A dispute broke out in the House of Assembly yesterday over whether Government paid huge storage penalties for equipment used to build the Tynes Bay Incinerator.

The comments during the Motion to Adjourn came soon after the announcement from Works and Engineering Minister the Hon. Leonard Gibbons that the $70-million incinerator on Palmetto Road was now burning garbage.

Mr. David Allen (PLP) said if former Works Minister the Hon. Quinton Edness had not "rushed to sign the contract (for the incinerator) in the mid-1980s'' concerns from the Opposition and National Trust could have been addressed and the approval process would have been shorter.

It was natural that concerns were aroused "because he rushed to that judgment,'' in signing the contract, Mr. Allen said.

"At the same time, the taxpayer was saddled with several million dollars of, in effect, penalty fees,'' which kicked in in 1989 because the project was delayed by environmental concerns, Mr. Allen said.

Government was charged $250,000 a month in storage fees, which amounted to $3 million a year, he said. "That went on for several years,'' Mr. Allen said.

"That was a tremendous waste of public funds.'' But later during the Motion to Adjourn, Finance Minister the Hon. David Saul said Mr. Allen was wrong. The $250,000 monthly penalty was "a fallacy,'' Dr.

Saul said.

The oft-quoted figure was actually a Ministry of Finance estimate of what incinerator delays would add to the cost of the incinerator through inflation, he said.

In fact, "a lot of that equipment had already been purchased and we were saving, indeed, the $250,000,'' he said.

Still later, Shadow Finance Minister Mr. Eugene Cox rose to dispute what Dr.

Saul said. The Finance Minister was "rewriting the script,'' Mr. Cox said.

"I have it in my possession where I set down questions (in the House) going back to 1989 where he said it was costing $250,000 a month for storage fees.'' That was because the Minister at the time purchased the equipment too soon, Mr. Cox said. "Subsequently, they were charged the storage fees.'' The Pembroke Dump and its future as parkland was also the subject of debate.

Mr. Stanley Morton said he noticed a recent statement in the Press that although the incinerator was starting up, the dump would still be in use for some time.

Would it be a burial ground for animal carcasses? "We'd just like to know what purpose it will serve to continue to be in use when promises have been made for quite some time'' that it would close, he said.

Mr. Allen also felt that ten years was too long to wait for parkland.

And he said that while he heard talk about jogging trails and woodlands, Pembroke residents wanted recreational facilities for teenagers.

Finally, Mr. Allen said he was worried about recent drops in air arrival figures. Europe and other destinations were giving Bermuda a run for its money and "we have to become more tactical and have quicker reflexes,'' he said.

The Shadow Tourism Minister called for "a blitz'' to eliminate the valleys in the summer air arrival figures.

The length of stay was declining, so the dip in air arrivals was "only the tip of the iceberg.'' But Mr. David Dodwell (UBP) said he had a problem with the weekly arrival figures. Instead, monthly ones should be used. Blitzes were expensive and were not used anymore, he said. They took money away from other programmes.

"I would like to think we're going to have a good year,'' he said.

However, "complacency should not set in.'' Mr. Morton also expressed concern that the testing of groundwater appeared to have stopped around the dump. He wondered if it was related to the expiration of contracts or redeployment of personnel related to the dump.

Residents in the area "are concerned'' about their health, he said.

Works and Engineering Minister the Hon. Leonard Gibbons said turning a landfill site into a park was not a simple operation. It would be ten years before the park was completed, but parts of it would be in use before then.

There were plans to plant 1,300 trees there in the near future and more than 4,000 over time, he said.

By the end of the year, the dump would be closed to refuse, he said. "We may have some other things that we may have to dispose of there for some time.'' The Ministry had 3,000 truckloads of rubble stockpiled to put on top of the dump and was stockpiling agricultural waste as a cap as well.

The Ministry was concerned about what it would do with animal carcasses.

"We're faced with about one a week,'' and "all options are being looked at,'' he said.

Mr. Gibbons announced that July 1 and 2 would be household hazardous waste drop-off day in Bermuda as the Ministry continued its efforts to keep items like PVC plastic and fluorescent tubes out of the incinerator.

