluated based on that price. Whoever accepted it is either incompetent or were up to no good. Show us the numbers Mr. Premier. Show us why the initial price HC signed was ok and why you need more money now or you and the Central Tenders Board should go home. Simple!
Representation Matters
The $101,000 is for a new scope of works for this project and is separate from the bathroom contract.
It’s for a totally different contractor and not for K and C Construction. This new project is for sewerage works for the Brewers Bay Bathrooms and construction works to fix the parking lot area. Entirely Separate Works.
The Premier needs to be clear, open and honest in his communication and not loose in his language. The Premier needs to clearly represent the truth.
…why would he? It is easier to throw his opponents under the bus. He was quick to say ask Mitch. Mitch can’t approve the checks, but he can. I am amazed by the insincere sincerity he “the premier “ attempts to portray. It is something to behold!
$101,0000 for a bathroom? Keep a eye on who’s panda, cousin or brother in law get that contract to give these politicians their kickbacks. The corruption is so in your face it’s mind blogging.