Construction delays are not the only thing plaguing the opening of Whitney Institute's assembly hall.

The Royal Gazette has learned that flooding has already occurred at the long-awaited building, which is located at the bottom of a slope on the Middle Road, Smith's property.

Staff spent last Saturday mopping up about an inch of water which collected in the hall after a heavy rainfall.

And principal Gail Graham said the problem will have to be rectified.

"They're going to have to shore it up,'' she said. "They drained two holes which worked for the time. But it will have to be corrected because we do have heavy rain here.'' Works and Engineering Minister C.V. (Jim) Woolridge said the flooding was caused by a drainage problem.

Rocks and sand had collected in one of the gratings and the rainwater was unable to pass through, he explained.

But Mr. Woolridge said Works and Engineering were working on the problem.

And Mrs. Graham added that she had "every confidence'' that the situation will be rectified before the building was officially opened.

The building was used yesterday on a special one-day permit for rounds four and five of the World Schools' Debating Championships, Mrs. Graham explained, because she had promised the Bermuda Debate Society its use last year.

"We're using it today for the debates because of a promise I made last March,'' she said. "I expected the hall to be completed.'' Without the multi-purpose facility, she added, the school could not have accommodated the international competition.

But Mrs. Graham said she did not know when the hall will be officially opened.

"I'm not sure,'' she said. "I will be meeting with trustees next Tuesday and I'm sure it will be discussed.'' The hall -- which the school has been promised since 1972 -- was expected to be completed by last September.

But in October former Works and Engineering Minister Leonard Gibbons said the building had not been completed due to a "multitude of issues'', including problems with sub-contractors.

Mr. Gibbons later told The Royal Gazette the building "certainly will be ready for the new school year in January''.

Mrs. Graham decided to postpone the high school's final prizegiving ceremony until that time.

But when asked yesterday about the building's completion date, Mr. Woolridge said it should be ready "some time in the near future. There were a few things that had to be corrected''.

And while the school will not be able to have its last prizegiving in the assembly hall as hoped, Mrs. Graham said plans were underway for a major function to mark the end of Whitney as a high school.

"It will be the end of an era,'' she said. "We're kicking around the ideas, but nothing is definite.'' Meanwhile, Mrs. Graham said it was "tremendously exciting'' to have the school host some of the world championship debates.

"A great deal of our students have been able to watch the debates,'' she said. "They've had a thoroughly good time. And the Bermudian participants have risen to the occasion.''