I cannot understand why we think that people in Government desk administrative office work can suddenly become technocrates. When ever you undertake a large contruction project and you yourself does not have the know how. As the client you hire yourself a compitent Construction Management company, and let them take all the responsibility to manage the project and finishe the project in the given timeframe with the given budget. But no everyone wants to be involve cause confusion and in the end no one takes responsibility for this mess. What happened to the consultant from England? Are people just paid without having responsibility or liability? Its all the same mistakes we make. Whether we buy an new plant/engine or build a new building, we have to bring in experts and let them do their job on our behalf. I wonder who will be monitorring the Airport contruction? Or the Chinese will monitor themselves, just like the Hospital and the Stadium and after the fact we will go in and see the blunders and we wonder how was this possible to happen.

Antiguan Woman You are so blind. At least the UPP has 20 more years to catch up the Labour Party's 28 years of not making the Library a priority. You obviously have red eye hence you cannot see a damn thing right.

These are the sort of things Giselle Isaac and crew should focus on,instead of trying to distract from their failures.They are always quick to jump on anything regarding the ALP,moreso Lester Bird,while they just continue failing,and failing.I am no psychic,but that Library will never be finished under the UPP, after July we will either hear some fabricated round mouth speeches,or just simply hear nothing.They are just failures and cannot do anything right,except to Lie and deceive.

The amount of different stories about this library is ridiculous. The amount of money already spent is ridiculous. Stanford gave them money ... They already borrowed money ... now they are borrowing more money again and it's still not finished.

People are resigning from this project left and right. Something fishy is going on with that library project.

What I find interesting is the fact that it is the same Ministry of education and sports who decided to use over 3000 special warrants to fence fields, build stadiums and round-a-bouts. How come they didn't use special warrants at that same time to finish the library ... was fixing a round-a-bout more important to the ministry of education than finishing the library?

Tenman, I believe we know what happened in "1974" but some of us "refused" to go back to 2004, "promises" to get the Library done! I agree with Avid Reader that "every" Antiguan should be out there "protesting." Yet, I just refuse to accept the notion by others calling the people "two-faced" when promises were given to them in 2004 but at the same the government have shown over the last eight years what are its "priorities" than the library. Tenman, this is the same "snake-oil" persons that "cursed" the dead, so I am not surprized what they would say to the "living." And, they have the "gall" to talk about "excuses!" Chups!

On Page 20 of the UPP 2004 Manifesto it states we will finally have a national library. It reminded the public how long we have been without a national library. The public voted out the ALP based on this and other issues. Year after year since 2004 the current PM has promised in vain that the National library will be completed that year. The 2009 UPP manifesto made the same promise and indicated that the Venezuelan government via Petro Caribe had donated 3 million EC to the library project. Some 54 million EC was illegally spent by the ministry of sports, between 2007 and 2009, on fencing playing fields and building unused sporting complexes. Strangely there are some commentators who would prefer that we ignore 2004 - 2012 and instead focus on the years before then. I can only conclude that they enjoy the current rape since they have little complaints about it.
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I just can't understand why having a national library had never been a Top priority of the previous administration and the current one. For a nation that boasts one of the highest level of human development in the Caribbean, we are not exactly investing enough in the development of our youths. The completion of this modern library, that's so long over due should have been TOP priority and should have been completed by now. I look forward to it's completion and also to the opportunities that it will present for all to partake of all that it will have to offer: especially in the progress and development of our young people. WE HAVE A NATION TO BUILD.

Damn hypocrites, is it only now, many know the importance of a public library?

Imagine, the destruction of the Antigua Public Library on October 8th, 1974, nearly 35 years advance an no public library. There are many hypocrites citing all possible information to excuse the former administration, but condemning the present.

How much money was paid to Aflak from since the closure of the library up until now, wasn't it sufficient to complete the library decades ago? A library is a priority, likewise UPP is blameworthy for failing to complete it, there is no excuse!

It is not the government of Antigua & Barbuda that should be shamed but the people of Antigua, the library was damaged in 1974, the property where it was located was willed to the people of Antigua. The ALP tried to get rid of that building, they found out that there was a codicle attached to it, that they could not sell it outright.


