The Cayman Islands Airports Authority is inviting contractors to put in bids for the construction of the tower for the long-awaited Doppler radar system.
According to documents, tenders are due 2 December; the contract will be awarded in December; and the project is to be completed by 31 July, 2012.
The tender invitation is for the construction of a four-story reinforced concrete tower about 55.5 feet tall and about 800 square feet in area, together with an electrical room, emergency generator room, all site works and all mechanical, electrical and plumbing services. A separate contract will be awarded to a “specialist equipment provider” for the radar and radome, which will cap the tower. The radar dome itself will be some 36 feet high.
The early warning weather radar system will be built on Crown land in East End just west of High Rock Road, on a portion of the now-shuttered Wilderness Farm, which had been previously used by Her Majesty’s Prison at Northward. Arrangements will be made for potential contractors to visit the site 11 November.
The project between the government and the European Commission commenced in February 2009. Government announced in July 2009 the European Commission would supply 4.16 million euro toward the project (at current exchange rates, about CI$5.09 million), with the Cayman Islands Government chipping in 500,000 euro (about CI$612,000 at today’s exchange rate).
According to the tender documents, all goods, materials and systems for the project will be purchased in the Cayman Islands. When operational, the radar will cover a range of 250 miles and fill in a coverage gap between Doppler radar facilities in Belize and Jamaica.
Cayman Islands National Weather Service Director General Fred Sambula said, “The project is going well. We could start seeing civil works on the radar tower early next year. Further information is forthcoming from the Ministry [of District Administration, Works, Land and Agriculture] on the total progress of the project.”
The National Weather Service will manage the Doppler radar system once operational.
In October 2010, plans to erect a wind farm in East End were put on hold indefinitely after it was determined wind turbines would interfere with the Doppler radar. The proposed wind farm was to be located at another High Rock site about a mile from the radar site. At the time, Mr. Sambula said with current technology there is nowhere on Grand Cayman that a wind farm could be situated without interfering with the radar system.
However, on 26 October 2011, Louis Boucher, who is deputy managing director of the Electricity Regulatory Authority and a subcommittee chair for the National Energy Policy Committee, said there are other locations on Grand Cayman that could accommodate wind turbines.
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