Little Cayman residents were pleased to witness Acting Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly and other members from the Ministry of District Administration, Works, Lands and Agriculture (DAWL&A) breaking ground for the extension to the Little Cayman multipurpose Building on Wednesday, 29 May.

The event was attended by District Administration, Works, Lands and Agriculture (DAWL&A) Chief Officer Alan Jones, District Commission Ernie Scott, Deputy District Commission Mark Tibbetts, DAWL&A Acting Deputy Chief Officer Jonathan Jackson, District Officer Larry Foster and PWD Project Manager Lazarus Yotamu.

The project is a 1,254 square-foot addition to the existing multi-purpose building and will provide officials with adequate privacy and ample storage for shelter supplies, an office for the command leaders, and a central command room for interactive decision making. The expansion project contract was awarded to James Thomas of Maximum Construction and Repair Company. Work  is expected to start in June and will take around four months to complete.

“The Cayman Islands Governments takes hurricane preparedness and the protection of its citizens and residents very serious. Little Cayman residents called for the expansion, because the current facility is not big enough to accommodate a proper command centre in the event of a national emergency,” the Acting Premier explained.

“I am sure that having a purpose-built command room will be a huge resource in the event of a natural disaster,” Minister O’Connor-Connolly added.

The current Little Cayman Command Centre is a multi-purpose building that was initially set up to house Public Works workers that come over to the island to work on various projects for short periods of time.

The windows, doors, walls and roof of the new facility will be hurricane safety-rated and the building floor will be constructed 22 feet above sea level. A backup generator  will be on hand to provide electrical supply if there is a power outage.

Mr. Jones said: “It is essential that we have proper facilities to cope during a national crisis. We are always striving to improve performance, safety and access to the latest technology, while reducing costs,” he added.