$2.3 Million for Heritage Schools on Ovalau
The Levuka Community Hall and St. John Church in Cawaci were the two buildings selected to be restored first.
The first phase of the project was to assess the structural and heritage significance of the 76 buildings which were identified by the Department of Heritage.
Government has injected close to $2.3million to rehabilitate five heritage schools on Ovalau, says the Minister for Education Premila Kumar.
These schools were damaged by Tropical Cyclone (TC) Winston in 2016.
The schools are Levuka Public School, Marist Convent School, Saint James Anglican School, Delana Methodist Primary School, and Delana Methodist Secondary School.
Ms Kumar revealed this when she responded to an oral question from the National Federation Party (NFP) Member of Parliament Lenora Qereqeretabua on when the historical sites in Ovalau would undergo renovation.
Ms Kumar said the Department of Heritage, with the help of the
Construction Implementation Unit (CIU), undertook a rapid damage assessment of heritage structures in Levuka after TC Winston.
She said the Levuka Heritage Register of Building was used as a baseline for this assessment.
“There was a need to engage the services of a lead consultant to assist in identifying and assessing each heritage-listed building,” she said.
“A report was compiled, recommending a way forward for each building in accordance with the heritage by-laws.”
She said the first phase of the project was to assess the structural and heritage significance of the 76 buildings which were identified by the Department of Heritage.
She further said that the Ministry of Education, along with National Trust of Fiji and Levuka Town Council, met with the CIU and they used the report to put in place a restoration plan for Levuka using the Building Back Better strategy.
“Mr. Speaker, Sir, a preliminary report on all 76 buildings was received and assessed by the Ministry of Education and CIU to strategically identify buildings to upgrade.
“Again, they had to use the report itself to work out which building would be rehabilitated first. So, there was a prioritisation of these buildings.”
She said the Levuka Community Hall and St. John Church in Cawaci were the two buildings selected to be restored first.
She added that a lead consultant, Shri Singh & Associate was engaged on July 22, 2019, for phase II which involved full detailed design documentation, tender, and construction supervision for the two buildings.
The restoration and strengthening works are expected to commence by July 2022..