$8.8M price tag revealed for school gym
JGHS gym ready for exams
(CNS): The new John Gray High School (JGHS) gymnasium cost government CI$8.8 million, government has finally confirmed. The new 34,442 sq.ft. facility, reportedly finished on time and under budget, has been handed over to education officials in time for the Year 10 and Year 11 external exams. The completion of the multi-purpose hall ahead of other parts of the long-delayed school campus development has come in for public criticisms, but JGHS Principal Jon Clark said it was having a positive and practical effect on students.
“For the maths exam we had 260 students in the hall,” Clark said in a release from the ministry. “We have always struggled to accommodate students for exams, often having to use many additional classrooms. This has a knock-on effect to the learning of other year groups. The behaviour of the students in their new surroundings has been excellent and I hope this will also have helped their performance.”
Clark also explained other benefits of the gym, which will be used for whole school assemblies, which was not previously possible. “This will help us further with our school improvement and ensuring we get all staff and students on the same page.
“Academy meetings and high quality staff training will also be facilitated easily. Our graduation will be in here this year giving more family members the opportunity to attend this special event; our musicians are especially keen to get in and test the adaptations that have been made to the acoustics.”
He added, “From a sports perspective, this is a world-class facility, catering for all of the major indoor sports and with seating for over two thousand spectators. My Physical Education (PE) Department can now aspire to become the best PE department in the Caribbean and to develop even more of Cayman’s future stars.”
Department of Sports Director Collin Anglin said he was excited about what the gym will do for inter-scholastic sports, which he said foster school pride and patriotism, keep kids positively engaged and encourage healthy lifestyles.
“It is one of the most fundamental components needed for any country’s overall sports development programmes,” Anglin said. “At the national level, the gym will be a huge boost for the national sporting programmes, such as netball, basketball, badminton and volleyball that have long been hindered by the absence of an indoor facility of this calibre. Now the national teams can have a training facility that simulates international standards, thereby raising their level of play and preparation as well as being able to host more competitions which will create more awareness for each sport.”
The gym, which will be a national arena as well as a school facility, is earmarked to be used for public events, conferences, fairs, state funerals and concerts, as well as sporting events. It is also a much-needed additional category 5 hurricane shelter, providing an extra 1,149 spaces in the event of an emergency, which will be available for use this hurricane season.
Education Minister Tara Rivers confirmed that the gym was finished on time and under budget, fulfilling a government promise.
“This gym will be a true asset to John Gray High School and to the Cayman Islands. I’m sure our students will use it with pride and that it will provide the necessary educational, sporting and hurricane shelter facilities that will last for generations to come,” Rivers said.
According to the ministry, the size of the whole building is 34,442 sq.ft. The gymnasium hall alone, excluding all other areas such as the lobby, classroom, bathrooms, changing rooms, vending area, is approximately 22,000 sq.ft.
Chief Officer Christen Suckoo, who revealed the $8.8 million price tag, said he was able to do so because the contracts were nearing final completion.
He said that this included the build cost for the multi-purpose uses of the building as a sports gym, school hall, national arena and hurricane shelter; consultant fees; soft costs such as furniture for exams; the inclusion of Photovoltaic array (solar) panels and LED lighting, which will reduce the energy consumption and running cost; and a contingency and risk allowance for any possible unforeseen circumstances during the completion of the gym.
The budget also included the cost of upgrading the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems housed within the gymnasium, which will supply the new school, as well as the new car park for the school and a plant room in building one of the new school.
“These additional works were completed in this phase as a logistical necessity prior to work commencing on the other elements of the new John Gray High School,” Suckoo said, adding that the final cost of the current phase of the project is anticipated to be between 1% and 3% below the approved budget. “This final cost is being determined as part of the final account process and will be released once finalised,” he stated.
He said the education ministry is now working with the Major Projects Office in the Public Works Department to procure consultants to assist in identifying the preferred design option for completing the JGHS campus.
“This will build on the stakeholder engagement that was carried out in the Strategic Outline Case to ensure that the new school provides the spaces for teaching and learning that students and staff need,” Suckoo added.
Category: Local News
UCCI would be the perfect place to have an olympic sized lap pool. And for those who say we have an ocean, we also have jelly fish, barracuda and sharks in that ocean. Prove me wrong.
