Public concerns about space at ESHS but RDA says campus is roomy
The Recovery and Development Agency (RDA) has assured residents that there will be ample space for students at Elmore Stoutt High School to engage in physical activities, adding that the lack of space seen currently on the Lower Estate campus is because of debris and materials from the ongoing construction.
The ESHS Redevelopment Project is currently in its seventh week of construction and many residents have expressed concerns that the new buildings have completely removed spaces for children to engage in physical activities.
However, Director for the Programme Strategy Department at the RDA Neil Smith sought to alleviate those concerns, stating that fencing of the construction area for the four new buildings creates an illusion that there is no space but once construction is complete and all the debris and other materials are removed, people will be able to see the space.
“Remember it is part of a bigger complex. So, you have the junior school on the other side. This would be the senior school. All of those areas would be common areas so when we take down the construction fences you would notice there is a lot of space around it,” Smith said.
The Director also noted there is a courtyard area where students can relax and not feel confined.
“Personally, what I like is the next feature between the administration building and the House of Assembly. There is a nice little courtyard section where we expect to have trees and stuff. You don’t expect to see a lot of swings and stuff but there is a lot of space for children to move around. Even in the building themselves. There is a lot of space between them where children will feel mobile and not constrained,” Smith noted.
The ESHS Redevelopment Project is expected to be completed and ready for the opening of the new school year in September.
Chief Executive Officer of the RDA Anthony McMaster had disclosed the project is well ahead of schedule and his agency has a contingency plan in place for any foreseeable delays.
The senior students of the ESHS were displaced after the devastation of the hurricanes and floods in 2017. Students were placed at the old Clarence Thomas building in Pasea Estate as a temporary solution.
However, Director for the Programme Strategy Department at the RDA Neil Smith sought to alleviate those concerns, stating that fencing of the construction area for the four new buildings creates an illusion that there is no space but once construction is complete and all the debris and other materials are removed, people will be able to see the space.
“Remember it is part of a bigger complex. So, you have the junior school on the other side. This would be the senior school. All of those areas would be common areas so when we take down the construction fences you would notice there is a lot of space around it,” Smith said.
The Director also noted there is a courtyard area where students can relax and not feel confined.
“Personally, what I like is the next feature between the administration building and the House of Assembly. There is a nice little courtyard section where we expect to have trees and stuff. You don’t expect to see a lot of swings and stuff but there is a lot of space for children to move around. Even in the building themselves. There is a lot of space between them where children will feel mobile and not constrained,” Smith noted.
The ESHS Redevelopment Project is expected to be completed and ready for the opening of the new school year in September.
Chief Executive Officer of the RDA Anthony McMaster had disclosed the project is well ahead of schedule and his agency has a contingency plan in place for any foreseeable delays.
The senior students of the ESHS were displaced after the devastation of the hurricanes and floods in 2017. Students were placed at the old Clarence Thomas building in Pasea Estate as a temporary solution.
