School repair contractors warned

The National Education Trust (NET) has informed at least four contractors involved in post-Hurricane Beryl repair efforts at schools that the pace and quality of their work have been unsatisfactory.

NET Executive Director Latoya Harris-Ghartey made the disclosure in a Sunday Gleaner interview last Friday as she responded to complaints from administrators at the Happy Grove High School in Portland about the quality and slow pace of work being done by one contractor.

That contractor is among three in Portland who have been given an ultimatum to either step up their efforts or face replacement. Another contractor in rural St Andrew was given a similar warning.

Harris-Ghartey, however, noted that in some cases, the delays were not solely due to contractor performance as there were other challenges, including getting access to some schools and the unavailability of material that was in high demand post-storm.

“I can’t tell you that it was 10 or 20 contractors who were issued notices. It was a process that happened quickly. So once we realise a contractor hasn’t mobilised, then we would have issued notice,” outlined Harris-Ghartey, who also couldn’t immediately say how many contractors have been replaced. “There are three schools in Portland, and one in rural St Andrew that we have real issues with, and all of those have factors beyond just contractors.

“Getting equipment to the school in St Andrew was a challenge, and the contractors were also faced with trying to get material that half of the island was trying to get, and there were contractors who couldn’t get certain material in time,” the NET executive director told The Sunday Gleaner.

“But there were contractors who performed above and beyond,” she added, listing several schools that cumulatively made out a 90 per cent recovery completion rate for ‘Category One’ affected institutions, for which NET was responsible.

In August, the Government estimated that it would cost more than $3 billion to fund repairs to 362 public schools damaged by Hurricane Beryl in July. Schools were categorised into three priority groups: severely damaged, moderately damaged and those that sustained minor damage.

Some 107 schools were classified as severely damaged – Category/Priority One – with roofs, ceilings, windows and doors, retaining walls and perimeter fencing, furniture, learning resources, and electrical equipment being destroyed.

A total of 139 schools were listed as moderately damaged (Category/Priority Two), while 116 schools were described as having minor damage (Category/Priority Three).

MISSED DEADLINE

Happy Grove High was among those placed in Category One as it sustained severe damage. The contractor carrying out those repairs was among those given notice for unsatisfactory work.

Last week, administrators bemoaned what they described as slow and subpar work, noting that three and a half months after the storm, the school is still not back at full operation.

“We had a deadline for completion of September 30, and we are way past that now. I have not been able to have a full complement of students attending school, and this has put us at a disadvantage,” fumed Principal Monique Grant-Facey, who, in September, two months after the storm had passed, said no attention had been paid to Happy Grove.

Since then, following a slew of frustrating phone calls, meetings, class cancellations, and even a visit by Education Minister Fayval Williams to the institution, the repairs have been dragging on, leaving some students with reduced contact time.

“It is substandard work, and there was some wind Tuesday night which blew off the zinc sheets that were installed,” Grant-Facey pointed out in dismay. It is the students who are suffering, she said.

“I have not seen the contractor for some time. We have grades eight and nine in rotation, and we have to make a decision to now bring everyone in and use up every inch of space that we can find. Six classrooms at Harvey Hall are in need of repair,” the frustrated principal relayed, noting the setback caused by a yet-to-be-restored auditorium, which was pummelled by the hurricane.

Even prior to that, school administrators noted that other buildings at the school were in disrepair. Classes on Harvey Hall, for example, are havens for bats and pigeons.

Last Wednesday, sheets of zinc, which were blown off by wind overnight, were seen lying on the premises. There were no workmen around, and administrators said they had not shown up for at least a week.

The administrators are appealing for a change of contractor, which Harris-Ghartey said is one consideration in the coming weeks.

“There is some level of negligence from the contractor and we have written to him. He has indicated that he is going there this weekend with his team to ensure that work is done. We told him that if the work is not done by next week, we are going to find another contractor,” explained the NET executive director, stressing that Happy Grove is among only a few schools facing such serious challenges.

“Portland suffers from rain daily and Happy Grove has suffered from inappropriate maintenance. It is a seaside school with a metal frame for the auditorium that has not been maintained properly. When they took off the structure, the metal was basically disintegrating in the hands of the workers. So the scope of work would have been far more extensive than you could have seen with the naked eye,” she said, explaining that some $800 million would have already been spent on critical school projects.

Some schools benefited from “brawta”, but the NET’s approval, Harris-Ghartey said, is limited to Hurricane Beryl remedial work, even though there is a bigger plan to fix all schools. Contractors selected for the school projects have been registered with the Government and were selected based on proximity to the sites. No contractor was given more than two projects at a time, she explained.

Meanwhile, Yashika Blackwood, director for the Ministry of Education’s Region Two, which comprises St Mary, Portland, and St Thomas, said that to her mind, all schools in the parishes are back online, and all the students are back in school.

“There are still three projects outstanding. NET in charge of them. They are ongoing. I’m not saying there aren’t any inconveniences, but they are not preventing school from continuing. Some areas are cordoned off, and [there are] some areas that they can’t access,” she outlined.

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