[dropcap]N[/dropcap]early a month after a fire of unknown origin destroyed the Folk Research Centre there has been no enlightening word from the fire department. The FRC staff has been operating from the offices of the Cultural Development Foundation. This week Msgr. Patrick Anthony said: “We haven’t gotten a report from the fire department or police, and we need one to move on.” Without the official word the FRC will be unable to carry negotiations with its insurance company or access the site to determine what will be done next.
According to Assistant Divisional Officer Victrine, who is currently investigating the FRC fire: “No new updates, no exact cause has been determined. The structure was completely destroyed. The extent of the burning makes it difficult to find evidence.” He added: “It is a bit early to make a definite pronouncement but so far it looks like the cause may not be identified.”
Further: “Usually when you have that extent of burning without eyewitnesses or security camera footage, the cause remains undetermined.”
For now Paba knows that to move on the FRC needs “a structural engineer to advise because these repositories of the country’s culture need to be fireproof, waterproof, hurricane-proof, terrorism-proof and so on. The nation’s patrimony is vulnerable.”
The FRC received recently a timely gift from Mr. Dennis Ishmael, a Saint Lucian living in Atlanta, Georgia. “The scanner was a spontaneous donation, and we have other specific and immediate needs. We are doing a needs assessment right now. We’re also looking at medium- and long-term needs and the FRC executive board will be meeting soon to finalize that list.”