I do believe the gym is value for money. Again, many who may not exel at academics should find success here. Next step should be the votech school. And let’s dump the UK certification and develop one that works here. There is no point in being an expert at a trade/technical skill and then having to sit a written exam beyond ones abilities to receive certification and employment.
So the exam should be set at a level that ensures everyone passes it, rather than setting a performance benchmark?
8.30pm This Government certainly does not agree with your last sentiment. In fact their aim is for students of vocational subjects to receive Internationally recognized certification ,such as City and Guilds, so that not only will they be able to use it locally but overseas as well.
All of Government’s major projects now are spearheaded by qualified project managers. They use an open tender process where the project is advertised and interested contractors can bid on them. The Central Tenders Committee (an independent committee) reviews the bids. The Ministries use qualified quantity surveyors to look at the costs and help manage those costs. This particular project is to finish a building that has been sitting dormant since 2012. Hence the statements about upgrades to mechanical and electrical systems. Given the sheer size of the building and the complexity of the project the price tag is fair value for money, especially whe considering the multiple uses including revenue earning opportunities. The process is as clean as you can get it so statements that somehow the elected government is responsible for the costs make no sense. At some point it would be nice if the civil service of your country could actually be given kudos when they get things right.
Well based on many comments, we should never be in need to put in a full Olympic size pool or upgrade the existing Lion’s pool because those things are irrelevant and not needed especially when swim training can be conducted for free in the Ocean. I am sure people would fall over if they realize the price tag what a new swimming pool facility would be given that a mediocre one in the backyard runs one around 60K
Correct. A small town of 60K people does npt need and cannot afford an Olympic sized swimming pool, jist like it does not need and cannot afford an $8.8 mil gym. No argument here.
Would Mr. Suckoo speak to the anticipated annual operating budget?
Do you even work out? You sound very anti health and fitness.
I beg to differ but while you are at it, you will probably need to add that Trade School to your list of things that won’t be needed if you go on population size. This concept was tried before and failed.
I concur. A trade school is a waste of time and money. These skills can be taught within the existing establishments as was previously the case. JGHS/CHHS can and should be used for this purpose both during and after current school hours.
“Cathy”, I was reffering to the operating cost of the gym but since you brought it up, there is not a snowball’s chance in hell that an Olympic sized swimming pool can ever generate enough revenue in the Cayman Islands to cover its operating expenses, no doubt.
2:56, Then if a Trade School is not needed don’t bellyache about work permit holders taking jobs from Caymanians.
Done know
However, an Olympic sized pool can do many, many things other than host training and competitions: can accommodate far more children/adults in govt run learn to swim programmes; can provide seniors with a safe space to exercise; can host repeat and annual overseas swim teams for training (which they will pay for – colleges etc.), can host international competitions as part of the Sports Tourism product … yes, it costs to maintain, but this could also be used to generate income have no doubt.
Look best thing is:
1) Rich & privileged have their areas; schools, stores, separate access to all facilities then they would not have to be bothered anymore; but most important they avoid all taxes on their very large incomes. Do not forget the support structures of lawyers & accountants so they can be in the “green zone”. All would be protected by armed guards with big biting dogs to keep the sub class from getting near their space.
2) All you other workers can come in during working hours with your special pass to do the menial labor jobs which the privileged require in the daily life.
3) The rest can go do whatever you feel like but stay out of the way of the elite and do not think of getting in their “zone”.
You know what you all are getting like the old south, where one class drank from one water fountain and the other class drank from a different one. Sit at the back of the bus boy! This crap goes on all over the world yet now you want it here too. These comments on the school, gym, pool make me sick to my stomach! Tax the hell out of those fat cats!
The health benefits outweigh the costs, but olympic swimming pools are for serious universities or larger more sophisticated cities. Cayman is still small-time. Better to build your own pool because the tradgedy of the commons is amplified by some of our more cultured crowds.
People commenting here have no idea what a great investment this gym really is and the fact that it will pay for itself given the amount of uses it has. It’s not just for sporting events, but also allows for community events as well. It’s sounds expensive but when you actually see it with your own eyes and see the level of quality the price starts to make sense. The amount of steel and concrete needed must have been the bulk of the cost, not to mention paying for professional labour to get the job done right.
