Hanover Municipal Corporation office complex damaged by Beryl
Published:Saturday | July 13, 2024 | 12:06 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
The Hanover Municipal Corporation’s (HMC’s) office complex, located in Sir Alexander Bustamante Square, Lucea, has suffered an estimated millions of dollars in damage by the Category 4 hurricane Beryl.
In an interview with The Gleaner following Thursday’s July 11 meeting, mayor of Lucea and chairman of the HMC Sheridan Samuels indicated that a cost estimate of the damage is being compiled.
“The extent of the damage is that we actually can’t sit in the offices, the roof is leaking like a sieve, the shingles are out of place, actually everywhere on the building. The roof in my office, you can see through it, the ceiling has fallen in the bathroom. As a matter of fact, because of the extent of the leaking, we have lost our computer server as, even though it was covered, water somehow got into it,” he stated.
“The server is now down and I know that it is going to cost a hefty sum of money to replace it,” he emphasised.
Samuels pointed out that the building, which houses all the administrative offices of the HMC, in addition to the offices for the mayor and deputy mayor, is “extensively damaged”.
Only the Roads and Works Department of the HMC is not housed on that building.
Samuels said plans are underway for immediate repairs to the building, noting that material has already been ordered.
“We are hoping that we do not get any rainfall before the repairs are done. The shingles are here, we have already identified the carpenter to do the work, and the work should start soon.”
Several members of staff confirmed the situation, noting that, whenever it rains, all offices on both floors of the building are affected by leaks.
When questioned about funding, Samuels responded, “We have to find the money because we cannot operate if we do not have an office space to operate from.”
He added that the Special Grant for Repairs funding within the corporation may be used for emergency work.
Contacted about the estimated cost of repairs, a chief executive officer of the corporation, Romeo Daley, told The Gleaner that the figure will run into millions of dollars.
“We had to do some repairs to a section of the roof recently, and it ran into over $1 million, and now this is the roof of the entire building. So it will be over a million,” he said.