Local life: The end of the school year has come, work can begin! 

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Who remembers the state of schools after Irma's visit? Who can still think today that these establishments are in the same state as 10 months ago?

President Daniel Gibbs recalls that the 17 establishments able to accommodate students the day after Irma were all repaired in an emergency so that the back-to-school period could take place on November 06, 2017, i.e. 2 months after the hurricane. Emergency work for 2 million euros all the same, which will now give way to the largest works, during the summer period, for an amount of 9,5 million euros.

For clarification, there is no longer any question of using the “over-the-counter” procedure to launch these repair sites (this procedure had moreover been granted by the State for emergency work, until as of December 31, 2017), in accordance with the legislation in force, the community proceeded to invitations to tender to carry out all of the school work. These markets are ready, for obvious questions of student safety, it was just necessary to wait until the end of the school year to be able to start the construction sites.

It should be remembered that 95% of the buildings of the Collectivity were damaged. Among these, the 20 schools on the island were all strongly impacted and 3 of them were destroyed: the elementary school Nina Duverly, in Marigot, the primary school Emile Larmonie and the college Soualiga, at Cul de Sac. In fact, the school year which has just passed has been complicated and disrupted for all.

As a reminder, the only elementary schools that completed the 2017-2018 school year with the implementation of rotating schedules are those of Sandy Ground: the Jérôme Beaupère nursery school and the Aline Hanson primary school. The community was able to find solutions for the other establishments. Note that the management of the school complex ultimately accepted the installation of 4 prefabricated rooms that will be set up this summer so as not to disturb the school community.

The Fondation de France will deliver 4 additional prefabricated rooms for the start of the September school year.

It is also important to note that the community did not receive “astronomical sums” for the reconstruction of its schools. On the contrary! The envelope of 33M € evaluated with the State and the DI-R for the reconstruction of the Saint-Martin school park was finally reduced to 15M €, during the Interministerial Meeting of March 2018. Recall that with this sum, the the community is supposed to repair 17 schools and rebuild a college and two schools, while a single college 900 costs on average 20M € and a school on average 4M €.

The president of the Collectivity and his vice-president in charge of Education Annick Pétrus have made it a priority to do everything possible so that the next return to school in September 2018 is done in optimal conditions.

It is a commitment that has been communicated on several occasions by the president and his vice-president, for which 9.5M € have been released in the budget of the Collectivity. The objective is to carry out in July and August the necessary repairs and reconstructions in the 17 schools still standing. The work will consist of renovating the roofs, carpentry, electricity, painting, fencing. The community will soon communicate on the work carried out in each school.

As for sports equipment, a rehabilitation program was launched under the aegis of the 1st Vice-President, Valérie Damaseau. The community has bet on the rehabilitation of the sports hall at the Jean-Louis Vanterpool stadium, which will be ready for the start of the new school year in September and which will be able to accommodate school sports (basketball - volleyball - badminton - handball) and footsal). The football stadium will be ready with a refurbishment of the field and the repair of the bleachers roof. The island's sports facilities will be delivered between September and November 2018. Following the mandatory building control phase and the asbestos diagnosis, the Omnisports hall in Galisbay will have to be demolished. A first phase will consist of demolishing the roof in July.

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