Basseterre, St. Kitts (Public Infrastructure News) – Staff members of the Quarry Division of the Public Works Department are benefitting from a practical training session to improve their ability to operate, maintain and configure the machines used to produce aggregates for the construction and asphalt production sectors.
The session began on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, and is being conducted by Ferddy Santa Maria Perez, a Powerscreen Machine Technician and Industrial Engineer. It was conceived by Quarry Manager Jermaine Lake, as a proactive measure to ensure that quarry personnel refine their skills and improve the overall efficiency of the facility.
Lake told Public Infrastructure News on Friday (October 9):
“Most of the staff are new to quarrying and aggregate crushing, so they needed more exposure to configuring the machines to produce aggregates for various industries, such as asphalt and concrete production.”
Jermaine Lake | Quarry Manager
Officials say this week’s training session is important because the quarry’s output undergirds not only the wider construction and asphalt production sectors, but it also supports the internal operations of the Roads and Drains Division of the Public Works Department.
Its aggregates facilitate the maintenance and construction of roads and materials used to maintain government facilities – a mandate of the department’s Facilities Maintenance Division.
This week’s training session follows the 2025 commissioning of a Powerscreen secondary crushing plant, a screening plant, and a Rokbak truck, and a primary crusher upgrade the year before.
Speaking at the 2025 commissioning ceremony, Infrastructure Minister, Konris Maynard said:
“This project marks a significant milestone in the evolution of our construction sector.”
Hon. Konris Maynard | Minister of Public Infrastructure, Energy and Utilities
That evolution includes increasing the quarry’s output by 300% – something this week’s training session is aiming to facilitate.
The session ends on Saturday, October 10.
For more news from the Public Works Department and the Ministry of Public Infrastructure visit mopieudt.gov.kn/the-public-works-department, and Public Infrastructure News now.
