A Petite lady with a big job

The mad rush is on to finish the government -sponsored Emancipation Park by Wednesday and 26-year old architect and project manager, Heather Pinnock is working day and night to make it happen.

When All Woman went to interview her, she was making an inspection on the site in New Kingston. Her dusty boots and hair hastily pinned on top off her head clearly showed that she had been spending more time on site than in office.

As she settled behind her desk to speak with us, several co-workers came in at different intervals to ask for her opinion or orders on issue. What to do. Wearing her authority like a glove, Heather delegated tasks while speaking to All Woman. “I liaise with the managing director and the chairman, to reports to the Board as well as oversee the work on the site,” Heather said. From the conception of the project, she had been there chiefly to make sure that the spirit of the design was carried through.

Employed by the National Housing Trust for a little over two years, she was quite happy when her company was given the task to construct a national park – with a deadline little under a year. “It is an exciting project because nobody here has ever built a park before. It is a learning experience. We have worked around the clock,” Pinnock said.

Her passion for her work is evident as she talked about the features of the park. Like a proud parent she spoke of the 20-foot waterfall, the large green areas, the jogging trial, the palm trees planted at intervals to provide shade and the monument to famous Jamaican artist, Laurie Facey, which would be mounted at the ceremonial entrance. The park was commissioned last year by Prime Minister P J Patterson to celebrate the emancipation of Jamaicans from slavery on August 1, 1813. According to Heather, it gave her an immense sense of satisfaction to be able to build such an historic national symbol. “I enjoy my work. It is a good feeling to be able to build. You go from dirt to having a park or a building. It is very fulfilling. I am happy to be able to contribute something to my country,” she said. She credited her parents with instilling in her a strong sense of national pride and service to country.

“My mommy and my daddy are my greatest inspiration. They taught us – my three sisters and I to stay and serve our country even when everybody else is running,” she explained. A seemingly outspoken individual, she spoke candidly about working in a male dominated field. “I had to gain their respect. When I just started out I used to get a lot of ‘browning’ and ‘nice girl’ but once they realised that I would not put up with nonsense, that quickly changed to ‘morning Miss Pinnock’.”

According to her, she got into the field just by chance. Her love, she said had always been art but after completing high school with Art as an A level subject, she applied to architecture school at the then College of Art, Science and Technology.

“I applied on a whim and suprisingly I got in,” she said.

Her time at CAST (Now University of Technology), she said, was great. After completing her degree there she worked for a year at Kingston Restoration Company before doing a masters in development planning and urban design at University College in London.

Now she says she no longer wants to be an architect, instead she wants to focus on urban development planning. “I am more interested in large scale development rather than just a particular building,” she said. After this project she told All Woman she would probably go back to her regular work in project management at the National Housing Trust.

“I am working on a sugar housing project. Under a tripartite agreement between the NHT, the Trade Unions and Sugar Producers Federation it was decided to develop housing for low income groups of sugar workers,” she said.

So far, she related, construction was underway on 550 lots in Monymusk, Clarendon; 200 lots at Appleton in St Elizabeth while 80 lots had been completed in New Yarmouth, Clarendon. As the interview progressed she showed All Woman around the park. She had been there she said from 7:30 that morning. That has been her habit for the last few weeks as the deadline approaches. When she is not a work – which is rare, she said she enjoys jetsking, reading and most especially playing with her dog, Ming.

I never watch tv – not even news – unless one of my projects is on the news, she said. Marriage and family are also way down on her list as she said she was focusing on building her career now. As we walk around the site she stopped to talk to several workers. One is electrical engineer, Richard Coubry, who told All Woman that she was easy to work with.

“She was very approachable. You can discuss anything with her but she is very firm. She likes communication and accountability. She has to know what is happening or else,” he says when she is out of earshot.

His first reaction when he met her, he said that she seemed young. “She looks a bit young and I thought wow, she is quite beautiful. “But as I worked with her I realise that she is a professional and that she knows her stuff,” he continued. Close to the conclusion of the interview she walked back over to us and escored us to the gate. There she stopped to upbraid the guard about the number of tourists on the compound. “You have to be more vigilant – too many people are here who are not working on the site,” she warned.

As she later bade All Woman bye, she returned to the site where she would be up until at least 10 o’clock that and every night until the Park is complete for opening on Wednesday, August 1.