By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
WITH more than a month’s delay after the government had planned to start construction on low-cost homes, Housing Minister Kenred Dorsett said there are still a few things to be finalised before the first brick is laid.
In June, Dorsett told The Tribune that construction on the first tranche of homes would begin within 30 days.
But no building has started as Mr Dorsett said the Mortgage Corporation and the Ministry of Finance has just completed the bid process for the appointment of a project manager as well as the fund administrator.
He said: “By virtue of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which calls for a different way in which we are going to handle funds associated with the housing programme, Veritas Consultants won the bid. The Attorney General’s office is now finalising the project and so once those projects are executed for the project manager and fund administrator we would have met the requirements to be able to draw down the funds from NIB.
“So I am quite happy that we are now at this stage, because Lord knows we need to start building right away.”
Mr Dorsett was speaking at the Churchill Building just before Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting.
He said the government was exploring its options in finding ways to reduce building costs for the project which officials do not expect to turn over significant revenue.
“We are looking at new construction methodologies to assist us in reducing the costs. A part of the project manager’s remit is to review the overall scope with a view to bringing about certain efficiencies.
“But the reality is successive governments have not attributed market value to land which we provide to ensure that we are to provide homes at an affordable cost. So Crown land will continue to be utilised for that purpose, but it is important to realise that once we build our structures.”
An Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Environment and Housing, the Bahamas Mortgage Corporation (BMC), the Ministry of Finance and the National Insurance Board (NIB) was signed to facilitate the project. NIB provided $60 million for the housing initiative.
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