Choiseul Secondary School
Government has responded to fresh concerns over the instability of the Choiseul Secondary School building by dispatching a team of engineers to assess the situation.
A tremor felt in parts of the island early Tuesday morning (Feb. 18 ) caused some panic about the safety of the building.
Some classes were held outside the school building as a result of the concerns, Chief Education Officer (CEO) Marcus Edward told St. Lucia News Online (SNO).
This came following a magnitude 6.7 earthquake northeast of Barbados this morning, causing an impact in parts of St Lucia.
Edward explained that reports from the school suggested there is “some sort of uneasiness at the Choiseul Secondary School that some persons are claiming that the school was damaged by the earthquake”.
The team sent to conduct an assessment of the structure came from the Ministry of Infrastructure. No further visible physical damage was reported.
Meanwhile, a press statement from the Office of the Prime Minister said the Ministry of Infrastructure, after consultation with the Ministry of Education, has engaged the services of a structural engineer, who began further assessment on Tuesday. Government said it will determine whether immediate alternative actions are necessary.
“So the information is that, this afternoon, someone from the Ministry of Infrastructure would be going over there to assess whether there is any damage to the building that would necessitate a total evacuation of the building. Until such time I cannot speak on the fact that an earthquake has damaged the building,” Edward told SNO.
Edward said he had not been informed of dismissal of classes due to the incident.
He anticipates that information on the stability of the school structure will be forthcoming on Wednesday and a plan of action can be formulated if necessary.
Government, in its statement, said it is mindful of the conditions which surfaced at the Choiseul Secondary School in 2010, rendering one of the buildings structurally affected. Government continues to seek financing options for construction of a new wing, while some classes are being housed at the refurbished Choiseul Community Centre.
Government has informed that it is seeking funds from the World Bank for a new building.
Consistent with World Bank Procurement procedures, the government has invited consultants to tender for the design of the new premises. To date, the advertisement has been placed in local newspapers, the website of the Ministry of Infrastructure and that of the World Bank, according to the press statement.