A decision has been made to demolish the structure of the Althea Scatliffe Primary School after a recent inspection of the school’s building revealed concerns relating to its structural integrity, which resulted in its closure.
The confirmation came from the Deputy Premier and Minister for Communication and Works Honourable Kye Rymer during a recent press conference.
He said an assessment is presently being conducted to calculate the total cost of tearing down the building.
“I know parents are concerned and I’ve been in dialogue with the minister for education, since it sits in my constituency and the plan is to tear it down. The engineers, they decided that is not safe so we are going through the process. So I think we have just we’re waiting on actually Public Works right now to be able to give us a bill of quantities to see what it will cost for us to tear it down,” Rymer stated.
The deputy premier also revealed that the Cultural Centre on the property will be demolished.
He said, “I know the plan is also to tear down the cultural centre as well that has been sitting there for quite some time. When the bill of quantities came in it was about I think $75,000 at that time, a few years ago. So we’re hoping to revise them and be able to have those structured teardowns and the plan would be a foot to start with the rebuilding process.”
Access to the school’s building has been restricted since Friday, June 17, after the Ministry of Education received documents from a previously conducted inspection that highlighted several concerns pertaining to the structure of the school’s buildings.
At the time the ministry said, “The report recommended that the use of the school building be suspended immediately. A primary concern in the report is the structural integrity of the building. Based on this information, the ministry agrees that the best option is to err on the side of caution by prioritising the safety of our students, faculty, and staff.”
As a result of the development, students of the Althea Scatliffe Primary School were reassigned to other schools across the territory and most recently in September to the Cane Garden Bay Baptist Church (CGBBC).