The TT$500 million National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port of Spain has to be completely shut down, says Arts and Multiculturalism Minister Dr Lincoln Douglas, the Trinidad Express reported last night.
Douglas said he will provide the media with more information at a news conference next Thursday on the matter.
Speaking at yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair, Douglas, in response to a question, told the media that NAPA is a hazard and does not meet health and safety standards. The safety concerns of NAPA were outlined in an OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Authority) report which was submitted to Cabinet and then to the Works Ministry.
“The Ministry of Works is advised that the whole building of NAPA be shut down,” said Douglas.
Despite these concerns, the performing arts component of the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) is housed at NAPA. Douglas said work is being done to relocate these students.
He noted NAPA contains a theatre, the UTT school and a section that is a hotel managed by the Tourism Ministry.
“We have to fix it eventually,” he said, adding he will state more next week.
NAPA, he said, cannot continue to be occupied for any longer period of time because the report stated there are concerns over the air quality and physical structure.
Problems can be fixed
The Trinidad Express said that in September last year, officials of SCG International (Caribbean), which constructed the facility, told a visiting media delegation to China that NAPA remains a world-class facility and its minor problems can be fixed in a short time.
NAPA was constructed in 2009 by the Chinese company, under the Patrick Manning-led People’s National Movement (PNM). A subsidiary of SCG constructed the Marriott Hotel in Guyana.
SCG International (Caribbean) managing director Michael Zhang had said there was a misunderstanding that substandard materials had been used in the NAPA building’s construction.
Zhang said the company had built the best facility it could for citizens, with a stipulation it be maintained by SCG International (Caribbean) for one year, at no expense to the State.
He added the company had often been called upon to fix small problems at the facility, and “we are still willing to support the building management to fix the issues”.
Zhang said the question of why problems were now developing should be asked of those currently managing the building.
He said of the 13 projects undertaken by the company in Trinidad, the issue of substandard work has never arisen.
