PRESS RELEASE

ARD Closes but Build Back Better lives on

An agency that started from scratch in the middle of a crisis has served Grenada well.

This was the sentiment expressed at the final press conference of the Agency for Reconstruction and Development (ARD) on Thursday, December 6, as the ARD closed its doors after three years of operation.

Referring to the occasion as one of mixed feelings and sadness, Prime Minister Dr. the Rt. Hon. Keith Mitchell expressed appreciation to the ARD Deputy Chairman Richardson Andrews, former members of the Board of Directors and the staff for contributing to the coordinating role of the ARD in the recovery process following the devastation caused by

Hurricane Ivan.

The Prime Minister said Grenada has recovered from Hurricane Ivan with comparatively less assistance and resources than other countries that experienced similar disasters; and made particular mention of the extensive work the ARD conducted in the area of psychological recovery.

Mr. Andrews credited the ARD’s flexibility and the ability to “bring good sense” to the decision-making process, thereby saving the Government and people of Grenada both time and money.

Noting that the number of Service Providers at the ARD peaked at 41 in 2006, of whom 27 were Grenadian, Mr. Andrews said the Agency also employed Service Providers from Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, Jamaica, Canada, England, Guyana, USA, Wales, St. Lucia and Barbados.

Additionally, several experts were commissioned to conduct short-term consultancies as part of the ARD research, training and development work. These consultants included six from Grenada, five from Trinidad and Tobago, two from St. Lucia, one from Barbados and one from New Zealand, as well as personnel from the University of the West Indies.

The ARD ceased operations on November 30, 2007 and, for the past several weeks, has handed over a variety of projects and other activities to several Government Ministries and statutory bodies. (See Chart).

Official registration of this Government-owned non-profit corporation was recorded on November 12, 2004 under the Companies Act of 1994. The ARD was structured to facilitate the physical, psychological and economic recovery of Grenada.

Established as a temporary agency with an anticipated lifespan of three to five years, the ARD geared its operations to coordinating the international donors, coordinating local activities of domestic agencies, providing institutional strengthening and capacity building for Government Ministries and bringing technical expertise to many structural issues under the motto Build Back Better.

Mr. Andrews expressed appreciation to the Government of Grenada for the courage to establish the ARD; the Canadian International Development Agency for $10 million (EC) in grant funds to operate the ARD for three years; USAID for providing technical and financial support; the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation for providing technical support in several key areas both at the ARD and in the Public Service; the United Nations Development Programme, the Organisation of American States, the Canadian Institute of Planners, the Pan American Health Organisation, the Grenada Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Marketing and National Importing Board and other statutory bodies for supporting several initiatives of the ARD.

Although the ARD is closed, the website www.ardgrenada.org will be maintained through 2008.