We have children coming out of High School, that can barely read or write, yet we build a 8.8 million dollar gym which as usual won’t be utilized!
Those statements are so ridiculous!!!! What is throwing money on the fact that kids can’t read or write or don’t have any interest in school supposed to achieve? The teachers can’t raise the children, if there is no interest by the parents that their kids perform at school then what do you want Government to do??????
Spend money on quality intervention programmes, as opposed to fancy buildings.
Here is another thought. Why not ensure that the utterly abysmal Social Service team actually get out of their offices and do direct intervention with families. Stop leaving children in dysfunctional families and stop ignoring abuse of any sort be it sexual, emotional, physical etc. Our children are being sorely let down not just by their families but by Social Services. Teachers are just that teachers. They cannot control what is happening in the home and the children come to school with immence emotional difficulties that need expert interventions. Social Services, why not just do your jobs with fidelity?
9.26 These programs are in place, as well as additional staff hired for needed counseling for our students.Perhaps you need to expand your sources of information.
Funny enough the gym can’t even hold all the students of the school. I went there and it held everyone with all the year 7 & 8 students sitting on the floor for assembly …all that money and it didn’t even accommodate the school propertly
No truth in your statement at all, blatant lie.
“Skip the Gym”
Judging by the obesity rates here in Cayman, that is exactly what many people are doing.
This gym is a multi functional building and to my understanding was specifically built to also host a multitude of international sporting events such as volleyball, basketball, badminton etc etc. In addition, the building is large enough and sufficiently equipped to host other functions, unless people prefer to sit and sweat in the run-down Lion center or pay large sums to the Ritz and Kempton.
I get that $8 mil is a lot of money but these days it seems that a private individual can’t even get a single story house built for less than half a million, so what does one expect? Nobody seems to be complaining when a tiny two bedroom apartments are for sale for almost half a million (Vela?), yet everyone is shocked at a price tag for such a building.
People making comments about money should have been spent on the “curriculum”. What does that even mean?
My only concern with this building is how the school is going to manage to keep the students from destroying it and whether Public Works is going to be in a position to maintain it by having well experienced maintenance crew looking after it.
This cost $255per sq ft. Same as a modest house would cost, except in this case ther is a great deal of furniture a/c bathrooms/special finishes etc….so not a bad deal at ll.
If you paid $255 per sq ft. to build your house, your contractor hosed you good and proper.
Real PPM report card: BREAKING NEWS!!! F- Fails to meet expectations
Alden: spineless( Enough DUMP free GT, Compass fiasco, the Syed fiasco, $500K for dominica, poverty, work permits at 25K, bigger government than last UDP, the rollover suspension, Ritch immigration report, LGBTI law change, hiring foreigners to Government top positions.
Kurt: asleep on the job…Progress for the wealthy…suffering for the caymanian people, marine parks fiasco,
Marco: You may be proud of your achievements; you may have a very high opinion of yourself; you may thing that others should be made to realize what a fine fellow you are. But nobody will ever have a high opinion of you if you have too high an opinion of yourself, because a person who praises himself is never believed….Hundreds of caymanian suffering from hunger while PPM claiming million surplus, got schooled by Kenneth on the radio…enough said
Ozzy: incompetent, ignorant beyond belief, discrimination against driftwood and non Caymanians is going through the roof, Cow-cod incident, driftwood fiasco, ebola 3 million missing files)
Moses: just look at the brac ‘economy’
Wayne/Hew/Tara/Roy: their election was like a lottery win…free money for life for doing nothing. Harder for small business to survive, education mess, new gym price tag, GT revitalization, GT port 500 thousand for another study, legal practitioners bill, ready2work-ky, public register of beneficial ownerships.
Ju-ju: Caymanian unemployment is on the rise, discrimination against Caymanians is common place, crime is on the rise, costs of living is rising, the public education system is a mess, the environment is being destroyed, Caymanians are now second class citizens in our country. A small country of 55,000 people has and operating budget of 730 million and serious long term debit but the PPM think things are alright and progress is being made.
to be continued….
Truth this is true. They don’t want to face the facts!
