Director of Projects in the Ministry of Finance, Dr.  Drexel Glasgow has said that the Government’s Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Loan (RRL) programme is on track.

Dr.  Drexel Glasgow made the disclosure at the first community meeting hosted by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) to discuss the progress of the loan programme. The event held at the Althea Scatliffe Primary School was also to inform the public about how they can benefit from the US$65 million loan that was received from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

Dr.  Glasgow presented the progress of the loan programme and community members had the opportunity to raise concerns and to ask questions about the implementation of the loan.

He said, “The Ministry of Finance  is ensuring that the process is in keeping with the Build Back Better principle and as such the designs are being carefully checked by experts who understand what it takes to ensure that are structures are designed and constructed to withstand the types of hazard impacts we faced in 2017.”

Dr.  Glasgow added, “The RRL is following the specific CDB procedures that are necessary to meet international standards in transparency, value for money, and excellence in design and execution of projects. It therefore takes several months, depending on the complexity of the project, to get them prepared for the tender stage. This time is generally required to ensure proper and comprehensive designs that provide optimum least-cost solutions.”

Meanwhile, Director of Disaster Management, Ms. Sharleen DaBreo, MBE pointed to the opportunities that arise for local contractors to benefit from the contracts under the RRL Loan. 

She urged young BVI Islanders, who have expertise in the areas of the loan, to register on the Contractors Registration and Classification System (CRCS) at the Ministry of Finance in the Qwomar Building so that they can bid on the recovery projects. 

Ms. DaBreo said, “It is important that we use these opportunities to build capacity among our young professionals, to offer them opportunities to be part of the recovery process and to ensure knowledge transfer in an area that is becoming critical to the redevelopment of our Territory.  New procurement, building practices and techniques are being introduced regionally to ensure that structures are able to withstand the impact of catastrophic type hazard such as Hurricane Irma and to safeguard our investments. Our young professionals, therefore, have been given opportunities to be part of this process and to position themselves to learn and apply these new techniques and processes.”

Dr. Glasgow further explained that the loan project spans across many sectors and focuses on critical restoration and reconstruction activities.

Many of the projects have commenced either at the design or the acquisition stages and include: the designs for a new National Emergency Operations Centre which is expected to commence construction by April 2019; designs for the Elmore Stoutt High School and Bregado Flax Educational Centre; the approval of some 14 packages of equipment to rebuild the National Early Warning Systems and Hazard Monitoring Networks; ICT for schools, offices and the courts.

There are design works for the repair of seven Government structures on Virgin Gorda and Tortola, including the administration buildings on Virgin Gorda; the re-establishment and expansion of the CATV network for the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force; purchase of school books, psycho-social training for members of the community and for specialised groups; the designs for repairs to roads, slopes and coastal defenses as well as various consultancy services needed to support the process.

The community meetings on the loan programme are held in collaboration with the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

The last meeting of the first phase is scheduled for Tuesday, February 5 at Cane Garden Bay Baptist Church at 6:00 p.m.  Residents are being encouraged to come out to learn more about the progress.

More detailed information related to the status of the RRL project can be found in the January version of the Monthly Progress Report available here.http://www.bvi.gov.vg/sites/default/files/resources/rrl_monthly_progress_-_jan_report.pdf

Photo Captions: 

• Director of Projects in the Ministry of Finance, Dr.  Drexel Glasgow said presenting to residents on the RRL programme at the Althea Scatliffe Primary School. (Photo credit: Ronnielle Frazer/GIS).
• Female Resident engaging in discussion with the RRL project implementation teams.  (Photo credit: Ronnielle Frazer/GIS).
• Male Resident engaging in discussion with the RRL project implementation teams.  (Photo credit: Ronnielle Frazer/GIS).
• Business Owner engaging in discussion with the RRL project implementation teams.  (Photo credit: Ronnielle Frazer/GIS).