The construction of the new all-in-one Anguilla Fire & Rescue Services Headquarters, and the Air Traffic Control Tower at the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport, is proceeding according to the contract and design plans.
The project, jointly funded by the Anguilla and British Governments, at an estimated cost of five million Eastern Caribbean dollars, is being constructed by Orchard, Romney, Beck (ORB) & Associates Inc. which has been operating in Anguilla for some 25 years.
Speaking on behalf of the company, Mr. Gareth Orchard told The Anguillian on Friday, September 30, that the construction work started at the beginning of September and is scheduled to be completed by March 2017.
Mr. Orchard, who has been residing in Anguilla for thirty years, and is now a naturalised Anguillian, also told the newspaper, that Mr. Dennis Romney, a well-known contractor, is his equal partner in the construction company along with the other two partners – Beck and Associates. As regards how the work is progressing, he said: “We are doing the structure for the building below ground, getting the cisterns out of the way so that we can do the backfilling and start the rest of the footings. The work is pretty well on schedule. By the end of the year we want to be working on the blocks above ground and progressing that way.”
The main structure of the building will be two storeys high, with a six-storey Control Tower at the top which is a small proportion of the building. The Fire Hall, as the main building is commonly called, is split into two with fire trucks for both the domestic side and the airport side of the building, as well as security services and other features. There is also space for power generation and other facilities.
The Control Tower will not only be better than the current one, but much taller. The Anguillian understands that the electrician with ORB & Associates is in contact with a designer who worked on the Piarco International Airport in Trinidad. The consultation is aimed at upgrading the provision for control lights so that if there is any expansion of the airport in Anguilla, the Control Tower would be able to handle the operations of the runway without any difficulty.
Orchard Romney Beck & Associates is a highly-experienced construction company which has also done some project management work over the years. The company built the entire former National Bank of Anguilla property and also constructed part of the former Caribbean Commercial Bank, both imposing landmarks in the centre of the island.
Mr. Orchard was asked how he felt about his company having the contract to construct the airport building. “I am very pleased. It puts Anguillians at work and puts me at work as well,” he replied.
At present, there are twenty permanent employees, at the project, excluding the electricians and plumbers who are sub-contractors. When the construction work gets above ground, the main workforce will likely be expanded.
