The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

GOVERNMENT officials expect a report in two weeks on the fire at the Bahamas Agricultural and Marine Sciences Institute and are “moving very expeditiously” to repair the destroyed dormitory, said Minister of State in the Ministry of Works Arnold Forbes.

Mr Forbes did not want to give an estimated price tag for the repair, but said work will begin shortly after police have finished their investigation into the fire.

The Mount Moriah MP explained that government teams have visited the site, finished their assessments and are in the final stages of drafting a report that will reveal the best way forward with the project.

He said: “We are now recovering from the fire and are still waiting on the completed reports from the police on their investigation about what happened.

However, we do not want that to impede our progress with that project and we want to make sure that BAMSI moves forward, as much on schedule as possible.”

In January flames engulfed the male dormitory of the recently constructed institution. Police have said the fire was the result of an arson attack and that the blaze started in the building’s roof. It is speculated that a disgruntled worker at the BAMSI site started the fire.

Last month, project contractor Audley Hanna said it will cost over $120,000 to repair the dorm. However, he said, that cost is expected to rise after a team from the Ministry of Works assessed the damage.

“We are pushing hard to get that building that was destroyed rebuilt,” Mr Forbes continued, adding that officials were working to see if any portion of the structure could be salvaged.

Mr Forbes indicated that repairs will begin immediately after police finish their investigations. He claimed that preliminary damage assessments have revealed that the roof and top floor of the dormitory were totally destroyed by the fire.

“We are looking at the ground floor because there are some heat fractures on the ground floor, so there may be some damaged steel on the ground floor as well. If we have to, the whole thing will come down because we don’t want to put anybody at risk moving forward,” Mr Forbes added.

When asked how much it would cost to repair or rebuild, Mr Forbes said: “It’s hard to say. We had a quantity surveyor that went down to Andros to assess the building. But a report detailing the amount needed to repair the building, that hasn’t been completed yet.”

He added: “In another week and a half, to two weeks, we should have a full report and we would know the way forward on that building.”

Mr Forbes said the government is working to ensure that once started, the project will progress “hiccup” free. He pledged that the fire would not affect BAMSI in any great way.

BAMSI is a major government initiative established to cut the country’s reliance on food imports.

In September, The Tribune reported that BAMSI had a soft opening. Courses at BAMSI began last year with faculty and students using the Landing Restaurant and Lounge at Western Air’s San Andros airport terminal as a lecture hall and makeshift accommodations for housing and classrooms.