Senators continued the Budget debate yesterday afternoon with Works and Engineering up for discussion.

The Ministry is busy with projects, said Sen. Reginald Burrows (PLP).

Within the next five years the Bermuda Land Development Company (BLDC) will clean up the environmental contamination on the US Baselands at Southside, Tudor Hill and Morgan's Point, he said, adding the move will make the properties more appealing to potential developers as they will not have to take on the cost of the clean-up.

There are currently no plans to develop Tudor Hill, and options are still being reviewed for Morgan's Point, he said.

BLDC will also be further developing the 130,000 square foot commercial park at Southside, and putting up over 100 residential units: townhouses and cottages (for sale), and apartments (for rent).

Regarding the West End Development Company (WEDCo), the second phase of additional development at Boaz Island is coming along, and a cultural centre/residential and commercial buildings/and warehouses development is being examined for Dockyard, though infrastructure in the area will have to be developed further first.

Sen. Burrows said other capital projects within the Ministry included the new St. George's care facility for seniors, which will be started this year and has a project duration of 16 months; renovations to Dellwood Middle School, which are currently in progress; and the new Magistrates' Court and Hamilton Police station, which will be underway "shortly".

Research is still being done on the best way to increase the capacity at Tynes Bay, and tenders are out for the new recycling plant, which Sen. Burrows said would be completed by August, 2005.

The site formerly known as the new Berkeley Institute was the biggest capital project of all, with Government expecting the contractor to increase monthly bills as more manpower is added in order to bring the project to completion by September, 2004. Sen. Leonard Santucci (UBP) questioned the date of completion, however, and called new Works and Engineering Minister Ashfield DeVent "slow in speech but honest in commentary". Mr. DeVent brings integrity because he is "the clean-up man", Sen. Santucci added, before calling on the Press and the public to "make note of September 30".

Sen. Santucci also voiced his own, personal frustration that very little of the windfall received from the US in the termination of the baselands agreement was actually used to repair Longbird Bridge, particularly in light of the tragedy caused by Hurricane Fabian on the Causeway.

Sen. Larry Mussenden (PLP) promised the new senior secondary school date of completion would be met, and even invited Sen. Santucci inside the school on that day as part of the Bermuda "family".

Sen. Mussenden praised Works and Engineering workers, however, saying: "Every senator and person in Bermuda should be hugging a Works and Engineering person when they see them ... I hope people will wave to them tomorrow and tell them what a splendid job they are doing."

Sen. Kenneth Bascome (UBP) questioned why there was no money in the Budget for renovations to the St. George's Post Office and the St. George's Ferry Dock, which was damaged in Hurricane Fabian.