Good morning,
Standing here today, at the completion of this project, is a proud moment for the Somerset community and for Bermuda, more broadly.
When we began this work last summer, I said that the restoration of the Mangrove Bay Clinic was about more than renovating a building. It was about investing in this community and ensuring that an important public facility could once again serve the people who depend on it.
Today, that progress is real, visible and ready to serve this community again.
The project involved renovating and expanding the existing facility, retaining the original Bermuda stone walls where possible, and completing the structural upgrades necessary to provide a modern, fit-for-purpose clinic.
Importantly, the work was not simply about improving the appearance of the building. It was about ensuring that this facility is safe, functional and equipped to serve the community for years to come.
This clinic is yet another example of this Government investing in Bermuda’s infrastructure and, in particular, delivering tangible improvements for the residents in the west of the island.
In recent years, we have reconstructed the retaining wall at Scaur Hill, carried out important work at Watford Bridge, repaired safety railings along Cambridge Road and recently completed renovations on the Somerset Post Office.
Today, we can add the reopening of Mangrove Bay Clinic to that list.
These projects may be different in size and purpose, but they have something important in common: they are investments in the infrastructure and public facilities that Bermudians rely upon every single day.
And, yes we know, there is still more work to do.
But whether it is strengthening a retaining wall, maintaining a bridge, improving road safety or restoring a community health clinic, our focus remains on steadily improving the infrastructure that serves our people.
I want to thank Sunrise Construction, our Public Lands and Buildings team, the Department of Health, our project manager Richard Wilson, and every subcontractor and consultant who contributed to this project.
I also want to acknowledge Minister Wilson and her team. This has been a long time coming, and they have worked tirelessly to bring this clinic back into service.
To the people of Somerset, this clinic represents a promise made and a promise kept.
And to the people of Bermuda, it is another example of practical investment in our country’s infrastructure — Ministries working together, Health leading the vision, and Public Works and Enviornment delivering the construction necessary to make it real.
The result is something you can see, something you can use, and something that will serve this community for the foreseeable future.
And that is what progress should look like.
Thank you.
