More than $14 million has been spent on the Police/court building so far, but the deadline to have the structure up and enclosed has been missed, say insiders.

The project began in December 2007 and it's claimed the building should have had all the floors, walls and roof in place by now – despite the vast cash outlay, the corner of Court and Church street still resembles a building site rather than a building.

Sources in the building industry say the project is far off where it should be.

One expert placed the project at six or seven months late, another builder said it could be up to nine months behind.

It's thought $14 million had already spent by late 2008, while similar buildings in Hamilton have had their structures completed for less.

One builder said:"They are coming up on the Church Street side – they are putting on a little bit of a show.

"But the majority of the building is far behind. It is a two-and-a-half-year project, they cannot keep up. On the other side, the building has scarcely got out of the basement."

Concern was expressed about the uneven nature of progress because structures which rise floor by floor, allow electricians and other trades to start at the bottom floor and work their way up. But until a floor is complete they cannot begin.

Another source this paper spoke to said the design of the building, which combines concrete and steel, can be slow to put up – others say that can't excuse such a massive delay.

Government has refused to give an update this week about how far the project is behind. A building source said:"Typically there are over-runs of two to five percent in large projects. You can get over-runs of ten percent, but that is the exception. This one is a disaster."

In November, Works and Engineering Minister Derrick Burgess said the job was two months behind schedule as he revealed a project supervisor had been hired at a cost of around $400,000 to oversee the project.

And on Monday he said work was now moving both "rapidly and smoothly".

This newspaper revealed that a new company, LLC Bermuda Ltd., had been set up to replace Landmark Lisgar Construction Ltd after Canadian partners Lisgar, left the $78 million project.Government has refused to confirm or deny it and mystery surrounds the shareholders behind the project.

Documents show a substantial proportion of the shares – 3,900 out of the 10,000 total – are held in a trust, meaning the public do not know some of the figures who are behind the new venture.

Unanswered questions

This week The Royal Gazette revealed that Lisgar, the Canadian partners on the $78 million Police/court building, had left the job with a substantial cash settlement.

That story was branded by Works and Engineering Minister Derrick Burgess as "false in every material respect" in a press release which did not say whether Lisgar – who were not the choice of Government's own technical officers – were still involved. It follows weeks of silence on other key aspects of the jobs.

On Tuesday The Royal Gazette submitted a series of questions which have not been replied to although Government have confirmed they have those questions. They are published in full here:

Is Lisgar on the job?

Why can't the public be told whether Lisgar is on the job?

If Lisgar is not on the job, why? When did they leave?

Why wasn't the public told then?

Why isn't the public being told now?

If Government was not happy with Lisgar's performance does it regret over-ruling its technical officers to pick the firm?

What are Lisgar's credentials for running such a large job? Have they managed a project of a similar size or budget?

What are Landmark's credentials for running such a large job? Have they managed a project of a similar size or budget?

Why did Landmark/Lisgar Construction Ltd. change its name to LLC Bermuda Ltd.?

Why can't the public be told about who the shareholders are?

Is it normal Government policy to do business with blind trusts?

How can the public be assured that taxpayers' money is in safe hands when the public doesn't know who is behind the deal?

Why is Government dealing with Winters Burgess, who says he is a shareholder in this project, when he was site manager for ProActive who had to be sacked from the Berkeley job and still owes Government $15 million?

Has Government recouped any of that $15 million?

How far is the Police/court building project behind?

Are you satisfied with Landmark's performance – if so why?

Government brought in a consultant to oversee the project in November.

If he sees the job through to May 2010 as stated it will cost the taxpayer around $400,000. Where will this money come from?

How much has been spent on the project so far?

Why is Government being so secretive given its recent track record on large building projects? Berkeley came in three years late and more than $55 million over budget.

Can you confirm that Conyers and Associates have now been taken on as the architects for the Police/court building? What has happened to CSP?

What will Conyers be paid for the work?

What was CSP being paid for the full project and will they still receive full payment?

Have any other firms contracted to do support work, i.e. engineering, interior design, been affected by the change?

Has there been any change to the total $78 million budget for the project as a result of the changes of personnel?

Are any changes to the internal fittings and design specifications anticipated?