~ Works to start shortly ~
PHILIPSBURG–The Government’s Roof Repair Programme in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA will start soon and promises to assist homeowners whose roofs were damaged or destroyed by the passing of Hurricane Irma and Maria last year.
After the passing of Hurricane Irma, the VSA Ministry started taking reports of the needs of the general population who came and registered at the Government Administration Building. The VSA Ministry compiled a list of persons who were affected and assisted the population with emergency needs such as tarpaulins, drinking water and other basic necessities.
This phase, known as the Emergency phase, which included the cleaning up of the island, was ongoing for a few months, due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma. A total of 900-plus homeowners applied for assistance, including roof repair, a list was presented to the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI for further assistance and handling in the present phase, known as the Recovery phase.
Based on the list received from the VSA Ministry, the VROMI Ministry started making assessments in December 2017 and the list has been narrowed down to 480-plus persons who are still seeking Government assistance with the repair of their roofs and/or homes, including approximately 250 senior citizens.
A public tender was held on December 15 for the purchasing of materials needed for the execution of the programme. The tender consisted of two parts: building materials, including lumber, T1-11, felt paper, zinc sheeting and screws, and construction materials that consist of steel, sand, gravel and cement. These bids were won by St. Maarten Versatile Consulting and Management N.V. and Waddali Aggregates B.V.
An information meeting with a group of contractors known to the Ministry was held on Friday, January 12. In this meeting, the purpose of the programme was discussed, as well as what is expected of the contractors during the execution phase. They were also asked to fill in a questionnaire to establish their interest.
Interested contractors who have not registered as yet can do so by registering at the Ministry of VROMI in the Government Building, Soualiga Boulevard #1 on Pond Island. The assessments of the various homes continued with Minister of VROMI Miklos Giterson visiting the residents who were affected.
Persons who did not register for assistance can still do so by registering at the Ministry of VROMI in the Government Building. The physical construction works of the Roof Repair Project are expected to start soon.
Government has reserved NAf. 5,000,000 for phase one of this project which aims at the repair some 150 roofs of the priority group that has been badly affected, which includes senior citizens and mentally-challenged residents.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/72947-giterson-assessing-roofs-to-be-repaired
View comments
Hide comments