December 6, 2007

Agency for Reconstruction and Development

Website: www.ardgrenada.org

Agency for Reconstruction and Development

Status of Interventions

November 2007

PROJECT	STATUS	RECIPIENT
	Physical Infrastructure, Planning and Development
National Strategic Development Plan	Completed	Ministry of Economic Development and Planning
Re-draft Physical Planning and Development Control Act	Prepared Terms of Reference for Consultancy. Contract between GOG and consultant to be prepared	Ministry of Economic Development and Planning; Ministry of Legal Affairs
Local Area Plan for Greater Grenville	Local area maps completed Local Area Plan drafted Drainage assessment completed	Ministry of Economic Development and Planning
Institutional Restructuring and Organisational Strengthening of PPU	Organisational restructuring proposal completed and presented to PPU, PDA and Ministry. Revisions completed. Training in fundamentals of Physical Planning and Application data protocol completed	Ministry of Economic Development and Planning; Planning Development Authority
Revision of Report & Development Control Procedures	Completed proposal for streamlining Planning Application Process; presented proposal to PDA and management	Ministry of Economic Development and Planning
Weigh Scale Legislation	Completed draft legislation to create specified weight limited to ensure overloaded vehicles to not continue to damage road network	Ministry of Legal Affairs
Land Use Policy	Researched existing documentation. Completed Action Plan for the development of the Policy	Ministry of Agriculture; Ministry of Economic Development and Planning
National Cadastre	The country is divided into 300 Valuation Parcel Maps with work completed on 15 sheets. Four of 17 sites have been captured. The Town of Grenville was captured as a part of the Greater Grenville Local Area Plan, which were converted by PPU.	Ministry of Agriculture; Ministry of Economic Development and Planning
Remapping Grenada Carriacou and Petit Martinique	80 % of the mainland, 60 % of Carriacou and 100 % of Petit Martinique has been covered or captured by LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) Project halted due to lack of funds. Established permanent Ground Control Stations in all 7 parishes	Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry and Fisheries
Cadrona Home for the Aged	Commenced architectural drawings and structural designs for new building on existing site	Ministry of Works; Ministry of Social Development
Corinth Community Centre	Prepared scope of works	Ministry of Works; Ministry of Community Development
General Hospital Laboratory Roof Repairs	Prepared scope of works for strengthening roof	Ministry of Works; Ministry of Health
Carlton House Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre	Completed preliminary architectural drawings for new building on existing site	Ministry of Works; Ministry of Health
Seventh Day Adventist Comprehensive School Secondary School	Completed design and supervised construction of temporary classroom and certification of invoices submitted by contractor	Ministry of Works; Ministry of Education
St George’s Methodist School	Completed designed and prepared bill of quantities and drawings	Ministry of Works; Ministry of Education
Grenada Youth Centre	Completed re-design for roof; prepared Plans Specifications and contract documents; Submitted Tender Documents to Ministry of Works in September	Ministry of Works; Ministry of Youth Development
Construction Quality Assurance (CQA) Mechanism	Completed Model Home Construction/Repair Contract for householders and contractors Completed Residential Charter, in collaboration with OAS	Ministry of Works; Ministry of Economic Development and Planning, OAS
	Human Settlement, Housing, Heritage Conservation
Human Settlement Policy	Completed	Ministry of Social Development; Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Works; Ministry of Economic Development and Planning
Chinese Housing Units	Negotiations with PRC on design of housing units; project management of sites for Chinese houses; Managing database of applicants; completed Eligibility Criteria and Means Test	Min of Social Development; Ministry of Works
Human Settlement Sites	Identified 15 potential sites throughout the State for new Human Settlements	Ministry of Social Development; Housing Authority of Grenada
Human Settlement at Lacalome	Complete infrastructural works for roads, bridges, drains and utilities; Managing database of applicants for Lacalome housing	Ministry of Works; Ministry of Social Development
Architectural Heritage Sites St. George’s Regeneration Project	Completed proposed Conservation Areas guidelines document for legal processing; assisted with inventory of architectural heritage buildings in the Parishes of St. George and St. Andrew. Prepared proposals for the Regeneration of St. George’s Town Project	Ministry of Economic Development and Planning; Natural and Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee; Ministry of Legal Affairs; Ministry of Works
Heritage Conservation Project Documents	Completed Heritage Conservation Project Documents for the National Museum, Governor General’s Residence and York House	Ministry of Works; Natural and Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee
	Social Recovery, Counselling, Training
Family Counselling	Family Counselling Service Programme, which facilitates the resolution of conflicts within families, thereby reducing the adverse effects on mothers and children.	Ministry of Social Development; Legal Aid and Counselling Clinic
Child Maintenance & Wellness Programme	Child Maintenance Strategy, which seeks to enhance the amount of maintenance support, through negotiation, with fathers; a development of a policy and guideline document for the processing and handling of maintenance cases, thereby enabling mothers to better meet costs of sending children to school.	Ministry Social Development; Legal Aid and Counselling Clinic
Data Base of Network of Counsellors for the National Psycho Social Response Model	Completed	Ministry of Social Development; National Disaster Management Agency
Counselling and Guidance Programme	Counselling, Guidance and Psychological Programme for young people who have fallen out of the normal education system, including group sessions with disadvantaged young men focussing on violence and bullying, goal setting and the dangers of using drugs.	Ministry Social Development; Legal Aid and Counselling Clinic New Life Organisation (NEWLO).
Gender Policy	Prepared Terms of Reference and completed Comparative Analysis of responses	Ministry of Social Development

	Agriculture
Grenada Agricultural Information Service	Bi-monthly newsletter, weekly Market Bulletin, website: foodandfarmgrenada.com	Marketing and National Importing Board; Ministry of Agriculture
Modernising Agriculture in Grenada: National Policy and Strategy	Completed	Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry and Fisheries
Data Base of recipients and field workers under the Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Projects	Completed	Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry and Fisheries
Agriculture Enterprise Development Project	Prepared proposal for credit facility to farmers, preparation of business plans and management advice to make farms more economically viable	Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry and Fisheries
Developing the Fruit Sector	Conduced a comprehensive study of the status of fruit production and completed a detailed proposal for establishing orchards	Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry and Fisheries
	Economic Recovery
Job Seekers Data Base	Compilation of 772 names from the ARD Job Fair and Employment Counselling Workshop	Ministry of Education and Labour
National Investment Policy	Assisted in the development of the Policy and improvements to the approval process for investments	Grenada Industrial Development Corporation
Investment Profiles	Completed Investment Profiles on Agriculture, Tourism, Information Communication Technology and the Craft and Gift Sector	Grenada Industrial Development Corporation
	Public Information and Education
ARD Art Adventure	55 original drawings by students, $55,000 (EC) in calendar sales	Patron of the Arts Fund
ARD archives	Audio and Video Productions of ARD activities	Ministry of Information Government Information Service
Photographs of post Ivan Grenada	Mounted photos of several post Ivan scenes	Prime Minister’s Ministry Department of Youth Development
Press Releases, reports, project proposals, studies and other documentation	A variety of information in hard copy and digital form	Ministry of Information Government of Grenada website