Hamragarður nursing home in Vágur facing expensive repairs and safety issues
Only 13 years after the nursing and care home Hamragarður in Vágur was opened, the building is in very poor condition.
Landsverk, the government agency charged with managing public infrastructure, has assessed that all windows and doors should be replaced, in addition to needed repairs on the exterior cladding, climate screens, canopies, flooring, ceilings, and various aspects related to fire safety, among other items.
Documents obtained by the public broadcaster Kringvarpið reveal these findings. In a cost estimate from March of last year, Landsverk projected that it would cost approximately 17.3 million Danish kroner to restore the building, with an additional 40 percent allocated for uncertainties and planning costs.
During a discussion on Dag og Viku last Friday, Kári Poulsen, the caretaker at Hamragarður, described the current state of the building.
The municipalities in the southern part of Suðuroy have yet to take over ownership of the structure.
Next to Hamragarður is Eiðisgarður, which was constructed as a regional facility for individuals with mental health challenges.
The total cost for building both Hamragarður and Eiðisgarður was 84.6 million kroner. The national government and the municipalities agreed to share the construction costs, with 40% funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs and 60% covered by the municipalities.