Several persons attending the town hall meeting held by the Elected Representative for East End/Sandy Hill, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge, on Sunday evening, October 14, have commended her for coming out to speak with them on a series of important matters, dubbed “Initiatives 2015-2018”.
Mrs. Richardson-Hodge was quick to point out that the initiatives, though under her name, were undertaken with the support of her Ministerial colleagues and that of the civil servants working in the Ministry.
The Minister, a Lawyer by profession, has responsibility for Home Affairs, Education, Labour, Immigration, Human Rights, Constitutional Affairs, Gender Affairs and Information and Broadcasting. One of her key supporters, Joey Gumbs. distributed a pamphlet, on her behalf, which listed a number of areas of work and some accomplishments as follows:
IMMIGRATION:
• Children of Non-Belongers born in Anguilla, no longer have to pay for time [to stay on the island]
• Grandchildren of Belongers, no longer have to pay for time [to stay on the island]
• Relaxation of Visa Requirements [for certain nationals travelling to Anguilla on occasions]
EDUCATION
• Morris Vanterpool Primary School (in progress)
• Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School (in progress)
• Exemption on Customs duties for Laptops – forms 4,5,6 of the ALHCS
LABOUR
• Labour Relations Bill
• Labour Registry
• Unemployment Benefits Programme
CONSTITUTIONAL & ELECTIONS REFORM
• Amendments to Constitution to Recognise Grandchildren et al (in progress)
• New Elections Act (in progress)
• Voter ID Cards (in progress)
SANDY HILL DISTRICT [In terms of Activities]
• Annual School Supplies Giveaway to Morris Vanterpool Primary School
• AXA Cares Food Bank
• East End Basketball Court
• H.O.P.E. Centre
• Village Ting
In terms of education facilities, the Minister told her listeners that the majority of the schools were severely damaged by Hurricane Irma in September 2017, and that certain portions of the sixty million pounds in humanitarian aid from the UK Government were earmarked for their repair or rebuilding. The damaged schools will include cafeterias, auditoriums and other facilities conducive to student care and learning.
The Valley Primary School, where some buildings were demolished, is the closest of the schools for commencement of reconstruction work. The design drawings are ready to be sent to the UK Committee for approval and funding, followed by the tendering process. The other schools to be funded are the Morris Vanterpool Primary School which is to be completely rebuilt and modernised at its present location; the Adrian T. Hazell Primary School which lost some of its buildings and which have had to be demolished; the Orealia Kelly Primary School which lost part of its Auditorium roofing and where some upstairs construction work on one of the buildings is planned; and the Alwyn Allison Richardson Primary School where some roof repair work was needed. The Vivien Vanterpool Primary School was not extensively damaged by the hurricane thus not requiring the extent of repair work as some of the other schools.
The big education project is the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School which is to be rebuilt at a cost of some ten million dollars. An area of some 17 acres of Government-owned land in The Quarter is earmarked to be the new location of the school.
