WORKS & Engineering Minister Alex Scott has rubbished claims that the Berkeley Institute project is a year behind schedule.

Mr. Scott said he was still hopeful children could start in the secondary school on the intended target date of September next year - even if some blocks of the $68-million project had not been completed.

And he said work was being stepped up with more people than ever, around 160 in total, now working on the site. More sub-contractors might be brought in to speed things up further, he added.

A variety of factors, such as a late start and delays in deliveries of construction materials, meant the project was indeed behind schedule, conceded Mr. Scott.

But he added that delays were not unusual on such large construction projects and that any cost overrun was unlikely to exceed five per cent of the target budget.

Yesterday's Royal Gazette published quotes from anonymous "construction experts" who claimed it was unlikely that the school would be completed until at least September, 2004, 12 months behind schedule.

In response, Mr. Scott said yesterday: "I have a background in design and when I read that story, one specific thought came to my mind: 'Fools and children should not see unfinished work'. That is true about Berkeley."

And the Minister appeared irritated by the comment in the Gazette report that "little had changed" since the paper had last photographed the site in July this year. He dismissed that as "a half-baked notion".

He went on to explain that sufficient blocks might be ready for the school to open next September, provided an occupancy certificate was granted.

"The project is a large one but it's not one large unit, it's a series of blocks, A, B, C, D, E and J," said Mr. Scott. "The so-called experts quoted by the Gazette did not break it down like this.

"We hope we may be able to complete some of these areas to the degree that we can get our occupancy certificate. If we can get that by May or June of next year then we will meet with the Education Ministry and see if they are prepared to introduce students to the site on time. That is our intention at this point in time.

"However, it may be that not all the students will be introduced at one time.

"If we look at major office building projects in the city, there have been cases where staff have moved in before the final details and landscaping have been finished. This is not unusual."

Mr. Scott said the project had started six weeks to two months late and had faced added challenges from factors such as last year's September 11 terror attacks, which had contributed to delayed deliveries of steel and other materials.

He hoped one block would be virtually completed and another closed in by the end of this year.

"In recent months, we have been increasing the resources on the site," said Mr. Scott. "Right now we have between 155 and 165 men on site and that is the biggest manpower we've had there to date.

"We want to focus on increasing the rate of work on the site and this may mean we have to work with more contractors and sub-contractors."

Mr. Scott also dismissed claims that Pro-Active Management Systems Ltd., who were awarded the tender, were no longer in charge of the project.

He said: "The Ministry of Works & Engineering is working closely with Pro-Active and I would like to stres that Pro-Active are still the major contractors there. We do not have an independent site manager there. People who say that must have fertile imaginations."

Asked whether the increase in resources would mean an overspend, Mr. Scott said: "My last estimate was that the project would go about $300,000 above the $68 million.

"We have a capacity that could see us increase costs by five per cent, but I don't expect it to exceed that and it will certainly not go to the $100 million that the Shadow Works & Engineering Minister (Erwin Adderley) has suggested."

One result of work not progressing as swiftly as hoped was that bills had not come in as fast as might have been expected, said Mr. Scott. Consequently, the project was not as far over budget as some might think.

He added that the size of the project meant there could be further unanticipated problems.

"Bermuda has the advantage and disadvantage of being here in the Atlantic Ocean and that makes us so dependent on transportation," said Mr. Scott. "This is a quality project and we face challenges, like any project of this size."