New Christ Church school to include fire prevention system

Last Updated on Thursday, 8 June 2023, 9:59 by Denis Chabrol

The new Christ Church Secondary School, which is expected to be completed by next January,  would include a fire prevention system, the Ministry of Education announced.

The seven contracts includes one awarded toA. Ograsein & Sons General Contracting for the installation of fire prrevention units at a value of  GY$6,759,000.00.

The Special Projects Officer in the Ministry, Mr. Ron Eastman said the new Christ Church Secondary School building would feature fire prevention and retardant mechanisms and components. Some of these include but are not limited to fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and some materials that will be used that are not highly flammable.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Mr. Alfred King added that among the seven lots which the project has been divided into, there is a dedicated lot that deals with the installation of fire prevention units as recommended by the Guyana Fire Service.

Arsonists burnt down the school was destroyed by fire on January 12, 2023, investigators had said.

Recently fires had destroyed the North Ruimveldt Multilateral School, Mabaruma Srcondary School, the Mahdia Secondary School Dormitory and threatened the North Georgetown and St John’s Secondary Schools.

Seven contracts were signed on Wednesday for the reconstruction of the Christ Church Secondary School.

The new Christ Church Secondary School  will be built at the same location- Camp and Middle Streets, Georgetown- and is expected to be finished in seven months in keeping with the contract. The total cost to rebuild the school is $688.1M.

The new building will measure 209 feet x 70 feet and will have 20 classrooms to accommodate 450 to 520 students. The school will also feature all the science laboratories, TVET laboratory, electrical and Woodworking laboratory, Information Technology laboratory, Home Economics laboratory, and Art and Music rooms.

Government’s Department of Public Information quoted Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand ssaid the reconstruction wpuld not be undertaken by one contractor. She said the project was divided into seven lots and companies were invited to bid for each lot. That invitation for bids was published in March 2023.

She noted that there is a consultant on the project who was also selected following a competitive bidding process. That consultancy firm is Innovative Engineering Consultancy Services.

Minister Manickchand related that after the destruction of the school by arson, the children have been accommodated at the Cyril Potter College of Education. The minister said she is grateful to the teachers who rose to the challenge led by their headteacher and deputy headteacher who were able to produce and perform as though they were under familiar circumstances.

The Education Minister explained to the contractors and the consultant that this project is very important to the Ministry. She reminded them to be aware of the penalties that can be activated if there is a failure to deliver on their contractual obligations.

The seven lots and companies awarded are as follows:

Lot -1 Construction of Sub-Structure – BM Property Investment Inc. ($303,595,000.00)

Lot -2 Super-Structure – Zeco Group of Services Inc. ($295,137,706.00)

Lot -3 Installation of Electrical Infrastructure & Fixtures – N. Balgobin & Sons Contracting Service & Electrical Supplies ($41,938,500.00)

Lot -4 Installation of Plumbing Infrastructure and Fixtures – BM Property Investment Inc. ($17,600,000.00)

Lot -5 Installation of Air Conditioning Infrastructure and Units – A. Ograsein & Sons General Contracting ($10,745,000.00)

Lot -6 Installation of Fire Prevention Units – A. Ograsein & Sons General Contracting ($6,759,000.00)

Lot -7 Masonry and Finishing Work – Pantheon Construction Inc. ($12,385,800.00)