STATEMENT BY DEPUTY PREMIER ON RELOCATION OF THE ADINA DONOVAN HOME

Tuesday August 17, 2010

Mr. Speaker earlier this year the Ministry of Health and Social Development commissioned various repairs to the building which houses the Adina Donovan Home.

These included:

1. Electrical re-wiring of the facility;

2. Refurbishing two bathrooms;

3. Replacing an upper floor slab which was affected by the corrosion of the steel in the concrete.

Those works were carried out by Mr. George Malone, a local contractor, for the sum of forty four thousand eight hundred seventy nine dollars and thirty three cents ($44,879.33) over the period February – May 2010. During that time arrangements were made for several ambulatory residents to be accommodated at Senior Citizens day programmes at neighboring community centre’s, in order to minimize their exposure to noise and dust during the hours of construction.

Subsequent to those repairs, Mr. Speaker, It was observed that there were other structural deficiencies in the building and the Ministry engaged the services of Systems Engineering Ltd. (Systems) in June 2010 to carry out a structural assessment. Systems recommended that the roof be cleaned, resealed, and painted as well as repairs to all areas of spalling detected in the ceilings. This phase of the repairs is expected to commence on Monday 23 August and be completed within two to three months.

The work to be carried out is extensive and requires that the staff and residents be relocated temporarily.

The Ministry of Health and Social Development is therefore in the final stages of preparation for the temporary relocation of the residents and staff of the Adina Donovan Home for the Elderly.

Beginning Monday 23rd August 2010, the Adina Donovan Home will transfer its operations to the building that currently houses the Road Town Senior Citizen’s Centre in Johns Hole.

Mr. Speaker this arrangement is temporary, and is to ensure the comfort and safety of the ADH residents and staff while extensive repairs to the roof of the existing facility are being carried out. Based on the findings and recommendations of a structural assessment carried out by Systems Engineering Ltd in June 2010, these works entail cleaning, re-sealing and painting of the roof, as well as repairs to all areas of spalling detected in the ceilings.
Given the scope and nature of works to be carried out in this second phase, the decision was recently taken by The Cabinet to approve the temporary relocation to the Road town Senior citizens Centre of the Adina Donovan Home for the Elderly for a period of up to three months.

Mr. Speaker the Road Town Senior Citizens’ Centre was selected by Cabinet after review of the report submitted following an extensive search and careful analysis of several alternatives. Some of the advantages of this location are:

1. the building is easily accessible and appropriately equipped, with only minor modifications required; These included installation of removable partitioning and specialized plumbing fixtures, all of which have been completed;

2. the property is owned by the Crown; therefore no rental costs will be incurred;

3. there is adequate space to accommodate the ADH operations.

As is well known the building is normally used to accommodate the Road Town Senior Citizens’ Programme held on Mondays and Wednesdays. The Programme is currently in recess, as is customary during the month of August, and appropriate arrangements have been put in place by the Social Development Department to
accommodate the Road Town Seniors at alternative venues when the Programme resumes in September. Programme participants are being contacted directly by the Social Development Department in this regard.

I wish at this time to again place on record my gratitude and sincere appreciation to the management and staff of the Adina Donovan Home, and the Social Development Department, particularly the staff of the Road Town, Sea Cows Bay and Long Trench Senior Citizens Programmes for their outstanding efforts and contributions in safeguarding and providing extra care to the ADH residents during that earlier phase of the repair works. I know that we can rely on them to provide the best care for our seniors.

Mr. Speaker while we continue to work diligently to safeguard and improve the living conditions of our Seniors at the existing Adina Donovan Home facility on Lower Main Street, we are well seized of the urgent need to establish a new home for the elderly. Members will recall that recently I informed this Honourable House that following a decision to change the site for the new home for the elderly from Spooner’s Estate, the Government appointed a Search Committee to identify suitable alternative sites. Cabinet on 19th August, 2009 received the Committee’s report, selected a site, and requested that negotiations begin with the owners of the land to acquire the site. As soon as the land acquisition has been completed, a further update will be brought to this Honourable House.

Mr. Speaker in closing I wish to assure the people of the Virgin Islands that the Government remains steadfast in its commitment to construct a new home for the elderly within the shortest possible timeframe, and to ensuring the continued safety and wellbeing of the residents and staff of the Adina Donovan Home.