Government says it will save $6 million on the cost of the new Cayman Brac High School by ditching plans for a new gymnasium and its connecting walkways.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Rolston Anglin, minister for finance and economic development, as well as education and training, said that the cost of the new school had been approaching $59 million and with “the history of escalating costs across all government projects, I deemed it my duty to review how best to ensure this project be delivered in a fiscally responsible manner”.
Need for new campus
He added that the recent discovery of asbestos-containing materials in sections of the existing school had made the case for a new campus even more urgent.
Instead of the planned new gym, indoor physical education classes and large school examinations will be held in the existing multi-purpose hall and other suitable spaces, including the neighbouring sports complex.
“By doing so,” he said, “we are ensuring continuity of students and teachers while keeping the project on track and protecting public funds.”
Having met with the contractors McAlpine and Arch and Godfrey, consulted with the project team and visited the site to see the project first hand, Anglin sought to receive Cabinet’s approval for the changes.
“The revised scope will streamline the project while ensuring that core facilities remain functional,” Anglin said.
He said that the move was not about “cutting corners” but was “about balancing ambition with accountability, delivering a modern and sustainable school while exercising fiscal prudence that our people rightly expect”.
Cost savings
There would be associated costs with making the adjustments, he said, but these were expected to be minimal compared to the overall savings, which could be put towards other education projects.
He confirmed that government was looking at a third high school on Grand Cayman for the Strategic Policy Statement, expected in October, “because with the population and the projected growth, we simply need an additional public high school in Grand Cayman”.
Anglin admitted that the costly school project had been “divisive”, saying that he received many messages from the public after the election asking for it to be shelved altogether.
“People were looking on and asking, why the cost [for] 177 students?” he said, adding, “Overall, the Brac community is welcoming of the project, but there are members of the community over there who have that bittersweet feeling, as they know it has been a politically charged project.”
But, he said, given the contractual obligations already in place, it was not an option to cancel the whole project altogether and “leave that money in the ground”.
Garth Arch, managing director of Arch and Godfrey, said that he was “very pleased” with the progress of the school, which was on track to be completed by May or June next year.