by GARETH FINIGHAN
Mr. Hayward (pictured)<$>, who was also chairman of the St. George’s Preservation Society when the renovations were carried out in the summer of 2001, said he understood the original beams were eventually stored at the Government quarry — and have not been seen since.
Speculation as to the beams’ whereabouts was sparked off by recently revealed allegations that they had been installed in the private home of Premier Ewart Brown.
In a two-year-long police investigation into corruption at the Bermuda Housing Corporation, detectives unearthed evidence suggesting the beams were in Dr. Brown’s new home on A.P. Owen Road. Details of the investigation, which took place between 2002 and 2004, were printed in the Mid-Ocean News last month.
And two weeks ago a pair of contractors who worked on the Brown residence supported the allegations. The builders said that a walk-in closet in the master bedroom was panelled in rare Bermuda cedar and that the wood was “very visible” throughout the property.
“The talk then was that the cedar came from the post office and the general understanding in the construction industry is that it was taken from the post office, milled, and brought to the house,” one of the tradesmen said.
When asked about the allegations, Dr. Brown initially declined to comment. However, his press secretary later put this newspaper in contact with the carpenter who installed the panelling who claimed the wood he used was Virginia cedar, not antique Bermuda cedar.
Yesterday, Mr. Hayward said: “The beams were taken from the post office when the roof was taken off in June 2001. They were taken down to a Government property down opposite Somers Gardens. They remained there for about three or four weeks and then I was told that they were taken to the Government quarry for storage.
“I don’t know what happened to them after that.
“What I was con
“The old beams were replaced with new wood. That was the decision of the contractor who was carrying out the renovations.
“I don’t know the reason why, but from the contractor’s point of view, I guess it would have been easier to work with new beams because they would have been properly milled with straight edges — the old beams were like tree trunks.”
Mr. Hayward did not know which contractors worked on the project and attempts by this newspaper to find out were not successful.
Mr. Hayward said that, because the beams are not visible, the Preservation Society was not too concerned whether they were made of antique cedar or modern lumber.
“Our principal concern was the outward appearance of the completed building,” he said.
“As long as the new beams did the same job as the old ones, the new roof would meet the requirements of the Society. It had to have the same outward visual appearance as the original.”
He added that the security of the beams was not something that he had considered, as they were the property of Government, had been removed by Works & Engineering staff, and apparently stored at the Government quarry.
“I never thought anything about it until these reports started coming out in the newspaper,” he said.
“The thing is, the post office is Government property. The beams were removed by Government workers and, as far as we knew, they were then stored at the Government quarry.”
Mr. Hayward did acknowledge that the beams were highly prized, saying: “Any Bermuda cedar used in construction is highly valuable. Ninety per cent of cedar used at the moment comes from Virginia because Bermuda cedar is so rare — it’s like gold dust.”
Yesterdayhe Mid-Ocean News e-mailed the Ministry of Works & Engineering asking if the beams are still at the Government quarry, and if not, did the Ministry know where they are now.
We also asked for a list of any private contractors who worked on the renovation of the project. No response was received by press time last night.
Cedar beams
