St. John’s primary health center took a step toward recovery this week when the Office of Disaster Recovery announced a contract agreement to rebuild the Myrah Keating Smith Health Center. The clinic was damaged in 2017 with the passage of hurricanes Irma and Maria, but remained open for a while to facilitate the initial disaster response.
Word of a deal to begin the planning and design phase for clinic reconstruction came in a statement Thursday. Work on the preconstruction phase is expected to take about eight months, according to agency spokesperson Laurissa Ellis.
“The $990,500 contract awarded to Consigli/Benton Joint Venture 1 covers the preconstruction phase, which includes finalizing designs, conducting constructability reviews, and performing value engineering,” Ellis said. “Once the designs are complete, a notice to proceed will be issued for construction to begin on site.”
Word of the executed contract was welcomed by the official tasked with overseeing facilities and capital development for the Territorial Hospital Redevelopment Team. “This is the first step that we have been long awaiting,” said Executive Director Darryl Smalls. “We look forward to providing the people of St. John with a state-of-the-art health care facility.
With an agreement in place, redevelopment leaders can meet and talk with architects, contractors and technical assistants to assess the components needed to demolish and rebuild Keating Clinic, Smalls said.
The clinic is described as a comprehensive primary health care facility. First opened in 1983, it has served St. John residents and visitors for more than 40 years.
When the 2017 hurricanes struck, Myrah Keating Smith Health Center continued operation with generator power, Smalls said. The helicopter landing pad on the clinic grounds was used by disaster recovery teams to deliver emergency supplies. But when the generator failed a second time, officials decided to cease operations there.
“We found it was in the best interest to close the facility and move the services down to Morris de Castro Clinic,” Smalls said. Health care services resumed on site in 2019 when the Army Corps of Engineers built a modular facility at the Myrah Keating Smith Health Center site, which remains operational today.
The redevelopment director said funding is already in place for subsequent phases of the project. Smalls said he hopes the rebuilt Myrah Keating Smith Health Center will be completed within the next three years.
“The Virgin Islands Office of Disaster Recovery remains committed to supporting the residents of the Virgin Islands through recovery and reconstruction efforts, ensuring a resilient and sustainable future for the territory,” Ellis said.
