Following the recent issues raised in relation to the construction of the Kato Secondary School, President David Granger said it is very unlikely that the contractor would be given any more contracts of this nature.
“We will see what legal measures can be put in place to recover the excess expenditure from the contractors but he certainly is not going to be given anymore contracts to do that type of work” the president said during the recording of the weekly program ‘The Public Interest’.
A recent visit to the Kato Secondary School located at Kato in Region Eight revealed several structural defects to the facility. Among the issues highlighted were bad timbers, exposed electrical outlets, cracking stairways and exposed steel. The company also pointed out that the classrooms were incorrectly placed away from the windward side and would ultimately lead to hot, uncomfortable classrooms while the dining room and kitchen could not accommodate the school’s projected number of students.
It has been estimated that some 140 million dollars will have to be spend on remedial works, while it was advised that the building cannot be used in the coming school term.
And President David Granger now says it is a burden the government has to bear to now fix the substandard work and make the school and its dormitories safe for children.
The contractor on this project is Kares Engineering.
The company has also disclosed that the school was built to the “rigid” specifications pre-determined by the government at the time; while offering to discuss with government and correct issues for which the company may be liable.
The cost of the project was $7298 Billion, however the contractor said it received $662 and is still owed $66M.
According to media reports, Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson ruled out the company being paid the remaining GYD$66 million, given the current state of the school. He also noted that the company is aware of the defects, however they were not asked to fix it since “obviously if somebody was willingly and knowingly did the works that were executed, really it is not wise to ask them to fix it.”
