The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

The Bahamian Contractors Association’s (BCA) president yesterday slammed “the haphazard way” in which Hurricane Dorian clean-up and reconstruction is being handled.

Michael Pratt told the annual Accountants Week seminars: “I have concerns with the time being wasted by contractors in the Abaco clean-up. Contractors are being told to separate debris on-site before they take it to the city dump, only for the same debris to be put at the dump site all mixed-up again. The reconstruction is being done in the same haphazard way as the clean-up efforts.”

While expressing satisfaction with Bahamas Power and Light’s (BPL) Abaco rebuilding efforts, with the utility having already put some “9,000 poles in the ground”, Mr Pratt said the Water and Sewerage Corporation is still “lagging behind” on its own rebuilding.

“An Inter-American Development Bank study said that only 22 percent of our firms are innovative. We need more innovation to assist with the reconstruction and recovery efforts,” Mr Pratt asserted.

“As a result of the lack of innovation in the private sector and the impact of Hurricane Dorian, the construction industry has formed an alliance between the Institute of Bahamian Architects, the Bahamian Contractors Association (BCA) and the Bahamas Society of Engineers called (ACE), where we have submitted a report to the Ministry of Works and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) along with several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and recommended several considerations for industry experts to help with matters in the event of natural disasters of this scale.”

The BCA chief told Tribune Business that the report appears to have gained little traction with the government, and he again appealed for the government to fully implement the Construction Contractors Act by appointing the Board that will enforce its self-regulatory mechanisms.

Mr Pratt said: “Right now we have no licensed contractors in The Bahamas. Anyone can get a business license and become a contractor, so when we talk about enforcing building codes we have to make sure we hold random contractors accountable by having a board established.”

He then highlighted how many Bahamians are being priced out of the housing market, noting that in The Bahams the “cost of financing” is some 20 percent compared to two percent in the US. This, the BCA chief, also deterred persons from building stronger, more storm resistant and durable homes.

“We need to educate Bahamians on what it takes to build a strong home, and also educate them on what ‘value engineering’ is and what a ‘change order’ means,” Mr Pratt said.

He added that The Bahamas should consider mandating shear windows and construction piles, which go underneath homes, as a way to improve their resilience in Dorian-type storms.

Mr Pratt also argued that The Bahamas should follow the lead of the Baker’s Bay Golf & Ocean Club project in Abaco and increase the pounds per square inch (PSI) that concrete can withstand to more than 7,000.