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| Wall supports lay in the parking lot of Waterford Valley High awaiting installation |
When NLESD chief, Darrin
Pike, gave a tour on
September 3rd, 2015 to Premier Paul Davis, the cabinet, and community
members, the brand new $38 million Waterford Valley High School was not ready for occupancy.
But the 800
students of the school and their teachers were permitted to start classes anyway in early September. They could not have known a “cover-up” was underway.
The
contractor had failed to install steel wall supports which were part of the
structural steel package necessary to warrant a “sign-off” from the structural
engineer.
The metal
braces are supposed to be bolted onto the classroom ceilings. The end of each rectangular
plate butts up against the cement block walls to support them. Each classroom
was supposed to have several of the braces installed as per the design
documents.
Though the contractor
neglected to install the structural supports, the School opened anyway.
No one
disclosed the problem to the public.
Three
government Departments were involved in the decision: the NL Eastern School
District (NLESD), the Department of Education and Community Development (EECD) and
the Department directly responsible for the construction of the School, the
Department of Transportation and Works (TW).
Not one of
those authorities undertook to inform the public, or even the parents of the
800 students.
This is the
second time in as many months this blogger has exposed deception by those same
governmental authorities.
Uncle
Gnarley Blog revealed, on August 31, 2015 the “cover-up” of a collapsed
concrete block wall at the Roncalli School Extension at Airport Heights.
On Monday,
October October 2, 2015, based on information obtained under Access to
Information legislation, known as ATTIP, a Blog post confirmed that the same
authorities kept the School open, despite being forced to close a fire exit for
fear the communicating wall might also collapse.
An almost
complete failure to perform inspections on the contractor’s work was a major
contributing cause of the structural problems experienced at the site of the
$20 million Roncalli School Extension.
At Waterford
Valley High School, welders work into the night; they can only start work when
classes are finished for the day.
The T-Bar
ceiling is removed and installation of the neglected structural work begins. The
job will require several more weeks before the school meets National Building
Code Standards.
The
structural steel, erected at the early stage of construction, has already been
sprayed with fireproofing insulation.
The space above the ceiling tiles is full
of wires to hang the ceiling, plumbing, duct work and electrical wiring. The structural
supports, laying on a trailer in the School parking lot, must be lifted
individually and navigated through the maze and fire proofing insulation, some
of which is removed before the missing supports can be installed.
Before
school starts each morning, everything must be cleaned up and the ceiling tiles
put back in place. Presumably someone will have to go back in later and apply fire
proofing to the newly installed supports.
Cover-up and
deception appears to be a recurring theme of this Government. Not just
politicians, but senior public servants, too, seem to have embraced the
practice.
There will
have to be a public accounting by all.
While the
800 students, and their parents, waited a long time for the Bishop’s
College-Booth Memorial replacement, no parent wants their child attending a
school unsafe because structural elements of the building are missing.
As it
stands, Waterford Valley High School is not ready for occupancy.
The school should
not have opened.
The public should
demand answers.
Those guilty of engaging in this “cover-up” must be held to
account.
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COVER UP AT RONCALLI
RONCALLI REVISITED: MORE SHOCKING REVELATIONS
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