As part of the hurricane recovery programme in Anguilla, a new building of over 500 square feet is under construction at the premises of the Department of Infrastructure in The Valley. The original storage building was destroyed or otherwise severely damaged by Hurricane Irma in September 2017, among other Government buildings and offices.
Excavation work, on the edge of the Government’s agricultural lands, has just begun by the contractors who satisfied the bidding processes. While it is a welcome project for the Ministry and Department of Infrastructure, the Minister, Mr. Curtis Richardson, would have preferred if there was a different location.
“I would not have put back the building there because it is a flood area,” he told media representatives accompanying him on a school bags and books distribution tour across the island on Monday, August 27. “I would have liked to move the public works from there, and I felt that the hurricane was an opportune time for us to correct a lot of things that were wrong in Anguilla.” He spoke against the background that, as a result of Hurricane Lenny in November 1999, The Valley area was flooded by some 15 feet of water.
Mr. Richardson continued: “I would have liked a location on the hill overlooking the airport. I really think we need to get out of the flood zone. It has only happened to us once in a hundred years, but once sometimes is enough to have a tragedy in life so I would have liked to avoid that risk. However, looking at all the factors, we are forging ahead to put a building back there.
“The building is for storage purposes for some of the equipment, including generators and other materials, we have for the Department of Infrastructure. The British Government has given us some financial assistance for the first set of projects that were approved. We have a second set of projects that should now be approved and these should include the Blowing Port project.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Richardson said that the rebuilding of some portions of The Valley Primary School and the Adrian T. Hazell Primary School should start pretty soon”. He went on: “We were trying to avoid having to wait until after the reopening of the schools, but it is just the way we are working with the British Government. There is a lot of paper work. We have to go through a procurement process and there were a lot of delays to get started. It is an unfortunate late start, and a whole year after the hurricane, but we give God thanks that we will have a better learning environment for the children in Anguilla.”
The Minister also expressed his desire to see the rebuilding of the Morris Vanterpool Primary School at East End. That school building was badly damaged and otherwise compromised by Hurricane Irma necessitating the renting of three private apartments.
