The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL kvirgil@tribunemedia.net SUB-PAR construction work on houses built before May 2007 caused several families to be relocated from government subdivisions, Housing Minister Neko Grant revealed yesterday. Since then, more then $3 million has been spent on home repairs, he told parliament. The minister was answering opposition member of parliament and former housing minister Shane Gibson's questions on the number of homes needing repairs following the PLP's term in office. Mr Grant said: "The government had to relocate some 15 families since May 2, 2007 due to shoddy construction. "These homes were built prior to May 2, 2007. One family is still to be relocated from Dignity Gardens Subdivision." When later asked by The Tribune to list the subdivisions where the faulty homes were located, he said Housing Permanent Secretary Loraine Armbrister would be able to assist. However, messages left for the permanent secretary were not returned. More recently, Mr Grant said, eight families in the Ardastra Estates Subdivision near Boyd Road and one family in the Wellington Pinder Heights Subdivision in Grand Bahama have been relocated pending repairs on their homes. "The homeowners were properly advised and relocated to comfortable accommodations and in every instance the repairs were funded from the requisite budget provision," he said. Mr Grant told MPs that a number of homeowners in New Providence made complaints during the Christie administration about "shoddy construction work, termite infestation and the deteriorating conditions of their homes, but no budget provision was made to address these concerns". Mr Gibson asked the minister whether the repair jobs went out to tender and who had the responsibility of selecting the contractors. The minister responded that since May 2007, all repair contracts were awarded by an in-house procurement committee. "This process involved inviting three reputable builders from the Ministry's Approved Builder's list to bid on the scope of works. The bids were analysed by the committee and recommendations put to the permanent secretary," he said. "An in-house estimate is undertaken for each repair job as a yardstick for the evaluation of the bids. None of the contracts exceeded $50,000. "A bid process did not exist under the Christie government, however any repairs undertaken were funded solely from the (Bahamas Mortgage) Corporation's sole account and jobs were awarded on a selective, partisan basis," Mr Grant said. Mr Gibson has come under fire in recent weeks over claims that he mismanaged the BMC and caused millions in debt after FNM Elizabeth candidate and BMC chairman Dr Duane Sands said more than 800 homeowners were overcharged by the BMC from 2002 to 2007 through contingency fees. He also said the corporation's finances were mismanaged to the point where approximately $1.874 million held in BMC's name was found in bank accounts for which BMC had no record. Mr Gibson disputed Dr Sands' claims, saying they were merely meant to distract Bahamians from the FNM's "record of failure".t