EC official wraps up BVI visit to discuss new culinary centre

~~Adz:Right~~ Roadtown, Tortola- Project Officer in the Infrastructure Section of the European Commission (EC) Delegation in Barbabos, Mr. Paul Mondesir, on Friday wrapped up a visit to the Territory during which he held discussions with major stakeholders in the new culinary arts centre at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College.

The EC official told the Department of Information and Public Relations his visit served primarily to jumpstart the process of construction. “My visit was basically to bring the stakeholders together and see how we can fast track the process of construction.”
Construction is expected to begin in 2009 and the centre should be operational by 2012. “Basically, we have 28 months to build the facility and time is running out so we needed that meeting which would be the touch stone to move forward,” Mr. Mondesir said.

The next step involves the finalisation of the design and instituting the project management guidelines. Financial Secretary Mr. Neil Smith, who is also the Territorial Authorising Officer, is a member of the local steering committee which met with Mr. Mondesir last Thursday.
Mr. Smith said “the design will be done to the specification as laid out by the HLSCC under guidance from Government.” He further stated that “Government is working alongside the EU to ensure that we commence the project by mid-2009.”

According to the EC official, the meeting with the steering committee served to “ensure that we have a focal point for moving the project forward which is what was lacking. Now in the next couple of weeks, we know if there is any query, any concern who do we turn to, who has that responsibility for getting the construction started.”

The Financial Secretary confirmed Government will now proceed with “hiring an architect almost immediately.”
Government signed a financing agreement with the EC under which it will invest $1 million into the facility, with $1.53 million coming from the EC. The culinary arts centre, according to Premier Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE is important to the Territory and constitutes “part of efforts to meet the growing demands of students and to expand the areas of training.”

The creation of the new culinary arts centre represents Government’s commitment to enhance the offering of the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College in keeping with its overall goal to develop an education system that will deliver quality education and training that is relevant to students and prepares them to achieve higher levels.