Rotary restores Deeside Basic School
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Deeside Basic School in Trelawny, which was ravaged by Hurricane Melissa last year. Photo - Contributed photos
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Deeside Basic School in Trelawny, which was ravaged by Hurricane Melissa last year. Photo - Contributed photos
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Project partners from left: David Steering, president of Rotary Club of Trelawny; Roy Reynolds (since deceased), past president, Rotary Club of Kingston East and Port Royal and project initiator; Karsten Johnson, assistant governor, Rotary International; Zeima Clarke-Green, principal Deeside Basic School; Glenville Dobson and Clifford Bell, representatives, Deeside Community contractor team. Photo - Contributed
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New colourful sign that greeted students, teachers and ancillary staff on arrival at reopening day. Photo - Contributed
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Deeside Basic after Rotary Club clean-up, renovation and painting. Photo - Contributed
The morning of September 14 brought delight at Deeside Basic School in Deeside, Trelawny where 50 toddlers, teachers and auxiliary staff arrived to find a freshly painted, brightly coloured building with a new roof, landscaped grounds and a prominent sign donated by the Rotary Club of Kingston East and Port Royal and the Rotary Club of May Pen, with support from Rotary District 7020.
Under the Melissa Urgent Relief Project (MURP), the Rotary-led recovery intervention was carried out in two phases, the first of which was completed in January this year to facilitate the school’s reopening at full capacity.
According to Project Manager Andrea Livingston-Prince of Business Works Management Consultants, who also chairs the Rotary disaster committee and the Rotary District’s Means Business Fellowship:”Phase 2 of MURP was a six-week follow-on rehabilitation programme at an overall cost of $2.06 million. It included electrical wiring, lighting installation and certification, as well as a new ceiling, partitions, doors and windows; improved cooling and ventilation systems, painting of the building and installation of eye-catching Deeside and Rotary signs.”
The lights were switched on September 5, ahead of the school’s reopening on September 14.
“MURP demonstrated ‘Service Above Self’ through professional practice. Rotary leaders mobilised funding and institutional support, while Rotary members contributed project management, construction, quantity surveying, sustainability and business network expertise to strengthen coordination, cost control, quality and value for money,” said the project manager.
More than 70 per cent of project procurement was sourced from the immediate community, as well as construction and electrical suppliers across western Jamaica.
Livingston-Prince said that by engaging businesses within the community, project costs were reduced. Members of the parent-teacher association, teachers and parents also contributed their time and skills, including debris removal and the general clean-up of the school compound.
Paying tribute to the project’s partners, she thanked District Governor Bill Aiken; Assistant Governor Karsten Johnson; Michael Terrelongue, district chair of the Disaster Grant Committee; the late club president Roy Reynolds for his vision for the project; Past President Beverly Campbell; President Richard Hutchinson; Technical Lead and past Club President Oral Robinson of Fencing Associates Limited; past president of the Rotary Club of May Pen Kevin Johnson; and Rotarian Warren Taylor of PIG Electrical.
Appreciation was also expressed for the participation of Deeside Basic School principal, Zeima Clarke-Green, teacher Lacy Ann Neil, and the pastors of neighbouring Hastings Baptist Church, who helped improve access to services and communication throughout the project.
Rotary Club of Kingston East and Port Royal President Richard Hutchinson and Livingston-Prince both urged members of national and diaspora organisations to support similar projects in rural Jamaica and to consider partnering with Rotary in efforts to rebuild the country sustainably.