Veep’s House: Fence wall alone to cost $471,000

The controversy surrounding the $14million ($13,968,252.66) residence of the Vice- President, currently under construction, has deepened as the financial statement covering the construction has revealed that the fence wall and gate alone is estimated to cost $471,000 ($471,528.27).

Another cost item, which raises eyebrows, is the growing of flowers, grass and trees in the house, dubbed horticulture, also costs $137,082.

The document dated February 2016 indicates that a total amount of $8,179,138.95 has been certified for payment with an outstanding amount of $5,789,113.71 left as the value of outstanding works.

$124,000 swimming pool

According to the document, prepared by Architectural and Engineering Services Limited (AESL), an agency of the state that provides Consultancy Services on all projects being executed, the cost of swimming pool is $124,957.10.

Cost of Each item

The breakdown of other items include, Preliminaries – $678,300, Demolitions – $100,000, Basement - $221,861.42, Ground Floor - $2.3million ($2,367,655.57), First Floor – $1.3million ($1,394,671.85), Second Floor - $167,282.45, and Lift Shaft - $101,810.40.

Others are:$12,109.10, Out House - $409,858.19, Office of the Second Lady - $716,901.04, Lounge –$160, 263.36, Sundries - $53, 698.77, Electrical Installations - $2.4million ($2,415,379.55), Air Conditioning and other Mechanical Installations - $991,896.68, Lift Installations - $195,600, Soft Furnishing - $440,000, and Road, Pavements - $330,000 and Balustrades - $55,000.

An amount of $1million dollars was added to the actual cost of the project under the title External Works.

The cost of various variations are: Variations ordered to date – $778,001.25, External Electrical Works - $77,371.76, Sculpture and Emblems - $25,566.54, Stone Facing works – $55,300, Hardwood Panel Doors - $88,157.36 and other anticipated variations $400,000.

The emergence of these documents put the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which vehemently rejected the $14million cost put out byVice- President DrMahamuduBawumia last week and accused him of petty politicking, in a very obscure corner.

The Deputy Minority Leader, James KlutseAvedzi, chastised the Vice-President for his claim that the Mahama administration blew $13.9million on the official residence of the Vice-President, which is still under construction.

Former Presidential staffer Dr. Clement Apaak and Member of Parliament for Builsa South, however, claimed that $5.9millon was budgeted for the house and not $13.9 million as has been alleged by the Vice-President.

“An amount of $5.9million is what has been budgeted for the putting up of the Vice-President’s residence and not $13 million. There is an attempt (by the NPP) perhaps to try to shift attention from their promises. It was Amissah-Arthur (former Vice-President) himself who briefed Dr. Bawumia on the project and mentioned to him that no further payment has been made,”MrApaak stressed.