Following a fire that engulfed a dormitory at the Bahamas Agricultural and Marine Institute (BAMSI) more than seven months ago, officials revealed plans for the new facility, which they hope will soon be underway.
Benjamin Rahming, BAMSI general manager of construction, said although reconstruction of the dorm has yet to begin, he hopes for the blocks to be laid before the end of the year.
“The plan is to have up to a 200-student dorm,” Rahming said. “That plan is still being evaluated.”
In January, a fire ripped through the dormitory for more than four hours, burning it to the ground. After completing an investigation, police determined that the cause of the blaze was arson.
Last week, Dave Dion Moxey and his lawyer Calvin Seymour stood before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt for a status hearing because of the decision of a Supreme Court judge to suppress the Crown’s Voluntary Bill of Indictment against Moxey concerning the January 15 fire.
That case now sits in the Supreme Court.
While no life was lost, the reconstruction costs were estimated to be more than $1million.
It was also discovered that the building was not insured, a situation which placed the government in the hot seat, leaving many to question the real transparency of the facts surrounding the project.
In addition to the male dormitory, Rahming announced that there were other new structures on the property including a new teaching and administration facility, eight faculty houses, classrooms, a cafeteria and a female dormitory
The institute is also moving toward the implementation of renewable energy. Dr. Omer Thomas, BAMSI project director explained that there is an objective to use as much clean energy as possible.
“We are establishing about 30 acres of solar farm,” he said. “In the long run, we would like to employ solar energy to generate electricity to run our campus.”
Since taking office, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) has identified BAMSI as one of its most important initiatives.
In September 2014, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources V. Alfred Gray said he was proud of the project and anticipates the future role of the institute in energizing the push for food security The Bahamas, and the meaningful steps being taken towards the long-held dream of the country being able to feed itself.
While it faced several delays and a protracted construction period, the first group of students started at the institute last year.
Despite setbacks, BAMSI President Dr. Godfrey Eneas said he feels that the institute is progressing appreciably.
“We feel like we should have been a bit further ahead, but there are some constraints which we had which are beyond our control,” he said.
BAMSI Executive Director Dr. Raveena Roberts-Hanna said she is eager for the school to begin its second school year.
“Our students are really eager to really get their feet wet and their hands dirty to get the skills they need to really complete the course.”
The new academic year will be launched on Wednesday August 19 with orientation activities. Classes will commence on Monday, August 24.
