February 15 - 21, 2014
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
NEWS
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Plans in place for ultra-modern post office A BRAND new state-of-the-art post office could be on the cards for the TCI if the Government assigns enough cash in the upcoming budget. Plans have already been drawn out for the swish new building and it could be ready for staff to move into within just nine months, according to the Permanent Secretary of Government Support Services. Ian Astwood made the announcement following a meeting with post office staff on Friday during which they discussed long term solutions to a lack of premises. Workers have been using a temporary office at the Town Centre Mall in Butterfield Square since Tuesday (February 11) following a walk out of the decrepit Airport Road building last week. But now they can look forward to another upgrade in working conditions if plans for the ultra-modern building are given the go ahead. Last Monday, February 3, disgruntled workers refused enter the dangerously run down former post office in protest against inhumane conditions. The rodent and insect infested building had long been identified as both unsafe and unsanitary and for months the Government promised to make improvements. However staff could no longer take the lack of communication and inaction from TCIG officials and
For months the Government promised to make improvements to this decrepit insect infested building
refused enter the building. As a result the Ministry of Government Support Services closed the building and looked for a suitable temporary workplace. On Friday (February 7) Deputy Governor Anya Williams and Acting Premier Akierra Missick met with staff to discuss concerns and a long term solution. In a press conference at the EMS building, Downtown, Missick said that the action taken by staff was understandable. “The staff took the best decision that they felt was available to them at the time and we respect that as a Cabinet of the Government and as
Power outage leaves ... continued from
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for the company to be liable for compensation. “However we live in a real world, we understand our customers have real issues and we will look to see what we can do for our customers.” At a press conference at the Office of the Premier on Thursday Premier Rufus Ewing said the outage was an unfortunate incident. He added that the country has one of the most reliable electricity suppliers who did an “awesome job” in getting power back. “Yes it might have had some negative impact on our tourism industry; there were lots of tourists like residents that were out of electricity but these things happen almost like an act of nature and those things you can’t plan for.” This is the second blast at the power plant in two years after an insulation failure on the main bus bar caused it to explode in July 2012. This rendered five breakers inoperable and power was out across Providenciales from 8am until 9.40pm. Another power outage struck
Providenciales on October 15, 2013, when FortisTCI lost 11.5 megawatts of electricity due to the “catastrophic failures” of two engines brought on by inclement weather. An additional 15 megawatts was unavailable at the power plant on Leeward Highway as the result of maintenance to the transmission and distribution system. FortisTCI became a wholly owned subsidiary of Fortis Inc located in Newfoundland, Canada in August 2006. The company acquired Turks and Caicos Utility Limited (TCU), which is the sole provider of electricity on the Islands of Grand Turk and Salt Cay, in August 2012. FortisTCI is the sole provider of electricity in Providenciales, North Caicos, Middle Caicos, East Caicos and adjacent Cays, and South Caicos. Together the two companies serve approximately 12,000 electricity customers in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The utilities have an aggregate diesel-fired generating capacity of approximately 75 megawatts. Additional information on FortisTCI can be accessed at www.fortistci.com. (RB)
residents of the TCI.” Deputy Governor Williams revealed that staff had been complaining for some time about working conditions. “It’s not that these concerns have fallen on deaf ears but rather that it was taking some time to relocate to another property,” she said. “Our initial plans were to have not only the post office staff but also the boxes relocated and that was causing a bit of difficulty.” She said that during the meeting it was agreed that money will be assigned in the upcoming budget to create an acceptable working atmosphere for staff. Previously the Government had been assessing costs for a new roof following damage caused by Hurricane Ike, but it may need a complete rebuild, the Deputy Governor said. “It has to be done because first and foremost our concern has to be the safety and wellbeing of our staff,
and secondly we are concerned about the security of the mail. “The post office carries out an essential service, they are a vital organ in Government and we have to make certain that we make the situation right.” The Permanent Secretary of Government Support Services explained that a structural survey has been completed on the former building. Architects, project managers and quantity surveyors are currently looking at the report and an estimated budget for repairs or a new build will be announced soon. In addition the Public Works Department has produced a set of plans for a new state-of-the-art post office. “It brings our post office in line with the rest of the Caribbean and the United States in terms of its layout and the way it functions,” Astwood said. “Providing that necessary funds are made available we’re looking at a three month tender period and a six
months construction period giving a total of nine months to have a new facility in place.” Deputy Governor Williams said cost of reconstruction is likely to be at least $400,000. Post master general Elizabeth Garland said that post office staff were very happy with the results of the meeting. “We’ll try and get the mail out as quickly as it comes in,” she said, “and we’ll try our best to make our customers more relaxed. We care about them and they haven’t been forgotten.” The problem of the former building was first brought to the attention of the Weekly News in October last year by Leader of the Opposition Sharlene Cartwright Robinson who said the building was in a state of disrepair and should be condemned. She pointed out that damp and weather damage had ravaged the majority of the wooden structure leaving splintered wood protruding and paint work peeling away. Termites could be seen marching up and down the external walls of the single story building and wasp nests inside the roof crevices. Meanwhile inside the building staff told Opposition members that conditions were much worse, with rats and cockroaches a common sight. At the time Minister of Government Support Services, George Alexander Lightbourne, said meetings had taken place with the director of the Post Office and the Permanent Secretary with regard to relocating staff. In the House of Assembly in December he went on to promise that staff would be relocated after Christmas following a survey of potential new premises. (RB)
Energy policy will lower electricity costs – Premier “IT IS our intention to see the development of a new energy bill before the end of this financial year, and that bill will result in the introduction of renewable energy technology in the TCI, amongst other means to reduce energy demand and cost saving for not only the Government but for individuals and businesses in the TCI.” These were the words of Premier Rufus Ewing one day after the Wednesday (February 12) Cabinet meeting whereby the body considered a draft Energy Policy which has been in development for some time now, and is a legacy of the interim administration. Cabinet also considered the establishment of an Energy Council. Ewing noted that the overarching objective of the policy is to reduce the cost of electricity and to improve energy security and environmental sustainability. It has since been approved for
public consultation prior to final adoption with various timelines as to how the country will move forward with the document. The Premier said the Government welcomes the initiative, which is also in line with and supported by Sir Richard Branson’s Carbon War Room initiative, which the Government recently signed on to. Ewing said: “TCI boasts one of the highest energy costs in the Caribbean and it is our intention as a Government to look at ways to reduce the cost of electricity to our residents and businesses here in the TCI and also to reducing the cost of living as the energy cost form a significant part of the cost of living.” The policy was started during the interim administration and came into the hands of the PNP Government which reviewed it and will now be sending it for discussion with FortisTCI and other stakeholders.
“I am confident that it is a policy that most residents in the TCI and business owners would be happy about and would be ready to welcome,” Ewing remarked. He noted that one of the provisions within the draft energy policy is for Fortis to look at power purchase agreements from alternative energy generators, for redistribution. He further noted that there are a lot of technical details that will go into how this can happen. “But we are confident that with the current policy that we intend to implement, it will open up opportunities for other generators of electricity – be it solar, wind, geothermal or whatever other source we are confident can be produced here in TCI efficiently and then to have the lowering of the cost.” The Premier said the Government is confident that the policy will make these objectives a reality. (DI)