The Tribune

MORE than $500,000 in contracts have been issued to contractors for the repairs to government buildings in the Central and Southeast Bahamas severely damaged by Hurricane Joaquin in October.

A team comprising the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the National Repair and Reconstruction Unit, the Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources and the Minister of Financial Services and Local Government, visited Crooked Island and Acklins to issue the contracts.

In Crooked Island, contracts totaling $255,051.84 are to repair the Environmental Health Services Building, Colonel Hill School principal’s residence, Colonel Hill Clinic, the Administrator’s residence and the Landrail Point Clinic.

In Acklins, repairs to the Local Government building, Department of Environmental Health Services building, Social Services, Mason’s Bay Clinic, the Post Office, Court Building, Administrator’s Office, the Consumer Affairs building, Spring Point Clinic and Doctor’s Residence cost an estimated $526,455.71.

Family Island Administrator for Acklins Francita Neely emphasised the importance of completing repairs to her office and residence. “My office is the life of the island and it very important repairs are completed soon so as to get the island back to some sense of normalcy,” Mrs Neely said.

V Alfred Gray, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources and the MP for the islands impacted by the category four storm, urged the contractors to “make haste slowly” - meaning, finish the work quickly but properly.

In a town meeting at the Crooked Island schoolroom, he also told the people who also suffered damage to their businesses that the government is considering adding to the financial assistance offered by the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce to restore their establishments.

Additionally, the government through the Ministry of Finance has extended the duty exemption to April 1, for residents to purchase, duty free, household appliances destroyed during the passage of the hurricane.

Captain Stephen Russell, the Director of NEMA, urged residents to properly fill out their Exigency Applications so as to allow a smooth process in processing their claims.

Contractors engaged in Crooked Island are Lorenzo Moss, Whitney Scavella, Clinton Scavella and Ernel Heastie while those in Acklins are Julius Chisholm, Lionel Rolle, Curtis Hanna, Ivan Strachan and Marcel Collie-Moss.

Family Island Administrator for Acklins Harvey Roberts said “it is a slow process but we are getting there one day at a time”.