by Eulana Weekes
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): Efforts have been made to relocate the Charlestown Police Station to a temporary location in hopes of renovating and upgrading the facility, said Hon. Spencer Brand during the Thursday, July 06 sitting of the Nevis Island Assembly.
“Madam President, the building Division there at the Public Works Department, they continue to be very busy, and the latest project Madam President, that they have been engaged in is really to outfit a building in Charlestown that would soon see the relocation of the Charlestown Police Station. For some time, Madam President, the good lawmen and law women on the island of Nevis have been expressing some concern about the facility there at the Charlestown Police Station, and I am happy that the Federal Government, Madam President, having given this project some consideration and we are hoping that in very short order, we will see the renovation and upgrading of the Charlestown Police Station building so that our lawmen and our law women can be in a much more comfortable position; but in the meantime, the Public Works Department Building Division has been doing some outfitting and upgrade on a building in Charlestown, so that the Police Station can soon be relocated,” Brand informed.
While the Minister of Infrastructure in the Nevis Island Administration did not disclose the location of the temporary building for the Charlestown Police Station, it’s been alleged that the building in question is located on Main Street, Charlestown, in the vicinity of Happy Endings Restaurant and St. Paul’s Anglican Church.
Police officers had raised concerns about mold at the Charlestown Police Station. They told WINN FM that some officers had fallen ill due to mold contamination. As a result, some officers chose to wear a face mask, whilst others shifted their workstations outside.
During a special interview with the Prime Minister in March 2023, Dr Terrance Drew told the media that decisive actions were being taken to address the situation.
“With respect to the Charlestown Police Station, that is also being addressed. We have located an area that we have to rent and move them out, so we can deal with the issues of mold at the Charlestown Police Station,” said Prime Minister Drew.
The Charlestown Police Station also houses the District ‘C’ Magistrate Court. Allegedly, the court was closed on October 14, 2022, due to the mold situation; but has since been reopened. It is unclear, however, if the mold situation there has been rectified or if that office will also be relocated.
Several other Government offices have been relocated into rental properties due to mold infestation and other things, but the NIA is yet to rectify the issues in those spaces.
Some of the offices include the Premier’s Ministry, which was transferred from Bath Hotel to the Social Security Building at Pinney’s Industrial Site, [and] the Nevis Newscast, which was transferred from Bath Hotel to Gaspree building in Craddock Road. The Sports Museum was also relocated from the Cotton House Building to the Solomon’s Arcade in Charlestown. The Nevis Housing and Land Development Corporation was transferred from Belle Vue to a location known as Webbo’s Building at Pinney’s Industrial Site. The Nevis Water Department was transferred from the Physical Planning Building to Solomon’s Arcade. The Nevis Public Library was relocated to the Slack’s Building on Jones’ Street. The Gingerland Health Centre is relocated to the Community Centre in Hardtimes and the Gingerland Public Library, which is seemingly abandoned.