The only thing that could happen with that building in order to tear it down or sell is that it had to become a danger, and that is what happened to it. Mill Reef offered a grant to rebuild the building but there had to be matching funds, the government said no. The library set out to raise funds and could not raise enough funds to do it.

It is an atrocity that 38 years down the road we are still talking about building a library and one that does not seem to have any completion date in site. SHAME SHAME ON THE PEOPLE OF ANTIGUA. Every Antiguan should be on the street with this, it is time that it comes to a conclusion.
it was in was willed to the peo

James, if there is one "project" that I am passionate about and that is the Library! I believe it is well over due, and, has been on our last list of priorities! The BOE has been on the project for a while, so please take another look at the time of their involvement in the project! They, like the government should be held to the fire for not completing the project so far! And, for the past eight years, I have been hearding "excuses" and more "excuses" to get it done! The BOE blames the contractors, while the contractors blame the BOE! The problem is that no "monies" were put aside for the National Library, as we have seen "fencing" goat, cattle and sheep were more of a "priority." If there is no money, the contractors will put done their tools. James, the BOE say the "materials" will be here next month, let's wait and see if they really mean what they say! Let's also hope that the materials don't "rot" in the rain! Like you, and, others, I want to see this project completed, as it is more "bigger" than either political parties!

Baldwin et al should follow the lead of the Project manager and do all Antigua a favour by resigning. Oh what a wonderful day that would be.

If I was the project manager, I would have resigned too. All talk and no action from the gov't followed by empty promises. Unfinished library, unfinished car park, unfinished housing projects . . ... Hmmmm

James the Board of Ed was involved in this project since at least 2006. Let me refer you to the history lesson in the comments to article http://www.caribarena.com/antigua/education/201-education/96753-more-changes-required-at-library.html by Native Son


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This prioritisation of our funds goes a long way in showing what the government values, and what they think of building up our local knowledge base. An airport terminal will apparently attract more tourists, which will keep our nation dependent on foreigners and our people in the service industry. A library, while not having the same short term gains, can contribute to us becoming a self sufficient nation with non-tourist industries and the potential to export goods and services. But such an empowered nation wouldn't stand for the crap the UPP and ALP have given to us over the decades and so better to keep us ignorant and eating out of the palm of their hands.

@Dig It - if you have been following this story from the jump, it was the central government who undertook the project and couldn't complete because they kept giving jobs to their friends and all the allocated money went down the drains. It was decided earlier this year the the BOE would take over the project. With this being the case changes had to me made. We can't blame the BOE for this issue because as usually with government, some statutory has to ride in and clean up it's mess.

Missing from this article is a statement by the contractors that it makes no sense to provide materials when moneys are not in place to pay them. In addition its since Nov last year there has been talk about getting material for this project, In a article entitled "No Public Library by year-end",
By Rory Butler - Thursday, November 24th, 2011:
Quote:

Isaac said in June this year the Board of Education applied for a further $2.7 million loan from the Antigua Commercial Bank (ACB) to have the library completed. “Basically we were approved for the loan and there are certain things that government has to get in place in terms of Cabinet decisions and government guarantees for the borrowing that I am waiting on Cabinet to get to me through the Ministry of Finance,” Isaac said. “We have not drawn down a penny. We have not ordered any materials or anything for the library as yet because we are waiting on these guarantees for the loan,” Isaac added.

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So, no replacement of the Project Manage as yet. Does this mean that the "materials" for the Library will be on hold as well? Would the materials be here as "promised" in July so the Library could be "completed?" The Executive Secretary and the BOE kept "delaying" the project, as it has been on the back-burner for a very long time. Just what are our "priorities?"

Young analyst, I agree. Millions of dollars in loans for everything under the sun except for a library, grandstanding year after year after year that this will be the year it "finally" gets done.
We don't need talk. We need ACTION and commitment.

ditto to that, I couldn't have said it any better.A damn shame...

I am truly amazed that a project of that magnitude and value to our country cannot be finished as yet. Even if it was the ALP who started it, the present government should have realised the importance of this project and put some priority to it. They could find 47mil for generators, 47mil for airport, plenty mil for the car park another plenty mil to fence parks and not find for the LIBRARY shame shame shame they have to get the blame. Poor management sorry guys your time is up