Now is the time to begin the planning process to build a new high school in West Bay to enable it to be ready in the next four years, the MP for West Bay West said this week.
Almost two decades ago, McKeeva Bush, as then-leader of government business, had proposed a new high school for West Bay. But as costs snowballed for two other school projects, that plan fell off the radar.
In a radio interview this week, Bush said he will be presenting a private member’s motion to Parliament in its next session with a request for project funds to be included in the budget.
He predicts the cost of the build and staffing of Grand Cayman’s third government high school will range from $25 to $30 million.
The renewed call for a West Bay school comes one month on from John Gray High School’s official opening, 15 years after construction first began, following a series of delays and increases in projected cost.
“I think it’s a good thing to do. It is the right thing to do. We are growing and [the project will] keep our children in our area, as best as we can,” Bush said.
The MP said a new school catering to children in the area will cut down traffic to and from West Bay, and added that fellow MPs representing West Bay support the idea.
Speaking during an interview with Kathy Miller on Radio Cayman on Wednesday, 12 April, the MP explained that he will be tabling two other private member’s motions in Parliament.
Bush also wants to see workers in the tourist industry get their full tips, and a section of the East-West Arterial extension built without any environmental impact assessment.
The unfair distribution of gratuities collected in the tourism sector is a topic that needs further attention, he said.
His motion requests the establishment of a task force to investigate the problem, particularly in the condominium sector, and to report their findings by September 2023.
“This is an old issue, it’s one that I put my teeth into from the time I got… a political platform or even thought about running,” Bush said.
He blamed dishonest management for “stealing or mishandling” the cash and said people have been complaining to him about the issue privately, for fear of losing their jobs.
Not enough urgency
The MP’s third motion echoes that of Bodden Town East MP Dwayne Seymour, who is also Minister for Border Control and Labour.
Seymour said during a meeting on 30 March that he intended to bring his motion concerning the East-West Arterial to the next meeting of Parliament on 26 April.
It suggested, in the same way as Bush’s motion, that an environmental impact assessment need not be carried out for a section of the 10-mile road extension.
Both Seymour and Bush said the section in question – Hirst Road to Lookout Gardens – is less environmentally sensitive than the rest of the route.
In reading his motion, Bush said, “There is an increasing number of Caymanians who are past frustrated with the lack of urgency shown and improving the traffic congestion.”
He said that eastern districts’ residents are at a disadvantage in terms of sleep quality and quality of family life, because of the long commute to and from work.
And he added they are more prone to accidents and tiredness on the job, and are struggling to maintain a decent lifestyle “desiring just one more hour of sleep”.
The West Bay West MP said people have suffered too long and there is no need for long, drawn-out studies.
“I think these are all three very important motions. And I said, it is done so that we get the bid, and we get some action.”
The Compass has reached out to the Opposition for comment on the motions and is awaiting a response.
Bush is awaiting trial in Grand Court over charges of indecent and common assault relating to an incident at a government function in September 2022.
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