Surely you are not suggesting Mac’s team would do better?
at 12.00am I guess if you are going to tell a lie it may as well be a big one.Trouble is your post is full of big ones.Well if you expected PPM to follow the misguided path of the CDP, then I guess they failed to live up to your expectations . If you expected PPM to rush headlong into projects without regard to due process, then they failed to live up (or should it be down) to your expectations.If you expected PPM to not be able to stabilize the country’s finances, again they failed to live down to your expectations.If you expected that PPM would have to borrow a ton of money to keep our three little islands afloat, they failed to live down to your expectations. If you expected PPM to be unable to pay down the long term and not so long term debt that they inherited, they failed to live down to your expectations. However if you expected them to stabilize the economy and our financial services industry, pay down the debt ( and have money saved to pay off the $312 million bullet bond in 2019, a loan , that they inherited, then they were a roaring success. If you expected PPM to introduce training programs to assist Caymanians to be better prepared for the work force, then they were a success.( Ready2Work program implemented resulting in 60 people finding work,45 of them on a long term basis.Apprenticeship program with PWD for CIFEC students started, Hospitality Training Program implemented allowing students to take up employment in the hospitality sector, some of whom have opted to continue their training at a college in Florida. Scholarships increased from 844 to 1456 since PPM has been in office).If you expected them to work on a waste management program ,including the landfill, they are a success. If you expected them to explore the necessity and/or possibility of a cruise berthing facilities with improved cargo facilities , they have succeeded. If you expected them to modernize the airport facilities, then they are a success.Yes there is still a lot of work to be done but a lot has also been accomplished.So again if you expected PPM to continue the failed policies of UDP, they have failed to live down to your low expectations and in fact have been very successful. One more thing CDP and Independent candidates criticized the fact that PPM had accumulated a surplus, and had their own lists of pet projects to spend it on.So if you are disappointed because PPM failed to live down to your expectations and long for the good old days of Progress without due process and not saving for a national Rainy Day Fund ( National Emergency Fund) and long for more debt, then by all means choose someone other than PPM and be happy again.But if anyone else wants continued stability, then you have to vote for the PPM candidate in your area.
So if I remember correctly, they completed Prospect Primary School for about 15 million back in 2004. That’s an entire school, where some rooms are built to withstand a category 5 hurricane… One gym, 8.8 million. Wow. Do they expect LeBron to play in it?
Really uneducated comments. The government carried out a public tender an awarded the contract based on a set criteria. I agree the gym is expensive but government paid according to the bids received. I would like to build my house from $1k any contractors willing to build it for me?
The gym was badly needed. The Government delivered. Thank you.
Uneducated? Lol. The only uneducated comment provided is yours. Whether government carried out a public tender is irrelevant. You do not need an eight million dollar gym when almost an entire school can be built for that same price. Not only do they not need that monstrosity of a gym, it’s far too expensive. 2-3 million dollars at most is reasonable – anything above that price point is excessive.
So you think you can build your house today for the same cost you did 13 years ago? Good luck!
Build a smaller gym. You do not need an 8 million dollar gym.
The gym was not expensive. Do the sums and you’ll see it cost the same per square foot as a house.
We could build a Saturn 5 launch pad with the open tender process, that could pay for itself over a set term, the question is do we need it?
Take into account the upgrading of the mechanical plant to cool that facility and the current school, it would likely cost 2m just there. Parking lots, water cisterns included in that price, upgrades to plumbing and electrical also. I think the tender committee did a good job in getting value. You would complain if they hadn’t built it and now that it’s built you still are… now that’s “two-faced”
Two-faced? Lol. Maybe you just don’t need that big of a gym. Ever think about that? No, I would not have complained if they had not built it. The Cayman Islands are not Russia, where you can’t go outside for gym for eight months of the year. A 2 million dollar gym would have been adequate.
and I am sure back in 2004 one was able to buy a condo on 7mile beach for less than a million……………guess times have changed!
Ummh no. But nice try.
You know a commenter has no idea what they are talking about when they say that SOME rooms at Prospect Primary are made to withstand a category 5 hurricane, but Prospect Primary is ONE BUILDING!
