SCHOOL RECOVERY IN ABACO
Central Abaco Primary School (CAPS)
Rehabilitating Abaco’s largest primary school (CAPS) remains the focus of GER3’s work in the Bahamas. The school is a critical piece of infrastructure on Abaco, serving many purposes within the community of Marsh Habour. As one of the only schools being rehabilitated on the island after Dorian, its reopening is highly anticipated by the community – it will be a great token of hope in the recovery process. With support from the Lyford Cay Foundations, UNICEF, the Discovery Land Company Foundation, One Bahamas Fund, All Hands and Hearts and the Ministry of Public Works, GER3’s work at CAPS continues to progress rapidly, with a current target of reopening by the new school year (fall 2020). Thankfully, there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Abaco to date, so GER3’s team continues to be able to operate while adjusting to new safety protocols, work and travel restrictions.
GER3’s project team at CAPS includes a combination of local contractors and cash-for-workers on-site. With incredible dedication and love for their community, over fifty cash-for-workers have contributed to the CAPS project. Each has received practical training at CAPS, developing valuable hands-on skills related to roofing, painting, and carpentry. They are now able to utilize these skills in their own communities and as income generation to support their families. Approximately twenty of these cash-for-workers are also graduates of CAPS themselves. They often tell stories about their favorite teachers, their memorable games such as marbles and soccer in the courtyard, and joke about who had been called to the principal’s office most. Their deep love for the school is clear and shows in the quality of their work. They go above and beyond to restore the school so that future students can enjoy similar experiences.
With this great team, work at CAPS has progressed nicely despite minor setbacks related to COVID-19. As of the week of May 11th, all primary areas of the school are entirely dried in with new ice and water shield and are ready for the application of a standing seam metal roof which will commence in the coming weeks.
In conjunction with the Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Education, and GER3’s structural design firm, Integrated Building Services (IBS), GER3 decided to implement a more significant redesign of the north section of the school. The rebuilding will include hip roofing for the central buildings and covered walkways for the students outside. This decision will lead to a far more efficient construction process and a more resilient roof structure. In addition, the central courtyard roof will be rebuilt with a four section truss design, allowing all sections to be built on-site instead of manufactured off-island, which will save time and hopefully accelerate the completion date.
Significant progress is also being made in the interior of CAPS. Sanitization has been completed in all but three buildings; sheetrock installation is complete in two wings; electrical rough-ins have been performed in 50% of the school; and plumbing works are well underway. The first wave of bulk materials arrived this week from the United States, allowing work to progress far more smoothly and efficiently.
Another exciting advancement at CAPS is the decision to make the school an official hurricane shelter. With support from the Disaster Reconstruction Authority (DRA) and Ministry of Public Works, GER3 is working to ensure that a portion of CAPS can serve as a designated hurricane shelter in the future. This means that as CAPS continues to be rehabilitated, a few additional components will be included, such as installing pass-through doors between all classrooms. This will allow access to various parts of the building during a storm, such as lavoratories, without having to exit the building.
Circular Sanitation
With funding from UNICEF, efforts to install the first ever circular sanitation system at a public school in The Bahamas continue. This project, which entails the installation of a system which will convert solid organic waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer for a local wetland (or garden), was inspired by a similar project at the Island School on Eleuthera Island and has generated great interest from the Ministry of Education.
Finalized designs have been agreed upon by the system designer, Clear Water Caribbean, and a contract will be put in place this week to manufacture the Bioclere filter and have it shipped to Abaco. The primary septic tank for the system is being re-enforced, designs for the constructed wetland are being generated, and a site layout has been decided.
The system will also act as a hands-on educational resource for students who can learn about sustainability, biodiversity, engineering, and sanitation right in their school’s backyard. The system is planned to be installed by the end of June.
Teachers’ Homes
With support from UNICEF, GER3 is leading the full rehabilitation of several teachers’ homes in the Marsh Harbour area. All of the teachers worked at CAPS prior to Dorian and the rehabilitation of their houses will allow them to return home in time for the reopening of CAPS.
Seven homes have been identified for immediate rehabilitation activities. Four of these homes are government-owned cottages that, once completed, can be put into immediate use for any teachers in need of housing on Abaco. GER3 has partnered with ADRA in order to expedite the reconstruction process on these cottages. ADRA has completed roofs on four units, while GER3’s local contractors have completed drywall and electrical rough-ins for two units. In addition, GER3 has identified three private teachers' homes to rehabilitate. Works ranging from minor interior repairs to full exterior rebuilds all began this week. Each home has been assigned a local contractor allowing all works to be performed simultaneously. All homes are scheduled to be completed by June 30, 2020.
COVID-19
GER3 continues to closely monitor the global pandemic. During the work week, the Bahamas remains on a 24-hour curfew, however, GER3 and other hurricane relief agencies are exempt for hurricane reconstruction and can continue to work during this curfew. This week, the Prime Minister of the Bahamas announced progress towards the phased approach to reopen the country. Some Family Islands (specifically the Southern Bahamas) reopened businesses and it is expected that many restrictions will be lifted in Abaco in the coming weeks.
GER3 continues to ensure additional safety precautions at the worksite, including requiring all workers to arrive separately, operate at a safe distance from one another (minimum 6 ft), wear appropriate PPE (masks and gloves), and sanitize hands regularly at designated hand-washings stations.
It is expected that unemployment in The Bahamas could reach as high as 30% as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the CAPS rehabilitation being one of the largest on-going projects on the island, many people who have lost work have come to CAPS seeking opportunities. GER3 will continue to support local workers as much as possible and as much as the budget will permit, during this difficult time. GER3 will also refer workers to partner organizations on the island as they resume and/or scale up their activities.