The cost of revamping the Royal Bermuda Regiment’s Warrant Officers and Sergeant’s Mess bathrooms to make them suitable for women will be $150,000, the Senate was told yesterday.

Arianna Hodgson, the junior finance minister, said the money was needed to allow female officers shower and toilet facilities.

Ms Hodgson also stated that $150,000 would be used to renovate the old post office in St David’s into a serviceable substation for the coastguard.

She told fellow senators: “Since the start of the Bermuda Regiment, now the Royal Bermuda Regiment, the Warrant Officers and Sergeant’s Mess was not designed with females in mind.

“These funds will be used to carry out the renovation of the male bathrooms in order to provide female, senior, non-commissioned officers their own shower and toilet facility.”

The senator stated that the RBR would be returning to its operational strength of 360 personnel.

The Government announced last month that it was looking for a contractor to renovate washrooms at Warwick Camp.

An invitation to tender stated that the project would focus on the Warrant Officers and Sergeant’s Mess bathrooms, creating a separate women’s bathroom out of a storage room at the site along with improvements to the men’s bathroom facilities.

Published on the government procurement website, the tender said: “The Government is seeking bids from suitably qualified and experienced contractors to carry out internal washroom renovations/alterations to building 0252 located at Warwick Camp for the Royal Bermuda Regiment.

“The general contractor shall supply all adequate and competent labour, supervision, tools and equipment, installed and consumable materials and every item of expense necessary to complete the construction project.”

The work is scheduled to begin on April 14.

The project comes as the Royal Bermuda Regiment is actively seeking more female recruits.