Soiled Son You asked if they expect Lebron James to play in it and I don’t think that it is too far fetched that we could one day host an NBA Exhibition Game in that very fine arena.In fact sports tourism was one of the possibilities considered when building it. What was not so amusing was hearing Ms Roulstone the Independent candidate in George Town East criticize the fact that she believed that the gym was completed at this time to try to attract NCAA basketball (American College Basketball) to the Cayman Is. Obviously she has no grasp of the possibilities of sports tourism.Let’s understand something, the NCAA is the breeding ground for the NBA.This is where the majority of NBA players come from.magine that we were able to attract a small part of the NCAA basketball scene to Cayman. TV coverage,basketball fans visiting from the US,maybe a NBA player or two (millionaires)to watch their college team play, future NBA players ( think millionaires) getting to experience the Cayman Is. Priceless.This could lead to some of these millionaires or future millionaires returning in the future just to visit or perhaps even to invest. Think Big people or as the Don would say think Bigly.So yes we could one day see Lebron at that Gym.
Well this should seal the fate of Tara Rivers, if not the entire PPM…Invest in Education, build a $8.8M gym…now “that’s Progressive!”
You are absolutely right, the Government should have spent more money on transportation of school kids, uniform, books, lunch money etc etc for kids where the parents believe it is Government’s job to pay for the education of their offspring so that they can continue to drive their shiny new SUV, get their nails and hair done on Friday and keep standing in line to buy the newest version of Apple/Samsung gadget coming on the market.
$250sqft for a gym? ??. Wish it was my company that built that so I could retire.
Then why didn’t you bid on it if you could’ve built it cheaper…simple reason is that you couldn’t
Because only 2 companies on island receive jobs this size from government hence why they can pretty much charge whatever they want. And if you don’t think they discuss and raise prices based on this, you are mistaken.
you have no clue what you are talking about…………clearly!
Yes get those small roaming contractors who work for MJ!
He always gets a great “cheap” deal!
$550/sqft for a half assed built condo?
The clubhouse at the CIFA Newlands pitch was CI $500 per square foot so the gym looks cheap at the price!
The clubhouse just got ripped off!
And no one accountable for that…who was the government in charge….?
In their made up world they have not included the carrying cost of the money. The fact that they may not know what that is, and make no accounting for it, makes it worse.
What do you mean by carrying cost of the money.. and why are you stating your opinion and question as fact. The fact is you don’t know the answer to your question so why phrase it as if somehow they haven’t done it? Maybe you need to learn the definition of the word fact.
Excellent value for money when you visit this hurricane strength building. When we attend to watch the NCAA games we will be bragging about the facility. Thank you.
Ehhh NCAA regulates sports in North America, last time I checked Cayman resides in the Caribbean. So unless you plan to watch a pre-season exhibition which very few care about other than scouts your rationale for spending 8.8 million on a gym seems quite asinine.
NCCA games? That’s the entire problem with the Cayman Islands. Sports are glorified, education is not. Instead of hosting the NCAA, the Cayman Islands ought to try to host world-wide educational competitions…
8.8M grossly overpriced. Where did all of this money go. PPM, now that’s regressive.
My guess is over half went to corrupt kickbacks.
This is PPM …..not UDP.
7:06 am, i think u r right 100 %
Empty cans rattle the loudest..
Do you ask the same when 2 bedroom condos on 7mile beach are sold in excess of $2mil?
At 2:29, St. Ignatious doesn’t have a gym and they seem to function well in academics and athletics.
9 million buys a lot of curriculum upgrades.
You are missing the point – this building is not just built to serve the school itself. Private schools like Prep and Catholic has to haul off their kids to all kind of PE lessons and sporting events offsite because their own facilities are inadequate to offer a wide variety of sports or to host any sort of tournaments.
This is beyond asinine. 8.8 million dollars… for a gym…. where do I sign up to complete these projects? That works out to roughly 255 dollars per square foot. For an empty building without marble floors, granite counters, crystal chandeliers or an Olympic sized Jacuzzi. I get it, it can be used for “whole school assemblies (5 or 6 times per year?), hurricane shelter (once every decade?), and a training facility”. If we were constantly graduating Rhodes Scholars, this wouldn’t be quite as hard a pill to swallow, but the fact is we are basically failing our kids in public schools. As a parent myself, I would find investing in a vocational program (for those who won’t become the next Dr/Lawyer/Accountant) a much sounder choice to deposit at least half of this gargantuan dollar amount. Oh, lest I forget the literal icing on this cake, there will be solar panels, which will recover pennies on the dollar of this monstrous expenditure. That was meant to make us all say “at least they are trying to spend our tax dollars wisely”. I cannot wait to read the Auditor Generals report on this from a “value for money” standpoint. Very disheartened & disappointed.
