Choose to restore and preserve old buildings

MORE persons are opting to preserve and restore historic structures on the island, and while it might be an expensive undertaking, an expert in the field of restoration believes it is worth the investment.

Tyrone Peters of Connoisseur Improvement Services Inc. was speaking to the media on Tuesday during a tour of the barracks in the Central Police Station, which is in the process of being restored, maintaining the external facade of coral stone, featuring green hoods on the windows.

He along with Matthew Lashley of DLN Consultants were on hand yesterday to give an update on the project, which started in February 2016 and is expected to be finished by July 21, 2017. The barracks will feature 22 bunk beds on two floors, catering to 88 persons to be used in the event of emergency situations. It will also include a gym and other facilities.

However, they pointed out that the building has not been in use for a number of years and was virtually a shell with decrepit flooring boards, which made the restoration process more tenuous as concrete had to be lifted manually to each floor using scaffolding, a process which Peters said took up three-quarters of the time spent on the project thus far.

Today, in addition to some of the coral rendering which was cleaned and some restored on the exterior, the interior of the building is completely new and modern.

According to Peters, “Some of these buildings, to someone who is looking to renovate it, it is just as expensive to build a new building... So some people tend to go the way of knocking down these buildings and building a new building. My belief is that we should renovate these buildings because it is part of our history. As someone who loves Caribbean history ... restore them!” he challenged.

He noted that with general maintenance, the building when completed will be around for decades.

As Lashley explained, “This is a modern building on the inside. All services are brand new. Floors though timber, are maintained on a structural steel frame that hold the floors in place.”

He believes that the building will need even less maintenance because it is made of coral stone, even though it may seem a bit weathered in its natural state on the outside.

Concern was raised about persons placing posters on the newly restored wall. Peters said it is hoped that the additional cameras, which will be erected, will deter persons from defacing the building. (JH)