After several years of planning and setbacks, under different administrations, the ground was eventually broken for the construction of the first phase of the Anguilla Community College on Wednesday, June 19.
The construction site is on some eleven-and-a-half acres of Government-owned land in The Farrington. The ground-breaking ceremony, chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Education, Mrs. Chanelle Petty Barrett, was held near the old factory shell building which is to form part of the College.
In delivering the official welcome and commenting on the project, President of the Community College, Dr. Karl Dawson, said in part: “This facility, the first of two phases, will give us the opportunity for more hands-on training. It will give us the opportunity to pursue things that we have not been able to do for lack of resources in our current facility. There will be training for our chefs that will impact the hospitality industry and for persons in technical and construction trades which will commence on completion of this facility.”
The Minister of Home Affairs and Education, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge said the ground-breaking ceremony was a significant milestone for the Anguilla Community College to finally begin the construction of its own home. She continued: “The vision for the Anguilla Community College was formulated many years ago in the heart and mind of former Minister of Education, Mr. Eric Reid, and has been pursued by several subsequent Ministers of Education ever since. I am so pleased that I have the opportunity to be a part of bringing this vision to fruition. It has been long in coming.
“Several years ago, the Caribbean Development Bank partnered with the Government of Anguilla to support the development of the Community College. It pledged loan financing in the sum of 3.2 million US dollars and has provided support and guidance over the years to make this project a reality. To say that this project has had challenges, would be an understatement. It has been quite a bumpy ride and many times persons felt that we should give up and not bother with the development of the College.
“However, despite the setbacks, the project’s Steering Committee, the College Board and both the former and present Presidents of the Anguilla Community College, continued to push and advocate for the continuation of the project. I believe that it is because of their perseverance and the work of the Project Coordinator, Mr. Rommel Hughes, that we are here today.”
The Minister added: “This ground-breaking we are witnessing today is for phase one of the Anguilla Community College Development Project – which will result in the construction of workshops and labs for the technical portions of the College. It is where courses in technical and vocation education will be taught – including culinary arts, automotive technology, construction, ITT and labs. This is an important first step as it enables the College to meet the needs of a cross-section of the population it is now unable to serve effectively in its current location. Soon to follow, hopefully, will be phase two which consists of facilities for administration. I believe the vision of the College, many years ago, has been an institution of the people, for the people.”
Mr. Rommel Hughes, the Project’s Coordinator, who had been associated with the College for the past four years, joined in reflecting on the various hurdles which affected the project, and he was delighted that at last the construction work was now to begin. “During the next two weeks we are hoping that we will begin the actual physical construction process, but I wish to caution that there are still some hurdles we have to surmount,” he stated. “We are working at the same time with the contractor – Quality Construction – to put in place the necessary insurances and bonds that will allow us to move forward.”
Chairman of the Community College’s Board of Governors, Mr. Rodney Rey, observed that when the campus is completed Anguilla will finally have a purpose-built facility for the present generation and generations to come. He added that the decision was made for Anguilla to have its own tertiary institution and that “the Anguilla Community College is here to stay.”
The contractor is Mr. Cephas Webster of Island Harbour, owner of Quality Construction Company. He told The Anguillian newspaper: “I am thankful that we had the opportunity to bid. Our bid was successful and we will now look forward to actually doing the construction. I think we will expedite the work, but it also depends on how quickly those persons overseas will supply us with the materials we will need. That is because before we can order the materials we must get approval from the consultants in Barbados.”
Asked about his workforce, Mr. Webster commented: “We have a core group of fifteen workers and we have sufficient right now.”
Former President of the Community College, Professor Delroy Louden, told media representatives: “The building of the Community College has been long overdue. The institution is a necessary step in the development of Anguilla. I wish that the people of the island will enjoy and take ownership of it – cherish it and allow it to grow so that their children’s children can remember what we did on this day, June 19, 2019.”
The breaking of the ground was performed by the Minister of Home Affairs and Education, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge, and the Minister of Social Development and former Minister of Education, Mr. Evans Rogers.
Others who took part in the ceremony were Rev. Dr. Wycherley Gumbs, who delivered the Opening Prayer, and Ms. Sharon Richardson, a senior staff member of the Community College who sang the hymn: “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”
