Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said yesterday that more than $150 million was spent on the restoration of the Red House project over the past eight years with nothing to show for it.
In a ministerial statement to the Parliament, Rowley said the multi-million project will now be completed with major adjustments, including the scrapping of the previous tender and the opening of a new tender.
“After all that time and all that money, construction works are yet to commence, while the number and severity of the roof leaks have been exacerbated and the building, structural, historical and architectural elements have grossly deteriorated,” he said.
Rowley said no other building in the country was as rich with history as the Red House, adding that “under this Government the Red House will be restored and will provide a permanent adequate home for the Parliament of T&T.”
Rowley is the chairman of the historical restoration oversight sub committee of the Cabinet
He said as of yesterday’s date, Parliament was “no closer to returning to its original home than it was five years ago.”
He said the entire roof of the Red House remains in need of restoration, although there was a “roofing contractor permanently on the project for the past eight years.” He said more than $23 million was spent on roof repairs.
The PM also told legislators:
• millions were spent on various designs for the Red House but never materialised.
• more than $31 million was spent on the current design
He said the new People’s National Movement Government “intends to ensure that this expenditure is not wasted and that the project continues with modifications given our economic circumstances.”
He said under previous administrations, bids were invited for public tender, adding that the special purposes state company Udecott had advised that tenders "considerably exceeded the projected estimated sum.”
According to Rowley, “We have been informed that tenders ranged from $411 million to $694 million. This tender process has been abandoned and new bids will be invited.”
He said there will be changes to the original user brief for the project, which included a proposal for establishment of a parliamentary complex with the companion building on the site north of the Red House.
He said the user brief is expected to be revised by the Parliament, as the companion building was no longer feasible given existing economic conditions.
Rowley told legislators the restored Red House must portray a strong and enduring national symbol, one that will resonate with the citizenry and project to the world an image of T&T as “a modern, dynamic and developed society.” He insisted that will be done.
Rowley said Udecott will review the current designs to facilitate the timely restoration of the Red House for parliamentary operations, with required auxiliary services being accommodated in the nearby Cabildo Chambers. He said the restoration can be completed by mid-2018 via the subdivision of works into work packages.
The Prime Minister said such packages can be ready for public tender by July, adding that the Cabinet-appointed oversight committee “will maintain its oversight role to ensure that these time schedules are met.”