Yes, clearly the builders should have used locally-sourced lumber and steel from Cayman, instead of having to import it all.
Seriously,
When will we learn that some of the best Cayman scholars came from one room school houses. This nonsense of infrastructure facilitating a great learning environment will be the death of our future.
The solutions are simple and it starts in the home. If a child’s home is not an option then it is from the help of positive mentors. A child’s success comes from the sense of responsibility that education is important. It is nurtured by teachers who have passion for their curriculum and the tools and resources to execute the goals of the classroom.
Instead of 8.8 million dollars on brick and mortar we allocate funds to invest in the classroom. Let’s focus on what is going on in the classroom, create relationships and learning contracts amongst families and teachers. Empower our young people with the thought that knowledge is power. For those students that struggle with traditional education due to learning challenges invest in alternative methods. For those who have been given practical gifts, give them the education to be the best builders, chefs or whatever trade they have a passion for.
We are running out of time to get this right. We are only feeding the fuel of the millennial fire by teaching our children that shiny new buildings will create their successes.
Money can not fix Caymanians biggest problem. Third world culture. Kicking out kids left and right that have no idea how to survive much less prosper in a first world society. A culture rich in distrust have left them unable to learn from those know how. It is only the huge sums of money that Cayman Islands get from basically doing nothing that has allowed it to get this far. That is changing and will come to a screaming halt soon. What then? Where will Caymanians go when they are not wanted here? What will they do for a living when the hand outs end? Watch and learn.
I think it has been established gazillion times that the issue with education is NOT the funding, it is the lack of parenting, the lack of holding one responsible for actions/inactions at a young age, the lack of instilling any sort of work ethics and motivation in our kids.
If you want mentoring of kids who are neglected, then perhaps you should read the reports of kids who have been put on a right track by involving them in sports programs and after school activities. Guess where some of those can be held? Yep, that’s right – at the Gym you are moaning about!
Donkeys running this place. They should have made some cells in their while they were at it.
Let’s not concern ourselves with the kids in this facility are out of control, bullies, and thugs boys and girls alike. How about focusing on education. Lol, they want to facilitate finding future stars…..duh……
Why don’t you just put a cork in it asshole. Finally this thing is starting to come together and yet jerks like you have all this negative crap to spout off about. I for one am proud that this gym is in place and happy for the students and all of the people who will get use of it. But on the other side I am sick and tired of jerks like the above with these stupid asinine comments.
What’s coming together?? Pissing away money on a gym?? How bout spending some of that money on a separate school for kids on the island who actually want to go to school and learn and actually make something of themselves. I’m in and out of the schools pretty regular and the inmates at northward act more appropriate than students at this school.
We are not doing good for the few who want to succeed.
Future stars of Cayman, ha.
When you come from nothing even a little pile of crap is something big. While you see progress most “others” see corruption on a high scale. But it is your money so spend it, give it, lose it as you see fit.
Your comment is absolutely out of line. Where are you from? Are all of your nationality, your skin colour, your gender, your ethnicity this X thing or that Y thing. Stop generalizing because when you do you insult the vast majority of students who attend that school and behave themselves every day, working hard and putting up with the type of ignorance that you have just spewed. I volunteer in schools and they are nothing like us constantly being portrayed by people like you, woefully uninformed and lacking even the basic interest in actually helping to make improvements.
‘On time and on budget’ are each connected with elastic when it comes to CIG. Whichever way you look at it, it is an awful lot of money.
Is 1% or possibly 3% under budget really worth mentioning? It’s just like their same argument that they really hadnt failed as badly as the results showed. Failure is failure and under budget by 1% simply sounds desperate for a bit of good news.
1% of $8,800,000 is $88,000 dollars while 3% is $264,000. That is quite a sum of money by anyone’s standards.
