THE Board of Governors of St Rose’s High School has announced that the demolition of the school is set to begin on Monday to allow for the construction of a new modern building.
In a media release, the Board said that the demolition exercise, to the tune of G$16.9M, will last for approximately four weeks, and be limited primarily to the aged wooden section and other adjoining areas in a state of disrepair.
“A change in the work schedule was conducted to facilitate the completion of demolition works after the current ,school year ends, which, in turn, would further reduce the likelihood of there being any mishaps since the students will be on vacation,” the Board said, adding:
“The teaching staff and students will not be present on the school’s premises for any formal classes during the demolition exercise, as their safety and that of the staff will be of paramount importance once the demolition exercise has commenced.”
The demolition process will be conducted by PD Contracting Inc, while the reconstruction will be done immediately afterwards by the local firm, Courtney Benn Contracting Ltd.
Construction is expected to last 24 months, and the building was designed by Trinidadian firm, Bynoe, Rowe & Wiltshire which is also entrusted with managing and overseeing the project’s demolition and reconstruction exercise.
Input on the new building’s design also came from the Board of Governors, the Parent Teacher Association, Alumni Associations, students, teachers, the Ministries of Education, Social Cohesion and Finance and several others.
In addition, independent engineers will also be utilised to ensure that international environmental and building codes and standards are met, as well as to preserve the history of the existing structure.
The new structure will incorporate many aspects of the original school building design; will retain the unique green space courtyard and will incorporate similar designs to that of the Marian Academy.
In addressing this decision, it was said: “Collectively it was agreed that we must look towards the future and incorporate the very best of modern design and ‘green’ architectural approaches into our new school building that will stand as an example for future educational building designs here in Guyana.”
The St. Rose’s High School has been in existence for over 150 years, and currently has over 500 students.
