$628M set aside for Essequibo school, 2 tractors and water ambulance
Jun 22, 2021 , Source - https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...and-water-ambulance/
The proposed design for the Abram Zuil Secondary School.
Kaieteur News – Following the signing of a multi-million dollar contract last Saturday, the long overdue construction of the Abram Zuil Secondary School will finally commence in a matter of weeks. A total of $628 million was allocated for the school and two other contracts.
Reports reaching Kaieteur News indicate that $585 million will go towards the construction of the school while $12 million has been allocated for the procurement of two [four-wheel] drive tractors. The remainder of the sum will be expended on a water ambulance for the Region’s Health Department.
Kaieteur News understands that each contract will fulfil a tremendous role in the Region’s development. The Abram Zuil Secondary School contract, for instance, has been long overdue. According to reports it has been pending since 2019 when the final designs were prepared and presented.
It was revealed earlier this year, during a presentation by the E&A Consultants Inc. that construction will commence this year. It was at this presentation that plans and designs of the proposed school were also presented.
Kaieteur News was told that the school will be a double-flat ‘E’ shaped building, with the capacity of housing some 750 students. The building will be constructed with a science laboratory, a cafeteria, a multi-purpose hall, and several fully air-conditioned offices.
The Regional Vice Chairman of Region Two, Humace Oodit, said that the contract has been awarded to Rakesh Samaroo of Builders Hardware and General Supplies, and should commence in the next two weeks. Oodit revealed too that in the meantime, relocation to the Johanna Cecelia Secondary will be on-going. Once completed, the old school building will be demolished, paving the way for the construction of the new building.
Meanwhile, it was noted that patients who require emergency medical attention in Region Four are often air dashed out of Region Two or are transported via the ferry. To alleviate this challenge, the water ambulance for the Region is being procured. Kaieteur News was told that the vessel will be equipped with all the necessities to meet a patient’s needs.
The Regional Vice Chairman commented further on the usage of the vessel saying, “the water ambulance will ply from Parika to Supenaam. Not every time the boat schedule might be suitable for when we need to get our patients to Georgetown, and the next thing, sometimes, the ambulance may be in Georgetown transporting one patient, and then another patient here in the Region needs the same service… so the boat will be equipped with bed and oxygen and everything else just like an ambulance.”
Kaieteur News understands too that the two John Deere tractors will be added to the Region’s existing fleet of agricultural machinery.