A damaged roof at Lefroy House has sparked a war of words between the OBA and the PLP.

While Shadow Minister for Labour Relations and Seniors Derrick Burgess alleged that the Government prioritised a bus shelter over the senior home, Public Works Minister Patrica Gordon Pamplin responded that repairs to the home have been complicated because of asbestos in the roofing.

“Because it’s an asbestos roof, the entire roof has to be abated,” she said last night. “The architects have been working with the Buildings Department on it. They have already put out requests for quotes.

“A significant amount of money was actually set aside by a previous administration for renovations to Lefroy House that were never carried out. Had that work been carried out, we wouldn’t be in the position where we are now.”

In a statement issued yesterday evening, Mr Burgess said the OBA had repaired a bus station to win voted in an upcoming by-election rather than carry out repairs at Lefroy House.

“While the OBA has been quick to repair bus shelters in the hope of getting a few extra votes in constituency 33, they have displayed a shocking lack of urgency or compassion for the safety and comfort of seniors at Lefroy House,” he said.

“In the last three weeks, the OBA have dragged their feet and slowed down the speed of which slate could be distributed to Bermudians with damage to their homes. This has created uncertainty and put at risk the homes of thousands of Bermudians.”

Mr Burgess asked Ms Gordon Pamplin when Lefroy House’s roof will be repaired and how the Government is prioritising repair work.

“Why does the OBA think it is more important to repair a bus shelter than it is to repair the roof of a home for seniors?” he asked. “Over the past week, Bermuda has experienced almost two inches of rain. This downpour has resulted in more damage to homes with unrepaired roofs due to the OBA refusing to give permission for slate cutters to cut slate to make the necessary emergency repairs.

“Decisions made by the OBA have raised questions and impacted negatively on the lives of countless Bermudians. The OBA owes Bermudians an explanation.”

Ms Gordon Pamplin responded last night, saying: “We are most certainly not putting a bus shelter as a higher priority than Lefroy House.”

“Lefroy House took a beating and I believe there were asbestos shingles so there is some speciality work that needs to be done. The patients who were residing in that part of the building that had water egress were moved to another part of the building which was safe for them.

“There was a bus shelter that was slated, but only because of the minimal amount of slate required for the job. However, I have instructed that no cosmetic repairs are to be carried out until we are satisfied that people have all of their home repairs done.”

While she said she was not immediately aware of when repair work would be completed, but promised she would keep the public informed.