ST. George's Parish Council chairman Edward Saunders has accused Opposition Senator Kim Swan of trying to score political points over the former parish rest home.

And he confirmed yesterday that the council was seeking commercial tenants for the Secretary Road building which was closed down as a rest home, because of its poor state of repair, three years ago.

He also confirmed that the Government-appointed council, which has jurisdiction over the building, had no plans to renovate it to be used as a rest home again, as a new rest home was planned for the East End.

The building was bequeathed to the parish in the 19th century by the British Royal Family, specifically for use as a "poor house".

But Mr. Saunders said the council had the legal capability of applying for a change of use and its application to do that was soon to be lodged with the Planning Department.

Sen. Swan said the Government's failure to renovate or announce its plans for the building in the time since it was closed in March 2000 showed a "callous disregard" for St. Georgians.

And he added that he believed the Government planned to sell off the hill-top property to developers. Sen. Swan will be the United Bermuda Party candidate in St. George's West in the July 24 General Election and has pledged the site will be returned to use as a rest home, should the UBP win.

Mr. Saunders said: "Kim Swan is just being an annoyance. I don't know how many political points he thinks he is going to gain from this.

"He knows very well that building cannot be used as a rest home. It was closed because it was in a state of decay.

"The electricals were so bad it was dangerous for the employees and the residents alike. The roofing was bad and the ceilings could have fallen in."

At the time of its closure, when 12 seniors were living there, Health Minister Nelson Bascome said conditions at the home had been appalling and the rooms "like cubicles".

Sen. Swan said yesterday: "Nobody is arguing that it wasn't in need of repair, but people expected them to get on and repair it. Before now, they should have been cutting the ribbon to open a renovated rest home.

"The rest home has lovely views and was a wonderful place for seniors to stay. It's a prime piece of real estate and the Government is being secretive about what they plan to do with it.

"In a survey carried out by the UBP, the people of St. George's voted overwhelmingly for this property to be maintained as a rest home.

"This is another example of the Government having its own secret agenda. It shows callous disregard for the people of St. George's and it angers me."

Mr. Saunders said the people who wanted the building to remain a rest home were missing the point.

"These are people who really do not understand health care and I've been involved with health care for 30 years," said Mr. Saunders.

"When we closed it only two or three of the residents were actually St. Georgians. The reason the PLP had to close it down was because the UBP had left it in a state of disrepair.

"The building would cost over $1 million to refurbish. The grant they provided for all rest homes was only enough to cover the salaries of those looking after the elderly."

Members of the parish council had themselves done maintenance work on the building and paid for such improvements out of their own pockets, said Mr. Saunders, including councillors who had served under Governments of both parties.

"The members of the council don't take kindly to the innuendo being put about by Kim Swan. The council has nothing to hide and the facility should not be used as a football."

Sen. Swan said: "Constituents have told me they believe the Government is trying to sell the property so that an entity can come in and use it for apartments, either rental or tourist accommodations.

"Now part of it is being used as a carpenter's shop. That is one of the fears I had when they rendered this building inactive as a rest home.

"Once they stopped using it and maintaining it, it would be 'out of sight and out of mind'. And they could use it for something other than what it should be used for.

"It was the express wish of the person who left it to the parish that it should be used as a rest home."

A year ago, Government Senate Leader David Burch said the site was unsuitable for seniors, because it overlooked a graveyard.

Sen. Swan believed the Government might announce plans for the site in the near future, as a pre-election sweetener to try to win some East End votes. But he said the public would not accept that. Mr. Saunders said: "It's true that we have a carpenter in there now as a tenant. We on the council believed it was better to have the building in use, rather than just leaving it derelict and I would have thought Kim Swan would understand that."

Mr. Saunders said that plans for the new rest home were soon to be revealed.

Nearly $6 million was allotted in the last Budget to build it and Mr. Saunders revealed that it would probably be constructed on a site close to Top Sqaure and that he hoped ground would be broken by next year.