The roof is complete, the lighting is improved, and 180 people ? including many former Pro-Active workers ? are working hard at the second senior school construction site on Berkeley Road, Government announced yesterday.

Meanwhile arbitration between Government and Pro-Active Management Systems is proceeding, with a draft agreement for the arbitration panel submitted to Pro-Active representatives. The arbitration proceedings will be closed to any ?unrelated third parties?, Junior Housing Minister Raymond Tannock revealed during the Budget debate on Housing yesterday.

However the Opposition blasted Government again for ignoring the advice of their technical officers, who labelled Pro-Active an ?unsuitable candidate? before the contract was tendered.

Belco is in the early stages of testing at the site, Sen. Tannock said, while the building is now fully watertight and work not under the Pro-Active contract ? such as a sewage system ? is complete.

The total allocated funds (TAF) for the project is now set at $121,709,000, Sen. Tannock said, while total expenditure since the project?s conception stood at $79,765,165 on January 4, 2005. That cost includes costs such as the land and consultants? fees.

The phased hand-over of the school to the Ministry of Education is targeted to be complete by the start of the 2005 school year, he said. ?At this stage we have met all our target points.?

Even so, Opposition Senate Leader Kim Swan remained passionate about the tendering of the contract to Pro-Active in the first place, calling it a ?gamble?.

Windfalls from revenue such as payroll tax have gone towards the project when they could have gone towards affordable housing, he said. ?Had we saved it we wouldn?t have had to turn to Clifford Schorer (and the Bermuda Homes for People project at Southside).?