BVI News

School wall project has scarred me! An overhanging cloud on business

ESHS wall development project manager, Steve Augustine.

Local architect, Steve Augustine, has said he is scarred by the developments that took place with the controversial 2014 wall project for Elmore Stoutt High School’s (ESHS).

Augustine, the owner of SA Architects, was hired under the previous National Democratic Party (NDP) government to design and oversee the works for the contentious wall project that was initially budgeted at $828,000 but later skyrocketed to well over a million dollars.

The architect appeared before the Commission of Inquiry (COI) recently.

“This project has been a scarring process, for lack of a better term,” Augustine told the COI. “And it’s been lingering around, in my opinion, for far too long with, in my opinion, too much non-factual information — more gossip and more fictional than anything else — which definitely scars the character, including mine, because I have always held myself as a person that, once given the task of executing a job, I will do it, and I will do it to the best of my ability.”

According to the architect who served as a consultant to the Ministry of Education & Culture over the years, some of the things said about the project have had ‘far-reaching angles’.

Since a lot of the criticism about the project came from Auditor General Sonia Webster, Augustine said he sent her letters but they all went unanswered; thereby denying him an opportunity to give any input to the criticisms the project received.

“When you start to look at the facts and what’s true – industry standard rates and different things like that – it puts a damper on your daily workings and undertakings because it’s a cloud that follows you no matter where you go,” Augustine stated.

Augustine said he eagerly hopes to get to a point where he would be able to move forward from the project and the proverbial overhanging cloud that came with it.

“You know, it’s a small country. The people that read the truthful and the untruthful information, those are my clients, you know? The population is small, and I have to survive, like everyone else — like yourself. I have a family, they look forward to the very same things that you look forward to, so I’m glad of the process,” Augustine told the COI.

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26 Comments

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  1. Too Much says:

    That wall should have never cost so much!

    Like 22
    Dislike 15
    • STFU says:

      Are you a contractor or an architect?

      Like 15
      Dislike 3
    • Reality says:

      … As an architect as he calls himself he should have had a survey with topography prepared so that proper construction drawings could be prepared showing actual length of wall and heights needed to achieve the clients goal… Further, if it was the intent to give multiple contracts or work orders out, the construction drawings should have been draw with scope of work for each contractor and how the work of each contractor started and ended. This was not done. Was it done to increase the price and kickbacks involved? Print this or not, it’s the truth.

    • BVI says:

      BVI News is censoring comments and not posting anything they don’t like. How disgusting a supposed news service they are.

      Like 2
      Dislike 1
  2. It Fishy from long says:

    I believe Steve’s story. I listened to his testimony and you could tell he was being sincere and truthful. The auditor general seemed to have been motivated by something to act the way she did. To do an audit and not involve the main person in the project borders on professional misconduct. That is not the way any audit anywhwere is done. Who provided context to her then?

    Like 25
    Dislike 8
  3. Precise says:

    Our Premier and his cabinet always whining about the COI.The COI is doing an excellent job.But there is so much corruption going on in some departments of government example the Land Registry office,Ask for the minister of that department.I admired the way Mr Augustine Ms Stevens and Ms Scatliffe gave evidence.They did not ramble when ask a question.Some high officials need to do the same.Be precise and not ramble.

    Like 31
    • To Precise says:

      The COI has some good but it is bias and racist. There is no government in the world that have all their actions lined up with every law or policy. This COI is a look god way for the UK to force Global Britan on us which we DO NOT WANT.

      Like 3
      Dislike 9
      • @ToPrecise says:

        Seems like some of us watch too much TV and feel it necessary to play the race card when they cannot find nothing else. Wake up! BVI is not independent and while some local politicians try to do right by the people most of them DON”T and that is why we have COI. If we don’t want COI simply do right by the people.

  4. ** run says:

    Some one should have been in jail for this wall

    Like 13
    Dislike 12
  5. truth is says:

    Mr. Steve Augstine is an honest person. He should have been given the chance to be more hands-on in the execution of that project.

    Like 9
    Dislike 3
  6. One and one says:

    Steve your nutting but a *** and a lot of us is on to you it’s only so long before your bubble gets burst remember this

    Like 7
    Dislike 17
  7. Good says:

    Don’t mind them Steve, you were vindicated and can move on now. Myron and his team can now lift their heads and stop worrying about this dark cloud as the facts were made very clear. It is obvious that someone was after Myron and created this mess, all over a wall. BVI Airways that was a 7 million give away didn’t even get this much scrutiny. The Police were called to investigate a wall which is there, completed and withstood Irma and Maria. Makes you wonder what the real motive was.

    Like 26
    Dislike 9
  8. Fghy says:

    Lots of walls survived the storms. That’s not the point.
    Nobody is saying it was badly built. It’s the cost….

    Like 11
    Dislike 6
  9. Oh please says:

    I don’t believe his playing victim story. This is a very classical one. These guys had enough time to orchestrate an emotional response to the public. People are so gullible to believe them. This is how them politicians and business people mess wid all you head all the time. Them is some serial professionals. Did I commit a crime the answer is always no no no.

    Like 10
    Dislike 7
  10. Rubber Duck says:

    Strange for an architect to boast that his wall stood up through a hurricane. Most did.

    Like 6
    Dislike 4
  11. Listen bozo says:

    Stop you pathetic attempts at censorship. I can post under any name I like and your pathetic attempts to block me won’t work will they. I have never posted anything malicious. You might not like what I post but it’s not malicious in any way.

    Don’t fcuk with the Duck.

  12. VI gyal says:

    All of you done collect on your thousands of dollars. Now COI questioning your work and the accuracy of the project funds and all crying out. UK reading right through many of you.

    Sad that we are going through this but for years we had this building up on ourselves.

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