Published Feb 28 2013 at 8:00 am
By Jonathan Bell

Minister of Health and Seniors Patricia Gordon-Pamplin and the Minister
of Environment and Planning Sylvan Richards held a joint media briefing
to expand on their respective Ministries budgets on Wednesday
(Photo by Glenn Tucker)

Bermuda’s Aquarium is to get a new roof, Environment and Planning Minister Richards announced.

The job has been budgeted at $2.2 million.

“The main building at the complex is rather old, and it is important that we take steps now to secure the integrity of the roof before the problems we have detected worsen,” Mr Richards said.

The main building at the Bermuda Aquarium dates back to 1926.

Mr Richards added that any work done would not “severely impact the operation of Bermuda’s most visited attraction”.

However, the Bermuda Zoological Society’s grant for “very popular education programmes” had to be eliminated as part of spending cuts, he said.

“We regret this sacrifice, but under our current budget constraints, we do not have any other option,” said Mr Richards, calling it a tough decision that had to be made.

The Bermuda Institute for Ocean Sciences will keep its funding at a level that “barely allows us to maintain the Marine Environment Programme and the Air Quality Programme that they manage on our behalf”, he added.

Departments within the Ministry of Environment and Planning “will only provide the basic mandated services”, the Minister said.

Eighty-one percent of its allocation goes to wages and salaries.

“That leaves only 19 percent to pay rent, purchase paper and keep the lights on.”

Mr Richards also said responsibility for the Marketing Centre, which provides farmers with seeds, pesticides and other agricultural supplies, has been shifted from Conservation Services over to Environmental Protections.