We should be more concerned with how they are going to use those savings…
Any Technical school could be built with 8.8 right here
For 20 years people have asked the question, “Why is there not a good technical school for those children not interested in college?”
Government after government have ignored this need because existing business owners do not want additional competition in the country.
The answer, build an $8.7 million gym.
Caymanians dont want their children to go to a tech school. They think that makes them into labourers and of course Caymanians are very smart and in their own country should all be able to get white collar jobs in the banks and law firms and leave the rest to the Jamaicians, Honduranians, Filipinos and Indians. Twas ever thus.
I highly doubt it but evidently you are a quantity suyevor or just full of baseless opinions
Your head is full of freebase. Leave my people alone you Reaper.
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So much money on infrastructure; none on the curriculum.
Well, as long as we LOOK like we got it right I guess….
this is exactly mh thoughts!
There’s no stripes on the floor.
They’d be scraped off in a matter of minutes by all the desks in any event.
Shame on those who critized this project. Imagine having a school with no playing field and no gym. The private sector would never allow this. But critize us when we want the same for our children.
Our children deserve the very best …everyone said we spent too much money on Clifton Hunter but now everyone wants their child to go there.
Agreed and amen!
Listen to me pray tell, no one is saying that our children doesn’t deserve the best but for God sakes at the tone of 8.8million are you sick? This is just ppm spending recklessly as they always do.
So true!!
Our children do indeed deserve the best suffice to say as a tax payer I have no qualms contributing towards the future generations learning however parents should be held accountable starting off by re-introducing school fees. Its absolutely insane that all fees are waived aka the book fees. If you cannot pay $250 per annum something is seriously wrong.
Just saying
Out of which budget(s) did the $8.8M come? Did the Ministry of Sports and Home Affairs contribute? $500,000 to provide essential education services to parents of children with Autism and other learning challenges would go a long way. Yes the facility is a good thing for the school, for sports, for a hurricane shelter and for the wider community and for those reasons hopefully the funds didn’t all come out of the education budget.
I passed by the CDP rally last night at AL Thompson. Alot of people attended. And like McKeeva said, whenever PPM do anything, he does better!!
And why???
Because he does it affordable.
* In other words, whenever PPM does any project, its an expensive. :/
Whenever HE does a project HE also benefits is some way, shape or form. Happy with that are you?
Maybe this project had proper costs because it was done without political interference in the process, i.e. no crony deals.
All corrupt anyway….evil has no lesser.
The comments from Colin Anglin are interesting. Watch this space.
The dsyfucnional Department Of Sports has no business meddling in the affairs of any sport at a national level. It serves no purpose but to protect the jobs of a certain few washed up coaches. Very much lookong forward to the pissing contests over gym scheduling to begin but we all know only too well where the priorities will lie.
Disgruntled past employee? Is that you?
I know exactly what you’re getting at. Something is in the pipeline and the general public will see soon who this was truly completed for. It’s being sold to the public for the use of exams but wait and see how the bigger picture unfolds.
How will the Director of Sports plus his business partners and family benefit financially from the upcoming NCAA event at the expense of the public funds?
This kind of transparency is as clear as mud.
Why wasn’t that disclosed to the general public since it was our money that paid for it??? Why was it a mad rush to complete it now???
Yes it’s finally done and I appreciate that but if education has been at the forefront/ a priority like every sitting member of parliament is singing, why wasnt it done sooner??? The airport arrivals took precedence over education. The bidding process has started for the George Town dock, looks like that has too.
It’s not who will benefit from it financially, but why is being illustrated that it was finished in time for exams??!!
Our kids education wasn’t priority for this gym, some one else’s child was reason to host this NCAA tournament here.
$8.8M? for a gym?
State of the art my friend.
Yep that’s all just $8.8 million – congratulations PPM on the wise use of public funds and the extraordinary value it has to the whole community.
Signed with sarcasm by a long-time Moses Trump supporter.
Holy sh!tballs! We better take gold in all events at the next Olympics with that price tag!
What was the opportunity cost of not finishing JGHS 8 years ago, or leaving the “new” campus exposed to the elements throughout these last 4 years?
That was 12 years ago. The costs are that much greater.
Ludicrous