Works Minister Jack Warner pledged Friday to rebuild President's House within a year. One of the buildings in the compound collapsed just before the May 24 general election and has been left in a state of disrepair since then.On Friday Warner toured the residence and promised to fix the problem and get work started immediately.
"I went to the President’s House because I felt it was an indictment against all of us as a people that the President’s House has been allowed to decay in this way," he told reporters.
"I took the technicians there and gave them instructions that the house must be refurbished in the shortest possible time...If even it has to be torn down to be re-built I give them one year to do it," he explained.
He said work has already started but the government is "still getting views from designers and architects" on how best to handle the project.
He said the general view is that certain aspects of the building can be preserved. He did not give an estimate of the cost but said local contractors will undertake the project, which will keep the cost down.
"I already told the Ministry of Works and Transport that we must rebuild the building without any input of foreigners or foreign consultants,” he said.
President George Maxwell Richards is confident the house would be restored soon. He welcomed Warner’s presence as “signals urgent action."
During the repairs state events would be held at different locations. Warner suggested that the annual Indepdence Awards could be presented at Queen's Hall.
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