National Assembly Makeover Nears Completion with a Bigger Price Tag

Big changes are happening on Independence Hill. The iconic National Assembly Building is getting a major facelift and according to the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, it’s right on track to be completed by September. But this isn’t just a touch-up. The entire building has been gutted and rebuilt from the inside out. We’re talking about a brand-new roof with insulation, redesigned chambers and gallery, fresh interior walls, and even an elevator, something the original structure never had. It’s a bold transformation, but it’s also coming with a bigger price tag than originally planned. Chief Engineer at MIDH, Evondale Moody, gave us an update on the progress and what’s still to come.

 

Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, MIDH

“Basically we have invested a lot in that structure. The cumulative cost we are estimating at five point six million. We have gone above what was originally estimated, honestly. But, once we got into the building we found out that there was a lot of things that needed to get done for us to make the building functional. That is the aim of the MIDH, to make it as functional as we can based on what we have available.”

 

Paul Lopez

“So there were things done that was not originally considered?”

 

Evondale Moody

“Yes, there was a lot of things done. We have a new elevator system that came into the country this week. So we are hoping to get that into Belmopan within another week. We took into consideration the Disability Act to make sure we make the building accessible. The exterior we have tried our best to maintain the original structure. But the original structure, because it has been there for so long had some defects where it had exposure. So we had to plaster some of those areas. We were also tasked with pressure washing the building. That created some issues because of the porosity of the blocks. It showed that it had some holes. So we had to find a mechanism to seal that. So we have to seal the build just in an effort to maintain the original look of the building.”