As a matter of priority, newly-installed chairman of the Urban Development Corporation (Udecott) Jearlean John is planning to investigate whether contractors are still liable to repair infrastructural defects in the construction of the $1 billion Brian Lara stadium. Sources who spoke with the Guardian yesterday revealed that parts of the stadium, which had not been officially handed over to the Government as yet were falling apart. The media tower was leaking badly and some the seats in the pavilion were broken.
An insider source who works at the site said water was gathering in the gym and the VIP lounge and the roof covering the multi-purpose building was built so high that it could not provide shelter for the 15,000 people who are expected to be accommodated. "The seat infrastructure was supposed to be imported, but they built it here and now it is falling apart...The grounds of the stadium are in good condition but the actual building is getting dilapidated," the source said. Residents of Tarouba, who live on the outskirts of the stadium, said it was frustrating to see the massive cost overruns at the facility, which is located on 180 acres of land.
Gasparillo resident John Charles said: "It is time that the stadium be put to use...It supposed to be open already but if the place falling apart, the contractor has to be held liable." The stadium was designed by Hellmuth, Obalat & Kassabum, a US architectural firm. The complex was designed to include an aquatic centre, Olympic-size cycling velodrome, indoor gymnasium, school for training of athletes, a large car park, new roads, the Brian Lara Stadium and a cricket academy.
Yesterday, only a few security guards hired by contractor Hafeez Karamath and Company, as well as Udecott security personnel, were seen milling about on the compound. Media workers were not allowed on the premises but evidence of the stained, mossy roof could be spotted from the highway. Last Thursday, Minister of Planning, Economic, Social Restructuring and Gender Affairs Mary King said the final cost for the stadium was put at more than $1 billion, and due to errors on the structure of the stadium that needed to be fixed, the stadium could not be handed over to the Ministry of Sport.
She indicated that the new Udecott board, headed by John, which was approved by Cabinet last Thursday, would soon be addressing final structural repairs to the controversial Tarouba stadium as a matter of priority. Contacted yesterday, John said she would be looking at the existing contracts to determine whether contractors were still liable for defects at the building. "I expect to start work today...The board was appointed on Friday and next Friday, we will attend a board meeting," she said.
"The issues at the stadium will be the first thing on the agenda," John said. "We are doing our investigations to determine the scope of the remedial works. "There is a liability period and most likely there will be provisions for defects. I am hoping that we are still in the warranty period, but if that liability period is over we will have to go out and tender." Asked whether the contractors will face any penalties for poor work, John said she would have to investigate before determining whether the contractor could be held accountable for defects. She said although she was chairman of Udecott for eight months under the PNM, she did not have all the facts.
"When I go to work tomorrow, I will sit down and deal with all the hard issues, which I am familiar with, and we are going to move swiftly to take all the action that is required to get the stadium open," John said.
The stadium was expected to be completed since 2007 to host matches during the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Sources said several contractors who carried out work at the Tarouba Stadium were still owed lucrative sums of money, including Hafeez Karamath and Company.
