BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, September 8, 2017 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Leading resort developer, Range Development and construction company, Kier Group have demonstrated their commitment of being responsible corporate partners with St. Kitts and Nevis, as they have commenced work on the Mansion pavilion that posed a safety risk for citizens and residents in that community following the passage of Hurricane Irma.
At the request of Prime Minister and Parliamentary Representative for the area, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, the two companies are now helping to remove life threatening materials at the pavilion after several sheets of galvanized metal from the pavilion were sent flying across the Mansion playing field and into the yards of nearby homes as a result of the strong winds associated with Hurricane Irma on Wednesday morning.
This voluntary work becomes even more critical at this time as the Federation is again being threatened by the imminent passing of Hurricane Jose.
Health, Safety and Environment Manager at Kier, Ms. Keisha Smith, said their aim is to ensure the overall safety of residents living in the immediate vicinity of the pavilion.
In outlining the scope of the work, Ms. Smith stated, “We’re going to use a man lift to take the guys up so we can start to cut off the loose material that is dangling, then after that we are going to cut off the rotted purlins. So basically, we are just trying to make this area safe. So in case the next hurricane arrives, we won’t have any material sailing or flying around.”
Prime Minister Harris expressed his gratitude to both the Kier Group and Range Development for readily responding to the needs of the country.
He said, “Here it is you have the private citizens coming forward to render assistance to the country in getting it back on its feet again. It was a distinct pleasure to have met the leadership of both the Kier and the Range Development to acknowledge their good corporate social responsibility.”
“In the context of the upcoming storm, their work today would bring some degree of comfort and safety to those persons who live at the nearby housing project. This has been a threat not only to them but also a threat to the people of Mansion generally as those galvanize and other materials could very well become missiles during a hurricane,” the honourable prime minister added, noting that these two entities are also responsible for facilitating the portable toilet facilities being used by the men and women of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force who are stationed at the various round-a-bouts in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Dr. Harris said this example of good public-private sector partnership established by Range Development and Kier can serve as a model for the corporate community in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Range Development and Kier are developing the 126-room Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour luxury resort. That development accounted for the employment of some 800 persons during the construction phase and will see another 288 residents permanently employed when the hotel opens on November 1, 2017.
