By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE cost of renovations to Government House –– initially pegged at $9.9m –– will double by the time the project is complete, according to the contractor.

Floyd Wilmott, CEO of Telco Enterprise Limited, said changes were ordered as the project progressed, pushing the cost up.

“So, we started with one figure, and as we continued, for example, the ballroom, there were change orders,” he said yesterday after a blessing and rededication service for the institution. “We had to do the same for the main residence, same for the Windsor wing and the landscaping.”

He could not definitively say how much the project would cost.

 “I’m going to say it’s probably about double by the time we’re done,” he said.

 Renovations to the institution, initially built in the 1800s, began three years ago and are still incomplete.

 Mr Wilmott said the project faced several challenges.

 “Bear in mind that we started a part of the project at the height of COVID,” he said. “So, if an employee was to get COVID, the site shut down, and we had to sanitise the entire site, follow the health protocol, and wait seven to 14 days.” 

 Mr Wilmott said the remaining repairs should be completed by August.

 During his remarks yesterday, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis praised the near completion of the historic landmark, saying it is part of the government’s efforts to rejuvenate downtown.

 “At the very least, we can rest assured that with the restoration of Government House, the symbolic seat of our Head of State, we will once again be able to look on with pride at a landmark which holds so much history and so much significance for our young nation and it’s so fitting that we are doing so leading up to our 50th anniversary,” he said.