Eco-impact of new $50 million Brac high school under the spotlight

The Ministry of Education has been invited to meet with the Development Control Board to discuss the environmental impact of its proposed new high school in Cayman Brac.

A planning application for the nearly $50 million educational facility for 200 students and 40 staff near the Cayman Brac Sports Complex on the Bluff was submitted this summer.

It has so far been through two meetings of the planning board, and adjourned each time, according to published minutes.

On 11 Sept. it was adjourned to invite the applicant to attend, and then on 25 Sept. to get input from both the National Roads Authority and the Department of Agriculture.

On the second occasion it was also postponed to invite the applicant to address the board on “potential adverse effects” of the proposal.

The Department of Environment has warned the plot is in the middle of mature dry forests where the protected Cayman Brac parrot exclusively nests and breeds.

Cabinet approved the outline business case for the construction of the school at its 28 Nov. meeting, according to the meeting summary published on 6 Dec.

And a request for tender for the project was published on the government’s Public Purchasing Portal on 7 Dec.

Grand plans

Architect plans for the project were first submitted to the Department of Planning and temporarily available for public viewing in August.

The drawings showed a large school campus on the west side of a 59-acre Crown-owned plot bisected by Sunshine Drive.

A T-shaped two-storey school building was detailed to the south of the site, containing classrooms, offices, storage, bathrooms, a library, a kitchen and a dining hall.

Specialty classrooms include a design-and-technology workshop, a home economics kitchen, and a technical and vocational education and training workshop.

To the north, a rectangular single-storey building includes a gymnasium, lockers, bathrooms, kitchenette, first aid room, laundry, storage, offices and a dance hall.

Two more single-storey staff accommodation buildings are designed to connect to an existing multi-purpose hall to the east of the Cayman Brac Sports Complex.

They were detailed as containing 38 rooms with private bathrooms, laundry, social rooms and kitchenettes on an 18-acre plot.

The drawings also showed two outdoor sports courts, plantings, driveways and more than 130 parking spaces.

The application says the staff housing will be constructed first followed by the rest of the campus. There have been no public objections.

Parrot habitat

In its analysis of the planning application, the Department of Environment expressed concerns.

It stressed that the Cayman Brac parrot, which is an important part of the island’s natural and cultural history, would be adversely impacted by the planned school building and gymnasium.

“Wholescale clearing of sites removes the possibility of any vegetation providing continued parrot habitat, nesting sites and food,” it said.

“Together with the Grand Cayman Parrot, these birds serve as a symbol of national pride and natural resource conservation,” the department wrote.

It suggested the Ministry of Education retain as much native vegetation as possible and incorporate it into the landscaping scheme.

The greenery can act as privacy, noise and sound buffers, screening and shade, drainage, and help to lower cooling demand and utility costs, the department said.

Analysis

During the 25 Sept. meeting, several agencies met to discuss the proposal and answer questions put forward by the Development Control Board.

Project lead consultant Luiza Dawson of Chalmers Gibbs Architects gave a brief description of the project, according to the minutes.

She said that, unlike Cayman Brac’s existing Layman E Scott High School, it will have an enclosed kitchen and dining area allowing for onsite meal preparation.

Dawson said that consultants have conducted a thorough review of elevations and geotechnical surveys to see if there are any caverns or weaknesses on the proposed site.

The consultant added that an existing cavern at the site would be fenced off and retained for educational purposes.

In the minutes, Clive Baker from the Ministry of Education said there is a masterplan for the sports complex that has to be considered.

Wayne Riley from the Public Works Department said surveys highlighted that significant rock would have to be broken to place the high school further north.

Meanwhile, Wilbur Welcome, acting chief officer for the Ministry of District Administration and Lands, said he would contact the district commissioner over road safety concerns.

In the latest minutes, which were for the 18 Oct. meeting, Welcome read a memorandum “for informational purposes only”. No further details were given.

If approved, the entire build is expected to be completed by December 2025, a Ministry of Education spokesperson told the Compass.