EDITOR, The Tribune

For the past several years we have been bombarded in the press, on the radio and on television, about the atrocious state of the General Post Office on East Hill Street.

Perhaps a brief history of this building might be of interest to your readers.

The “new” Post Office was designed by the same Jamaican firm of architects, who designed the first phase of the Central Bank. There was nothing wrong with the design, except that it did not include any elements of classic Bahamian architecture. The structural design was good.

The completed plans for the building were put out to bid. The company that submitted the lowest bid was Taylor Woodrow, an English-based firm who had undertaken huge civil engineering and building contracts, throughout the western world. In the opinion of many professionals, Taylor Woodrow was one of the finest construction companies in the world at that time.

Taylor Woodrow’s bid was rejected, because some politician reported that they were involved in litigation, with the government of some African country. It is my opinion that their bid was rejected, because their agent in The Bahamas was the Hon. RT Symonette, the first Premier of The Bahamas.

For some unknown reason, Senator the Hon Dame Doris Johnson, who was Minister of Transport, became instrumental in the awarding of the contract to a company called Earlee Construction Company, which had recently been incorporated. Dame Doris Johnson’s very good friend, PA Strachan, was a principal in Earlee and was part of the site management team.

The construction of the Post Office was a start and stop contract, with periods of work followed by long periods of no work. Earlee was a company not experienced in handling or executing a large contract. In fact, the contract became a laughing matter among people with a knowledge of construction. The setting out of work was poor, and the quality of the work was even worse. Sand recently dredged from the Bahamian sea was used in some of the concrete and in the stucco throughout the contract. As a result, the rebar eroded and spalled of the concrete.

According to a friend of mine, who was at the opening of the new Post Office, Dame Doris gave an inspiring speech. She purportedly said that Rome had the Coliseum, Egypt had the Pyramids, Athens had the Parthenon and The Bahamas now had this marvelous building. Unfortunately, Dame Doris did not live long enough to see her magnificent building, virtually abandoned and slated for demolition, less than 50 years after the grand opening.

Other buildings in Nassau, built by experienced contractors many years before the Post Office, are still in pristine condition. Look at Norfolk House on Frederick Street, Claughton House, the Sassoon Building (now occupied by Graham Thomson) on Shirley Street and the Bernard Sunley Building on Bay Street, as good examples of well designed and well constructed buildings.

The lesson to be learned from this story, is that all large and/or complicated buildings, should be designed and executed by experienced professionals. Let the politicians cut the ribbons and make the speeches. If that advice is followed, hopefully there will not be any more buildings like the Post Office in the future.

JOHN A WANKLYN, P.E.

Nassau

February 18, 2019