Moving to schools, Mr. Gibbons said the site was cleared for the new Senior Secondary School at Prospect, and the Ministry would go out to tender on an addition to Whitney Institute very soon.

He then turned to the United Bermuda Party's campaign Blueprint, saying areas promised in his Ministry were all on track. The new cruise ship terminal was completed, the new prison was almost finished, the incinerator was on line, and a new tendering policy was being polished up, he said.

Deputy Opposition Leader Mr. Walter Roberts said Bermudians were willing to cooperate and sort their trash. But he wondered when Mr. Gibbons would do his part by reinstituting twice-weekly trash collection.

Still on the dump, Mr. Nelson Bascome (PLP) referred to a Government study by the Harvard Group on turning the dump into parkland.

The report said plenty of topsoil was needed, and high soil temperatures caused by the decomposition of garbage would not allow plants like trees to grow. First, methane gas and other leachate had to be removed, Mr. Bascome said.

Therefore, a tree planting at the dump last week was "just a picture opportunity'' for Mr. Gibbons , he said.

The Harvard Group had a timetable, but when one looked at what was being done, "everything is in backwards,'' Mr. Bascome said.

Residents around the dump were finding their toilets backing up after a heavy rain, when the report said one of the first things to do was secure the canal passage so water drained properly.

But Dr. Saul later said that Mr. Bascome should read further in the Harvard study. It said the success of any planting scheme would depend on "the early propagation of a suitable number of trees,'' he read from the report.

"Surely, Mr. Speaker, that's exactly what my Cabinet colleagues were doing (when a newspaper photo was taken) -- starting the whole thing with a number of trees.'' Tree planting was also "essential'' to preventing erosion of topsoil, he said.

Finally, Mr. Bascome said he recently visited The Reefs run by Mr. Dodwell and was very impressed by the staff.

On roads, Mr. Roberts called for fluorescent paint to be used on the lines down the middle of Bermuda's roads. He also asked about the cost of road improvements around White Hill, and why a busy layby was not included when other changes were made.

Further, Mr. Roberts complained about delays in improvements to the entrance of Woodlawn Road, where he said there had been three deaths over the years.

Mr. Morton also complained about the fees paid to MPs who served on House committees. "I was rather shocked that I received a cheque for something like $15 for something like two meetings,'' he said. "I had to call to find out what was the $15 for.'' With the demands that were made on MPs, "I think we need to be better considered when it comes to compensation,'' he said.

On a third matter, Mr. Morton said he was hearing plenty of concern about the proposed transfer of Dellwood Primary School to Northlands Secondary School.

Parents were "very distraught with the type of accommodation, the state in which that school presently stands, and they do not feel it's a proper place to send their little ones,'' Mr. Morton said.

Dellwood was close to the Pembroke Dump, and parents felt their children were being sent "from the fat into the fire.'' Parents were "prepared to take strong action if necessary,'' he said.

Ms Jennifer Smith (PLP) also voiced concerns about the proposed shift, in which Dellwood would become a Middle School.

Most students at Dellwood came from the immediate area, but the proposal would send them somewhere not served by the main bus route. "I was particularly perturbed by the remark that (Education Minister the Hon. Clarence Terceira's ) mind was made up and that's that,'' she said.

Government decided years ago that Dellwood was "not acceptable'' as a primary school, and it should not now revert to that.

"I don't know what the answer is,'' she said. "Maybe the Minister could hold some more meetings. I don't think the facility up at Northlands is suitable for primary school children.'' Ms Smith said she was also surprised to read that the old Bermuda Technical building was being turned over to the Ministry of Youth and Sport.

And she said zones that determined what neighbourhood school children would attend needed to be redrawn. They made no geographic sense.

For instance, children on Loyal Hill in Devonshire could end up at Francis Patton School, despite the fact they were very close to Prospect Primary, which happened to be in another zone.

Mr. Allen said he agreed with the concerns expressed about the school switch.

Dr. Terceira said the zones Ms Smith referred to was a difficult area, but parents were given a first, second, and third choice. There was an appeal process parents could use when not satisfied, he said.

While concerned, even the Dellwood parents agreed Dellwood would make a good Middle School, he said. He said parents' concerns were real and he appreciated the input.

Continued in Monday's newspaper.