Members of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force now have a refurbished police barracks on the sister island of Virgin Gorda, a project that was led by the Deputy Governor’s Office and implemented by the Recovery and Development Agency.

 The facility was officially opened yesterday at a ceremony attended by a number of officials including His Excellency the Governor Augustus Jaspert, Premier and Minister of Finance Honourable Andrew Fahie; Deputy Governor David Archer, Jr, the Representative for the Ninth Electoral District Honourable Vincent Wheatley and Territorial At-Large Representatives Honourable Shereen Flax-Charles and Honourable Neville Smith.

In his remarks, Governor Jaspert stated that the reconstruction of the barracks was a good example of partnership as it was funded by the United Kingdom and the Virgin Islands Governments. He congratulated the members of the team who took on the responsibility to complete the barracks.

The Governor said, “This project has the right teams and the support to progress. It represents a success on the journey towards achieving the results of the Build Back Better process.”

Premier Fahie in his address reminisced on the ancestors who would have toiled in harsh conditions, but also persevered to ensure that there were positive results. He made reference to the work of the people of Virgin Gorda following Irma and Maria’s impacts in 2017 and reminded persons that the people of this sister island were able to take care of themselves.

The Premier added, “By God’s grace we are being brought to a place of resiliency.  This project involved many parts coming together to make it a success and I thank everyone who played their part.”

Ninth District Representative Honourable Vincent Wheatley explained the history of the location and its significance to the people of Virgin Gorda. He thanked all those who worked on the project and those who came together a few weeks ago to paint the Police Station that is also situated within the compound.

The event ended with remarks from Chief Executive Officer of the Recovery and Development Agency Mr. Paul Bayly, who provided a description of all the works that took place over the construction period by Ridgeview Construction (BVI) at an overall contract cost of $878,118.32. These he stated included the replacement of the roof; refitted electrical system, new kitchen appliances, a new ring beam, repairs to guttering and downspouts, installation of shutters, replacement of balcony and handrails, doors and windows and changes to the interior components. A solar water heater and a new perimeter fence were also installed.

The keys to the facility were handed over by Mr. Bayly to Deputy Governor, Mr. David Archer who then passed them on to Deputy Commissioner, Alwyn James. The facility is now ready for occupancy.