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| The IDB Counsellors and Ministry officials on a tour of the St. Ambrose Primary School. (C. Pitt/BGIS) |
A team of counsellors from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) experienced a full day of touring yesterday, as they conducted assessment visits to the sites of projects funded by their organisation.
St. Ambrose Primary School, the City and St. Andrew’s Primary, both beneficiaries of the IDB-funded EduTech programme, were two of the first stops on the tour.?? Programme Director with the Programme Coordination Unit of the Ministry of Education, Paul Murphy, explained that the visit permitted the counsellors to view first-hand the outputs of the project.
"[They are] looking at the type of work that would have been done at the St. Ambrose Primary School, in terms of the new technology and reviewing the curriculum reform initiative that we would have done throughout the entire school system…," he said.??
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| The IDB Counsellors and members of the media on a tour of the boardwalk on the South Coast. (C. Pitt/BGIS) |
In the afternoon, the group headed to the south coast to view Phase I of the Coastal Zone Management Programme (CZMU) – the 1.2 kilometre boardwalk, which runs from Rockley Beach to Sierra Hotel.
CZMU Project Manager, Antonio Rowe, providing background on the US$9.1 million project, offered insight into the 18-month process which led to the creation of one of the island’s most popular public attractions.?? He revealed to the group that climate change was taken into consideration with the construction design, as well as data relevant to sea level rise and hurricane passage history.?? Mr. Rowe assured the group that the structures there could withstand the ???bottom-end of a [category] four’ hurricane.??
He also noted that steps would soon be taken to ensure that the boardwalk remained in good condition.
"This year we’re going to have our first set of maintenance.?? Preliminary inspections have started so we’re identifying what corrective steps have to be taken," he said.
CZMU Director, Dr. Leo Brewster, who toured with the IDB contingent, spoke about the next stage of the project, which is set to commence next year.
"Phase two is the coastal risk assessment project…the area where the next phase of work is supposed to take place will be from Villas on the Beach, going on to Heron Bay [St. James]…It will start in spring next year and all the construction should be finished before December [2012]," he said.
The IDB counselors also viewed the walkway on the west coast as part of their tour.?? Their official visit ends today.