School Maintenance Will Be Completed On Time

I am very pleased to join the Minister of Education and Economic Development, Dr. Grant Gibbons at Harrington Sound Primary in announcing that significant progress has been made towards the completion of The Summer School’s Maintenance Project.

The Buildings section has deployed its entire staff to complete planned maintenance and address various defects within the schools designated for maintenance.

This year’s summer maintenance project began in April with our Building section crews inspecting and identifying maintenance and repair issues for each school. The scope of works for each school was then drawn up and agreed with the Facilities Manager from the Ministry of Education. The works were then planned to start as soon as the summer holidays began.

This extensive project involves seven work units with over one hundred and twenty [120] staff including HVAC crews, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, masons and painters. The Ministry’s Buildings section staff has been fully engaged in these works right through the summer.

In addition to ministry staff, approximately twenty two [22] local companies have been contracted to undertake and complete specific projects to assist in getting the schools prior to the start of new school year. The companies employ over 120 Bermudians with most working on the schools projects.

I can report that at Harrington Sound Primary and other schools, the various maintenance that were identified have been addressed,some of the tasks included checking all windows to ensure all are operating and locking properly, repairing cracks in walls throughout the building both internally and externally, and repairing cracks in roofs, floors and ceiling tiles and bathroom repairs.

The goal of this project is to ensure that all the schools selected for maintenance are in good working order. I am most happy to declare that considerable progress has been made and I can assure you the work will be completed on time.

This has been a major joint effort between the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Education and reflects well on Government Ministries working together to get the job done!

I would like to take this opportunity to commend the staff of the Buildings section and the facilities team at the Ministry of Education, the contractors and employees, all of whom have played their part in getting the schools ready.
Thank you.

During the school summer vacation period, the Ministries of Education and Public Works undertake a series of maintenance and capital projects on our school facilities. The purpose of the annual programme is to carry out repairs and improvement to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our students and staff.

This summer the Department of Education’s Facility Management Team will complete a total of 41 school maintenance projects to improve our facilities.

Following a successful bidding process, contracts were awarded to a number of local contractors to carry-out projects, while some of the work was completed in-house by the Department of Education facilities team.

Harrington Sound Primary School is one of the major projects that are now in the final phase of completion. In addition to the work undertaken by Public Works outlined by Minister Gordon Pamplin, the Department of Education was responsible for the total renovation of the infant lower restrooms. This work was carried out by Greymane Contracting. In addition, the upper parking lot fencing was identified as a safety hazard for students and that has been replaced. The contractor was Ceilings Plus.

Other significant projects were:

• The total renovation of restrooms at Prospect Pre-School by Greymane Contracting.
• At East End Primary School a new sidewalk has been constructed from the main road onto school property by Gold Star Construction.The area has been identified by parents and the surrounding community as a safety concern for students.
• At Lagoon Park Pre School the play area has been resurfaced and fencing erected by East End Asphalt and A1 Fencing.
• An enclosed area was designed and asphalted for children to ride their bicycles at Warwick Pre-School and Lagoon Park by Fast Services Ltd.
• At Victor Scott Primary and Southampton Pre-School Gymnasiums major air conditioning installations were completed by Air Pro and Cold Fusion.
• A new fencing enclosures was also installed at St David’s Pre-School playground by A1 Fencing.
• At West End Primary a mold remediation project was completed in the physical education office and equipment room by Bermuda Remediation and Restoration.
• An area at Francis Patton School was asphalted to create a small parking lot for additional parking for teachers, parents and visitors by Fast Services Ltd.
• As a cost saving measure, the Department has phased out the older vinyl tile in an entire block at Somerset Primary to reduce the amount of money spent on wax products used for upkeep of vinyl flooring. Suitable ceramic flooring was chosen due to lower maintenance costs. This initiative is currently being implemented in many schools island-wide.
• At TN Tatem the installation of a new floor in the auditorium is in progress. The new flooring is a BioSpec product which is low maintenance, stain resistant and is used in settings where safety and health are a priority– such as hospitals.
• Also, at TN Tatem, the library will have new flooring installed.
• At Devonshire Pre-School a rubber-surface base will be installed to minimize injury on the playground by High End Construction. This has already been used with great success at other locations such as Dame Marjorie Bean Hope Academy.

These are just some of projects undertaken this summer by our Department of Education Facilities Team. The school custodians are also working diligently to ensure a clean and healthy environment as we enter the final stages of preparing the schools for the new school year.

As we get ready to welcome back our students and teachers on September 8, I would particularly like to thank Mr. Cleun Gaiton, our Department of Education Facilities Manager and his team for their extensive efforts to repair and improve our schools.

Finally, I would like to thank the Ministry of Public Works team and the independent contractors for their hard work as well.

Thank you

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