General Post Office rehab stops

Like a giant monster it stands at the northern end of the Dame Eugenia Charles Boulevard, its jet black dress tattered and haggard, its ribs and limbs and internal organs exposed to the wind and the rain and the lingering stares of pedestrians.

But it's not a real monster. The shabbily dressed building is an unfinished attempt at renovating the Roseau Post Office and Public Service Training Centre.

That project began in July of 2013 and should have been completed in December 2015. But work has stopped and the Government of Dominica is looking for answers.

The project was awarded to Unique Construction Ltd, headed by Earl Charles, at a cost of EC$3.7 million but it has come to an abrupt end, an informed source who did not want to be named because he was not authorised to speak publicly about the project.

"We are not sure what is going on at this time…the project has been stopped and we don't have a clue as to what is going on," one individual with knowledge of the project told the SUN.

The source also confirmed that the Ministry of Public Works has ordered "a complete investigation" into the matter. Calls to the registered office of Unique Construction Ltd in Canefield Dominica and to Charles's mobile phone were not answered.

"What I know is that they seem to have difficulties completing the job and it appears that the Government will have to step in and take over," a source told the SUN.

"It is now a legal issue and the government is now awaiting a report from its technicians with a view to consulting its legal advisors to chart the way forward; in the meantime the project is at a standstill," the source disclosed.

Kendall Johnson, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Works & Ports confirmed to the SUN that the project had stopped but he refused to elaborate. "All I can say to you is that the matter is under review," Johnson said.

Pressed for clarification, Johnson said his department was "awaiting a report with a view to taking legal action" against the construction firm.

"As I have said to you, the matter is under review at this point in time and that is all I wish to say on the matter," he said.

Built under the Dame Eugenia Charles administration the structure provides office space for the General Post Office the Public Service Training Centre and Master's Court.