Site works for the building of two new high schools and the redevelopment of John Gray High School are expected to begin next week.
Speaking in response to a Parliamentary Question asked by MLA Cline Glidden in Legislative Assembly last Friday, Minister of Education Alden McLaughlin said full construction of the schools is expected to start early next year.
‘Construction documents for all three schools are expected to be completed and tender advertisements [placed] early in October 2007,’ he said. ‘With the tendering process complete, the full construction programme is expected to be under way by mid-January 2008.’
The winning bidders of the tender for site works and demolition with respect to John Gray High School are expected to be announced by the Central Tenders Committee this week, Mr. McLaughlin said.
John Gray will remain fully operational during the demolition and site works for the new school. Mr. McLaughlin said detailed planning was in place with respect to all safety issues regarding those works.
In addition, two new high schools – the Clifton Hunter High School in Frank Sound and the Beulah Smith High School in West Bay – will be built.
‘The works programme for these three sites requires their completion date by early spring 2009,’ Mr. McLaughlin said.
Mr. Glidden asked whether the building of the Beulah Smith High School would require the moving of Heritage Park, the area used for the Pirates Week Heritage Day in West Bay and other events.
‘Plans do call for the transfer of that site,’ Mr. McLaughlin said, adding that there are negotiations for a piece of land contiguous to the Ed Bush playing field across the street to be used as the West Bay Heritage Park.
The Beulah Smith High School development will not require the removal of Scholar’s Park, which is the park built by the Dart Group in West Bay, Mr. McLaughlin said.
Related Videos
