Disappointed with delays - Lucea mayor expresses concerns over Hanover infirmary

WESTERN BUREAU:Lloyd Hill, mayor of Lucea and Hanover Parish Council chairman, has expressed disappointment over the persistent delays in completing the construction of the local parish infirmary on the Lucea waterfront.

Following a meeting between Shahine Robinson, minister of state in the Department of Local Government, and the parish council in Lucea on Thursday, Hill revealed that meetings with Local Government Department representatives had resulted in little progress in getting construction resumed.

Last year, ground was broken for the building of a new facility on the grounds of the infirmary which currently houses some 50 residents, with J$27 million funding from the The Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund and work to be done by contractor Free Form Factory Ltd over a six-month period. However, since March 2011, work has stalled due to irregularities found in the construction plans.

"The reason being given for the delays is readjustment to the design of the infirmary, which causes additional funding and additional work. Those are the reasons we have been given, nonetheless, we are disappointed that it has taken so long, especially when you bear in mind the danger that the absence of an infirmary poses to the residents that are there," said Hill.

"We were told that the finance was not a problem because the CHASE fund is still committed to their contribution. The Department of Local Government has committed themselves to the additional funds that are required, so we are told that the funding was really not a problem."

Hill also expressed hope that once Minister Robinson had visited the infirmary site, plans for work resumption would be more concretely laid out.

no confirmed date

"We met here with the contractor about a month or two ago and signed off on the project. The only thing they couldn't give us was exactly when they were going to resume work fully, and hopefully, we'll hear that today," he said.

Angela Haye, of the Hanover Parish Development Committee, touted the infirmary as an important aspect of the parish's overall expansion as planned by the committee.

"In terms of the infirmary, it's a place where we have our citizens who are unable to care for themselves, so special emphasis must be placed on that," she declared. "We're going to have to continue to work with the different agencies to get what we need in place."

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com

Full Caption
Shahine Robinson (left), minister of state with responsibility for the Constituency Development Fund and local government, is on a tour of the Lucea Market with Lloyd Hill, chairman of the Hanover Parish Council and mayor of Lucea, and other delegates following a council meeting held at the parish council's office on Thursday. The meeting and tour were part of Robinson's 'A Day in Council' series of familiarisation tours to parish councils islandwide since her appointment in office.- Photo by Christopher Thomas