It has been 27 months since a $74M contract was signed to rebuild the Queen’s College (QC) auditorium and the work is still to be completed.
Work on the auditorium/cum administrative block had originally been scheduled to finish within eight to ten months from the signing. It will probably not be fully finished until the new school year begins in September.
And one of the consultants who worked on the design of the building is still owed money for work completed over a year ago.
Chairman of the QC Board, Ronald Alli yesterday told Stabroek News that the auditorium would be officially opened at the start of the 2003/2004 academic year.
Alli had initially anticipated that it would have been completed in time for September 2001 and when that was not possible had anticipated an opening in September 2002. Back then Alli had said that he was happy with the progress of this “beautiful building” and had given assurances that the contractor would have worked additional shifts to ensure that the building was completed on time.
A number of deadlines for completion have since been set.
General assemblies are being held in the spacious auditorium but imported electrical fittings are still to be installed. Alli noted that Guyana Power and Light (GPL) is to provide electricity to the building.
The school’s principal, Wendel Roberts, told Stabroek News that the 1998 intake of students would be graduating at the end of this school term having never used the auditorium. The 1997 batch of students had been at school for two months when the November fire gutted the school’s administrative offices and the auditorium.
Alli told Stabroek News that one of the reasons why the auditorium was not officially opened was due to the recent teachers’ strike. He said that with exams being held at the moment it would also not be convenient to disrupt classes by moving offices.
Alli said that moving the administrative offices to their new quarters would take place during the August holidays and a programme would be planned for the official opening at the same time.
Asked about seating accommodation for students, Alli said the school board would be working with old students’ chapters to provide movable seating accommodation. Plans are in place to build theatre-style immovable seating accommodation. That type of seating should accommodate 1,000 persons. This would, however, be done during the third phase of the school’s rehabilitation.
Alli said plans were also in place to build a student area as part of the third phase of reconstruction.
As for money owed to consultants, Orin Hinds and Associates, which designed the auditorium, Alli said that according to their agreement, Hinds would be paid once the project was completed.
But in an invited comment, Hinds told Stabroek News that he did the work he was required to do in good faith and was still awaiting payment. He said that based on arrangements, he was to be paid by both the Ministry of Education and the school board.
The ministry had paid him but he said he was still to be paid by the board. Over a year ago, Stabroek News had reported that Hinds had not been paid even though the designs were complete.
The contract sum was for $74M with the government providing $50M through the ministry and the other $24M coming from the board.
Last Friday Stabroek News attended the school’s general assembly. which for the last few years had been held on the school tarmac weather permitting.
Students assembled according to their classrooms in the auditorium where they sang the school song and the national anthem, said their morning prayers and recited the national pledge.
Plans for the reconstruction of the new building had been in the pipeline shortly after fire gutted the building in 1997. The east and west wings had been reconstructed and put into use while the school population was relocated to the South Ruimveldt area.
The east and west wings are currently linked to the school auditorium/cum administrative block by corridors at the ground and first floor level allowing for access to the auditorium and the administrative offices.
The contract for the reconstruction of the auditorium was signed on March 10, 2001 with Guyadin Construction company.
Last year Alli had said that the delay in the completion was due to the need for a redesign and the resignation of the consultant, Orin Hinds. Vikab Engineering Company Limited was subsequently appointed. At that time, the building was said to be nearing completion. The conceptual designs made provision for facilities destroyed in the fire to be reconstructed in a campus-style design. Roberts told Stabroek News that there had not been much discussion on the designs in recent times due to the delays in the construction of the auditorium but acknowledged that already some of the departments were accommodated in separate buildings in a campus style. This is so with the allied arts, technology and agricultural departments which are found away from the main facility.
Roberts noted that the library is currently located next to a laboratory and feels that it should be relocated to make more space for another lab.