(2nd, 3rd & 4th from left) with CDB team
The Anguilla Community College project has been the main topic of discussion this week involving a four-member team from the Caribbean Development Bank, education officials in Anguilla, members of the Steering Committee for the project, members of the Board of Governors and various other persons.
The CDB Team Supervision Mission, from May 19-23, came for discussions related to speeding up the start of the project in The Farrington area, just north of the Long Path. The CDB has granted a loan of 3.215 million US dollars to the Government of Anguilla to finance the project which should have already commenced.
The members of the visiting team were named as: Dr. Idamay Denny, Portfolio Manager; Mr. Calvin White, Operations Officer (Finance); Mr. Paul Murphy, Operations Officer (Education); and Mr. Dwayne Squires, Operations Officer (Engineer).
The CDB officials, who were met on arrival on Tuesday by Dr. Delroy Louden, President of the Anguilla Community College, began their discussions on Wednesday morning with the Honourable Minister of Education and Social Development, Mr. Evans McNiel Rogers. The newly-appointed Minister, who was involved in the early establishment of the college, has now returned to elective office in full support of the institution and the building of the new campus.
Following that meeting, there was a meeting of the CDB team with members of the Steering Committee for the project, led by Mrs. Chanelle Petty Barrett, Permanent Secretary, Education. Later in the day the CDB team met with Mr. Vanburn Brookes, Architect for the project, and Mr. Rawle Hazell, Project Coordinator.
The meetings continued on Thursday and Friday with other personnel from the college, the TVET Council, the Department of Youth and Culture and the Ministry of Finance.
Meanwhile, Professor Louden expressed the hope that construction work on the college campus would start no later than the end of June. “Once we select the Project Engineer in the next two weeks, it will just be the contractor to be selected and then we will be ready to go,” he told The Anguillian. “Four people were short-listed from the procurement process. They are from the region… but, of course, that doesn’t mean that they can’t take an Anguillian to work with them.
“The idea of the Project Engineer is that he or she will be the eyes and ears of the Anguilla Community College as it relates to the Contractor selected to ensure not just the quality of the work, but that the guidelines, laid down in the plans for the construction, are fulfilled. Primarily the Engineer is to ensure that the integrity of the building – both material and construction – is of the highest level.”
