Man removed from abandoned library after months of complaints

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 man who had been living at the derelict Gall Hill library in St John was removed by police on Tuesday after residents reported escalating health risks, threats and a worsening rat infestation linked to conditions at the property.

The old Gall Hill Library site before Tuesday’s clean-up, with debris and items scattered across the property as a man occupied the premises. (SM)

By evening, the difference was already clear.

Where piles of debris once spilled across the yard of the abandoned building, there was now open space. The air felt lighter, and for the first time in months, residents say they could breathe again.

“Definitely, definitely, definitely… We are breathing a sigh of relief,” said Roland Waithe, summing up the mood in the community.

“For quite some time, this has been an ongoing problem,” he told Barbados TODAY, sharing that residents had been raising concerns long before Tuesday’s intervention.

Police transported the unidentified man to the Psychiatric Hospital after his behaviour escalated.

The man, who had taken up residence at the vacant building after previously occupying another nearby location, had accumulated items from across the district, turning the site into what residents described as an eyesore.

Old bags, household items, discarded containers and other debris were strewn about the property, creating not just an unsightly scene but a health concern.

Reiterating the concerns that have plagued residents in the area for months, Waithe noted their plight escalated over time.

“We had a situation whereby he was threatening people,” he said. “The other aspect was that he was bringing garbage from all over the community to one location.”

The build-up of refuse led to further problems, including a rat infestation at a neighbouring property.

He told Barbados TODAY that at a nearby shop, where food is sold at weekends, the issue had become more than an inconvenience.

“That could actually shut down her business,” Waithe said, noting the challenge of operating a food establishment so close to the conditions.

Others who use the bus stop directly opposite the property also raised concerns, particularly early morning commuters heading to work.

“A lot of airport workers go there to catch the early bus, and he started to threaten them and harass them,” Waithe added.

Another resident described the location as having become increasingly difficult to pass, citing both the clutter and the man’s unpredictable behaviour as factors that raised concerns about safety, especially for children in the area.

Despite the urgency, resolving the issue was not straightforward.

“It was a coordinated effort,” Waithe explained, thanking MP for St John, Charles Griffith for his representation on the matter.

“I’m really grateful for what Mr Griffith did [because] he had to get the police, environmental health, sanitation – everybody had to come together at the same time.”

In a social media post, Griffith acknowledged the concerns raised by residents and thanked the various agencies involved in the intervention, including the police, environmental health inspectorate and the Sanitation Service Authority.

With the property now cleared, attention is turning to what comes next.

Griffith told Barbados TODAY that the former library is expected to be repurposed as a training and business hub for young women in the constituency, focused on dressmaking.

The plan is to train a new cohort in uniform production for primary schools in St John, with the possibility of expanding the initiative islandwide.

The project is still in its early stages, with recruitment of participants about to begin, he said. 

Nearby, work is also ongoing on an old community centre in the area that is expected to house a small commercial complex, though no timeline has been given for completion.

The library and the community centre are two of several unused buildings in Gall Hill, which also includes a former polyclinic and an old welfare building that remain unoccupied. These services are all now housed in the David Thompson Health and Social Services Complex, about a kilometre east at Glebe Land.  

For now, residents are simply taking in the change.

The Gall Hill Library compound after authorities cleared the area, removing debris and restoring the space. (SM)

“We’re breathing a sigh of fresh air,” Waithe said. “We’re really very pleased.”

And as workers return home and pass the once troubled site, many are expected to share that same sense of relief.

(SM)