Government has called in Bermuda Project Managers Ltd. (BPML) to act as an agent in the search for private contractors to finish repairs on Government buildings in the wake of Hurricane Fabian. Works & Engineering usually makes the requests for expressions of interest from private contractors for repair jobs, however Permanent Secretary Derrick Binns explained: ?Given the amount of work that has to be done to even get to the expressions of interest stage, we needed some help.?

All emergency health and safety issues in Government buildings have already been taken care of, he said, and now all that is needed is fine-tuning by private contractors to bring the buildings back up to their usual state. ?With 870-odd buildings we couldn?t do it with just our own staff,? said Dr. Binns. ?BPML are acting as our agent.?

Contractors interested should contact BPML offices as soon as possible. The deadline is December 17. Government also expects the stretch of road between John Smith?s Bay and Watch Hill Park to be open only to one-lane traffic for the next few months.

The stretch of road bordering the water was severely damaged during Hurricane Fabian, and is one of only two stretches of road which have not been completely repaired since the hurricane rocked Bermuda on September 5. There is a stop light in place to help control traffic.

The other road still damaged in the wake of the hurricane is Spice Hill Road, where there is a hole caused by a fallen tree. The area is coned off and expected to be repaired within two weeks, according to a Government spokesperson.