School demolition soon complete
Demolition of the former Louis Lynch Secondary School is ongoing and set to finish soon, according to Minister of Housing, Lands and Maintenance Dwight Sutherland.
When contacted for an update on the works, Sutherland replied: “The demolition is on. I will have to find out the exact date of when it will finish, but certainly we will be finishing soon.”
The office of the National Assistance Board at Country Road, St Michael, announced its temporary closure from Tuesday, April 29, to May 8, 2025, due to environmental concerns stemming from the construction work.
Several squatters still remain on the grounds of the former school in Whitepark Road, St Michael, living within the structures that still stand among the bulldozers and other machinery.
When the Sunday Sun visited the demolition site recently, there were signs of inhabitants within the building, with plant pots resting on windowsills and clothes set to dry.
Some of the squatters who have lived there for the past five years, spoke with the news team at the commencement of the pre-demolition clean-up in March. They expressed that they had nowhere else to go should the buildings be removed.
News of the demolition was first noted in a memo from the Ministry of Housing and Lands, dated Monday, March 24, stating that “given the increasing public health and safety concerns, a decision has been taken to demolish the buildings comprising the former Louis Lynch Secondary School facility”.
It warned staff not to be in the vicinity after hours during the demolition process from March 24 to today. In an article carried in the Weekend Nation of March 28, Sutherland stated that the demolition was decided after careful consideration and assessment, showing that the premises were not suitable for human occupancy and posed a tremendous threat to people squatting on the site as well as residents of the surrounding neighbourhoods.
The demolition, aimed at maintaining a healthy and safe environment, falls under the ministry and involves other Government agencies and departments such as the Ministry of Health, social service agencies and the Barbados Police Service.
Established in 1977 as the Roebuck Secondary School, it was renamed in 1990 to honour outstanding educator Louis Lynch. It was closed in April 2006 amidst several environmental issues and scientific tests after many staff and pupils complained of burning eyes, itching skin and dizziness. While some people felt the laundry cleaning agent PERC and gasoline from a nearby laundry were among the culprits, scientists from the University of the West Indies (UWI) said the absolute levels of both chemicals were low and well within international limits.
However, in 2007 Professor Winston Tinto, head of the UWI’s scientific team, deemed the building safe to be used again. In 2019, Government was looking at the abandoned school, among other out-of-use state buildings, “to put back into productive use”.
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