Minister for Works and Engineering Alex Scott has put the completion of the new secondary school development at the top of his priority list should he remain at the helm of the department after the election.

He said the $70 million project had to take precedent over everything else and said he hoped to reveal a new completion date for the school, which was originally September, within the next couple of weeks.

But he said, contrary to reports from sources within the site, the development would be finished in a matter of months, and not a year passed its original deadline.

However, schools are likely to dominate much of the public works within the next year, as the final phase of Dellwood Middle School is already underway.

"To all intents and purposes, that's ahead as planned, although we have to consult with the engineers and architects about a foundation challenge we have," said the Minister.

"It's a very marshy area and we have to be sure....that we can get solid footing so that we can go ahead and build. There was a question mark over that when we last received a report."

Dellwood is getting the final phase built, which includes a gymnasium, science labs and an auditorium.

The Minister said the new Hamilton Police station and Magistrates' Court complex was still very much on the drawing board but had been put back because of the demands on the industry at the moment.

He said it was at the design stage and the next step would be putting it out to tender.

"In view of the new second senior school coming in late, it's probably good management practice for us, the Government, to step this Police project back a few months so we are not making demands on the labour force," said Mr. Scott.

"It is likely to come in the next two years, meaning the start and process. I'm not saying completion." Mr. Scott admitted that the new East End Police division headquarters at Southside was also delayed, but was being worked on.

He said he had just returned to work after being off ill, and had not been properly briefed on it, but said he believed it was still very much on the agenda.

"That is one of the capital projects we need for the next year. I think the time has been on getting an agreement between the Police on their requirements and the design phase. It had to be a purpose-built renovation and I think that's what has taken some of the time."

The people of St. George's, along with Police officers, have been calling for both the Southside station and the present St. George's station to be refurbished for officers.

Once the new site at Southside is complete, then Government said it would begin to concentrate on upgrading the old station in the heart of St. George's, which the people are adamant they want to keep.

And also put back for the next year is the new youth residential centre for teenagers with emotional and behavioural problems.

Like the Hamilton Police station and courts complex, the residential centre was originally expected to be included in the works budget for 200.

However, during the budget earlier this year, Finance Minister Eugene Cox said the new Police station in Hamilton would probably start in 2004/5, and the residential youth centre in Pembroke, which will house up to 40 youngsters, is now not expected to begin until 2005/6.

Mr. Scott said: "But what is going ahead is the St. George's parish rest home. We may hopefully be able to show an architect's model of what it's going to look like soon. It's well advanced from a design phase.

"I would say that's going to start in the next few months. It's going to be a new complex, but it's going to use the same footings and buildings as before, but you won't be able to recognise it."

And for the Opposition United Bermuda Party, Shadow Works and Engineering Minister Erwin Adderley said the new secondary school would also have to be the priority for him, if he were to keep his role under a UBP Government.

But he said the new Government would also have to wait to assess the financial situation before it made any big promises on what was to be built and what was not.

However, he said one pledge the UBP was making was to order special audits

And he said, in light of the delayed secondary school project, the UBP would order audits into all large Government projects to ensure they were run efficiently and effectively, and he said the Works Ministry would be put under the spotlight to ensure better quality control and management.

Mr. Adderley said the UBP would also be interested in setting up an open tendering process for Government projects.

Bids would be open and those companies with the lowest bids would be awarded the contract, unless there were specific reasons against it.

He said: "The new Police station and Magistrates Court complex in Hamilton would be high on the list, however, the top of our priority list would be the 100 new houses we have pledged to build.

"One of the things we have established is that there may be a need for Works and Engineering to get involved with housing, along with Bermuda Housing Corporation (BHC).

"There may not be enough resources within BHC to complete the number of homes that we want. So bringing in Works and Engineering is something we have considered."

And Mr. Adderley said the UBP was also committed to providing three health clinics for seniors, with the first one being built in St. George's. He said the health clinic would try to address the escalating cost of health care for the elderly, as well as reduce the strain on the hospitals. He said while some medical care may be free, others may be at cheaper rates.

But the Shadow Minister said the UBP was also determined to keep a refurbished Police station in St. George's, and may keep to the plan for one in Southside, too, although nothing was final.

However, another major item on the UBP works agenda, he said, was the financing of the clean up of the Baselands at Southside because he said until that was organised, nothing could be done with the site.

And in the same vein, he said the UBP also wished to do something with Morgan's Point in Southampton, which could include some housing.