The roof of the new Berkeley Institute was not installed correctly and a leak in the gym could be just the tip of the iceberg, it has been claimed.

According to SKB Coatings owner Ricky Sousa and former Public Works Board member Graeme Outerbridge, the contractors who installed the roof did not follow SKB specifications for foam tiles at a crucial stage in the multi-layer method.

They said that although it had been agreed from the outset that the SKB process would be followed, attempts to address concerns with the Ministry of Works and Engineering failed and the company therefore refused to issue a warranty for the roof.

The controversy-plagued school opened to students for the first time last week after being completed three years late and more than $50 million over budget. As reported on September 14, by the time students arrived the gym roof had sprung a leak. Principal Michelle Simmons said the problem occurred during Hurricane Florence.

A Ministry of Works and Engineering spokesperson said at the time: ?While it is unfortunate, it is not unusual for a newly-completed roof to have some issues. As soon as the condition came to light, the Ministry discussed the matter with the roof installer who is addressing the situation.

But Mr. Sousa said: ?When I heard the news, my reaction was ?I told you so?. We said that ago.?

In a letter written to the Department of Works and Engineering in October 2002, obtained by , Christopher Profit of SKB said: ?It has been brought to my attention that the system that is being used on the Berkeley Institute Senior School is not the complete SKB system.

?Four foot by eight foot profile panels have been substituted for our profile tiles, therefore from the start, the roof at the Berkeley site cannot and will not be warranted as an SKB roof.?

In the letter, he explained that SKB system developer John Kaufman found that four foot by eight foot panels caused problems if used in roofs, because heat and cold caused cracking at the joints. He found that smaller units did not crack, and so that was the system approved by SKB.

However, according to Mr. Sousa, the subcontractors hired to install the roof used an ?inferior product? to the SKB-approved smaller tiles. He believes this was used for the majority of the school roof. He explained that SKB became aware of this because: ?After a period of time they stopped buying (our) stuff and we figured that something else was going up there...

?We put two and two together because we are the only one producing the proven product. Our product is proven and the others are not. It seems like a short-cut was taken and we don?t know what?s on that roof.?

Mr. Sousa said that the leak problem could re-occur and that although SKB could look at the current roof and make recommendations on how to rectify any issues, this would be a costly exercise.

Mr. Sousa revealed that Pro-Active Management ? the original contractor on the school ? owed his company ?tens of thousands? of dollars and SKB was waiting on the result of an arbitration process between Government and Pro-Active believed to have taken place earlier this month.

Neither he nor Mr. Outerbridge were able to say who the subcontractor was that actually installed the roof, although Mr. Sousa said ?numerous? companies were involved.

Mr. Outerbridge said he raised concerns about the Berkeley roof several years ago with the then Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Works and Engineering, Russell Wade.

?He said he was not worried about the large pieces being used. I said the SKB process was not being adhered to,? he said.

Mr. Outerbridge said he had knowledge of the SKB system because his stepfather, Mr. Kaufman, invented it. However, the business did not belong to his family at the point he raised the issue in 2002 or 2003.

?News of the gym roof leak was no surprise. People who think they know everything don?t listen to advice they are being given,? he said, saying he understood that an independent engineer had his advice on the matter ignored.

In February, construction expert Gabriel Martel claimed there were hundreds of safety deficiencies at the Berkeley Institute site. The allegations were strongly refuted by Works and Engineering Minister David Burch. invited the Ministry of Works and Engineering to comment on the claims made by Mr. Sousa and Mr. Outerbridge about the roof. However, a spokesperson said: ?The Ministry does not have any further comment on the matter. The repairs are being addressed.?