Government's promised upgrade work to the Skinner Park Facility in San Fernando is now set to take off June 17 with the first phase and is projected to take approximately 18 months for completion, at a cost of $147 million.
And since the 18-month period will include next year's buzzing Carnival celebrations in February (24 & 25), where the Park has been the venue for the Calypso Fiesta and other competitions, San Fernando Mayor Junior Regrello said arrangements have already been made for the Brian Lara Academy in Tarouba, San Fernando to stage the competitions, which have been a staple on the carnival calendar.
According to Regrello, "We have spoken with TUCO and have made arrangements with the Brian Lara Stadium for that facility to be used for those events. It may work out very well because Brian Lara may be a central location for people coming from Port-of-Spain."
At a press conference on Monday at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair, stakeholders from the San Fernando area which included, MP and Attorney General Faris Al Rawi, City of San Fernando Mayor- Regrello, Shamfa Cudjoe- Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Randall Mitchell- MP San Fernando East, and Kazim Hosein- Senator and Minister of Rural Development and Local Government, the new premier multi-purpose Park will create jobs, generate revenue, encourage food vending, facilities management, public health, jump-start tourism, transform the San Fernando area which has been dying for the past years, and return Skinner Park to the centre of sports and culture that it has been for many years in the Southland.
The new facility will comprise a three-story stand with a seating capacity of 3000, inclusive of a Mayor's Box and corporate boxes, a refurbished cycle track and football field, installation of new lighting towers which will all be done by Yorke Structures Ltd, from the sister isle of Tobago. Cudjoe said the Tobago firm was chosen ahead of five other bidders by virtue of having the lowest price.
Cudjoe said the recent closure of the Skinner Park last month, meant that other National Governing Bodies (NGBs) had to use other facilities.
"Earlier last month we would have closed major parts of the facility, so many of the NGBs and sporting bodies in San Fernando area, now unable to use the facility and are being redirected to Siparia Sports Complex and the National Cycling Centre."
Al Rawi said, "The significance of today is to anchor home, the re-development of San Fernando. It's a $150 million dollar investment, specifically in one location and that investment in San Fernando and Skinner Park is phase one. Phase two is actively afoot, which is the development of the secondary ground next to Skinner Park. For those of you who are aware of how Skinner Park operates, much of the ancillary services for parking for events and for management, are hosted on the secondary ground, but one has to consider the prudence of cannibalising your secondary ground by parking on the grass so that you can use the primary ground."
Al Rawi noted, "This has impacted the Cross Crossing community where we have our version in San Fernando of food vending and structures. It has an impact on the residential community and the school community. This is an icon for San Fernando and it is very closely related to another decision which was the Ministry of Housing announcement of 5000 houses spread between South Quay and San Fernando."
Cudjoe in response to having another facility to compete against others that are not maintained, said, "A major part of the Sport Policy is the development of sports and development through sport, so we are bringing these facilities into the 21st century, where it will not just be used for preparing athletes but can be used for generating income also."
She admitted that work is also being done on a number of other facilities, while others such as the Jean Pierre Complex and Hasely Crawford Stadium are also being targeted.
Mitchell told the gathering it has been proposed that monies collected from property taxes in the area to be used for maintenance of the Skinner Park facility, as well as the revenue from events that are staged there.