School relocation: back to square one

In March 2022, the union list led by Marie-Hélène Bernier and Xavier Lédée was elected to head the Collectivité on the basis of a number of key priorities. Education was one of them. However, on January 11 2023, the Executive Council voted by a majority to abandon the project to relocate the Gustavia school group to Saint-Jean. A project patiently developed over many years during the previous term of office, for which a plot of land behind the Saint-Jean stadium had been purchased for ten million euros. Twenty months later, after a series of episodes to which it will be essential to return, the President of the Collectivité has officially relaunched the project. At the same location and in a relatively similar configuration. But, as Xavier Lédée assures us, it's an "improved project".

A 20.5 million euro project
As he hammered home in a short video published online, Xavier Lédée emphasizes the "more ambitious" nature of the new project. In particular, he insists on the need to guarantee "greater fluidity of road traffic in Saint-Jean". To achieve this, plots of land have been purchased from various owners, as well as the road running alongside the future school site. He also mentions the construction of a new traffic circle to facilitate access and pedestrian walkways. The elected official also mentions the structure of the future buildings, "adapted to the climate of Saint-Barthélemy", the presence of an area dedicateddiated to children with disabilities, as well as an experimental garden and a room dedicated to the environment.
More specifically, this "new" project to relocate schools to Saint-Jean involves the construction of a school group comprising twenty classrooms. A refectory will be integrated for the children's meals. However, the central kitchen will remain in Gustavia to cater for Mireille Choisy's secondary school pupils. Meals will therefore be delivered daily to the refectory of the new Saint-Jean school group. The project does not include housing for teachers within the school grounds. The estimated cost of the work is 20.5 million euros. The Collectivité's "desired" opening date is set for the first quarter of 2028. In his speech on August 24, Xavier Lédée indicated that his objective was to lay the foundation stone for the new schools on Saint-Jean in the first quarter of 2025.
At the same time, contrary to what the elected representatives had imagined at previous meetings, the Collectivité was obliged to relaunch the project.At the same time, contrary to what the elected representatives had imagined at previous meetings, the local authority was obliged to re-launch a "restricted design competition for the construction of the school complex". In short, an architect's competition. This is the same competition that was launched and then closed for the initial project. Three candidates will be invited to submit bids, after selection by the jury. An indemnity of 25,000 euros will be paid to each competitor. The candidate will receive this sum as an advance on his contract. By abandoning the initial project, the local authority had, by the same token, paid the 75,000 euros to the three architectural firms for nothing.

SBDA satisfied
Be that as it may, the project is now well and truly underway. Much to the satisfaction of the elected members of the Saint-Barth d'Abord group, who campaigned tirelessly for the project to be resumed on the site purchased during the previous term of office. In the meantime, the site had become an empty parking lot 90% of the time, and the Collectivité was seriously considering building a skake-park on it. The project to relocate the schools is a crucial one that was wrongly abandoned at the beginning of the mandate by the current majority," recalls Saint-Barth d'abord in a press release. This regrettable interruption not only resulted in a considerable loss of time, but also in unavoidable additional costs. The planned location, close to the sports facilities, is particularly judicious, as it favors better integration of the pupils into their local environment. The inclusive nature of the project, offering a suitable setting for all children, as well as the diversity of possible access routes to get there, make it an essential achievement for the collective well-being. "In short, the SBDA group is happy.
In fact, no one is even mentioning the other plot of land Xavier Lédée is considering for the new Saint-Jean school complex. This land is located between the Saint-Jean Super U and the plots of land on which Savane SCI has been granted planning permission to build a shopping center. This proposal, put forward a few days before the territorial council meeting on February 22, met with numerous protests from the assembly. It was therefore rejected. The question now is what the Collectivité intends to do with the land. The question, put to President Lédée, remains unanswered.