SHALIZA HASSANALI
Senior investigative Reporter
shaliza.hassanali@guardian.co.tt
Taxpayers have been paying close to $6 million annually in salaries, security fees and utility bills on four non-operational community swimming pools managed by the Ministry of Sport and Community Development (MSCD).
The monthly operation cost for these non-functioning pools is almost half a million dollars.
Last month, the MSCD provided written responses to a list of questions coming out of the Fifteenth Report of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee on the maintenance of nine community swimming pools in February 2023.
Giving the latest update on the status of its nine swimming pools, the MSCD identified La Horquetta, Siparia, Sangre Grande and Couva as “closed” due to ongoing refurbishment works while Morvant, Diego Martin, Laventille, Maloney and Cocoyea remain open to the public.
The committee, chaired by Bridgid Annisette-George, requested written submissions from the MSCD by January 29, 2024, on several issues ranging from arrears owed to agencies, a review of its recruitment process, the ordering, payment and delivery for chemicals for pools, a review of its emergency response plan, a list of incomplete works and to provide a status update on whether pools were reopened on schedule.
Those responses were provided on January 25, 2024, in a 300-page report signed by the ministry’s acting permanent secretary.
The ministry’s newest and tenth pool at D’Abadie/Malabar is still the responsibility of the Urban Development Corporation of T&T.
When the MSCD appeared before the committee last year, they promised to reopen the Siparia, Sangre Grande, Diego Martin and La Horquetta facilities by March 2023. Almost a year later the promise remains unfulfilled for three of those facilities. Only Diego Martin was reopened last April.
The costs of closed pools
The MSCD was asked by the committee to provide the monthly maintenance cost of the nine pools under its purview.
A calculation of the pools’ monthly operation cost was put at $929,242.50. Its yearly figure totalled $11,150, 910.
This was for security fees, utility bills such as Telecommunications Services of T&T (TSTT), the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) and the T&T Electricity Commission (T&TEC) and salaries paid to staff members for each pool.
A breakdown showed that while Maloney, Morvant and Laventille pools are provided staffing paid for by “the Ministry of National Security” the MSCD forks out $50,000 a month in salaries for the remaining six pools.
The monthly salaries for the workers at the six pools were tabulated at $300,000 with the annual figure amounting to $3,600,000.
The report revealed that the MSCD’s monthly security fee for its nine pools was $403,642.50, while it cost taxpayers $4,843,710 annually.
There was a variation in the monthly security fees for the nine pools which ranged between $43,200 to $48,000. The Diego Martin and Laventille pools rack up the highest security bill of $48,000 each monthly. The lowest were Cocoyea, Sangre Grande and Siparia at $43,200 each.
Each pool varied in its monthly WASA bill which ranged from $300 to $1,500.
The ministry’s overall monthly water bill was put at $6,300. Its annual WASA bill was estimated at $75,600.
A perusal of the pools’ monthly T&TEC bills was between $5,000 to $10,000.
The monthly and yearly costs were put at $58,000 and $696,000 respectively.
Phone services provided by TSTT were between $200 to $1,000 a month. Each month the MSCD pays a collective telephone bill of $3,800. The yearly payment to TSTT totalled $45,600.
Another bill the MSDC pays monthly is for “cleaning supply” and “chemicals” for each pool which was put at $7,000. The monthly tab for these supplies was $84,000 while the yearly figure was calculated at $756,000.
A tabulation of the monthly and yearly operational costs of the four non-functioning pools was put at $491,765.50 and $5,901,186 respectively.
A breakdown showed the MSCD’s monthly overall expenses for La Horquetta were $123,912.50, Sangre Grande $122,600, Siparia $121,900, and Couva $123,350.
It was revealed that the MSCD submitted a note for Cabinet for security, maintenance, landscaping and janitorial services for the pools.
The MSCD stated in its report that Cabinet Minute 443 of March 16, 2023, agreed to the engagement of the National Maintenance Training and Security Company Ltd (MTS) to provide these services at the pools.
The committee requested from the MSCD the estimated cost to repair the 50-year-old Couva pool which has structural defects. It listed the figure at $941,792.62.
The MSCD disclosed that CEP Ltd was awarded a contract last year via “open tender” for $48,346.888 to conduct an assessment of the Couva facility which was submitted to Parliament.
MSCD: Releases on a timelier basis from Finance Ministry
Throughout the committee’s ongoing hearings in 2023, the MSCD said the untimely release of funding by the Finance Ministry had been delaying refurbishment works on its pools and procurement of chemicals and equipment.
It was recommended by the committee that the MSCD and the Finance Ministry meet to discuss this issue at their earliest convenience.
Following a meeting with both ministries last month, the MSCD stated in its response that releases are being received on a timelier basis “in accordance with the process timelines and subject to the availability of cash flow in the country.”
Arrears owed to agencies
The committee also requested an update from the MSCD on arrears owed to agencies.
Up to March 31, 2023, the MSCD had an “aged payable” of $24,276,553.31 to T&TEC, WASA, TSTT and the MTS.
T&TEC and MTS were said to be owed the largest sum with $11,765,810.09 and $9,737,812.94 respectively.
Providing an updated figure, the MSCD stated its current aged payable figures represented an “unreconciled amount” of $16,807,629.17 to T&TEC, WASA, TSTT and MST.
T&TEC’s figure was put at $12,009,201.51. Trailing was MTS with $3,720.871.19, TSTT at $644,404.47, and WASA with the least of $433,152.
The MSCD stated in its response that “reconciliation remains ongoing at the time of this report.”
The ministry was asked by the committee how long the last receipt of funds to pay for the expenditure related to community pools has been an issue.
Responding, the MSCD stated the late receipt of funds to pay for the expenditure related to the pools has been an issue between 2015 and 2022.
However, as of fiscal year 2022/2023, the MSCD noted that the receipt of funds has been regular once the request for purchases has been submitted promptly.
The committee also asked the MSCD to state if they had finalised the revision of the fee structure for pools that do not charge their users.
The users of the Laventille, Morvant, Maloney, D’Abadie/Malabar and Cocoyea pools are not charged to use these facilities.
This had not been the case with users of the Siparia, Diego Martin, Couva, Sangre Grande and La Horquetta pools who had to pay $40 per hour per person.
Schools were charged a fee of $100 per term. These fees are heavily subsidised.
“Meetings have been ongoing between the MSCD and SporTT to discuss the new rates structures which resulted in the submission of various proposals for consideration,” the MSCD stated in its report.
It was determined by the ministry and SporTT that a more comprehensive review was required and that external assistance was needed. “To this end, terms of reference were developed for the engagement of a consultant to undertake this comprehensive review for the ministry and SporTT. The procurement process has been initiated, with SporTT currently revising the request for quotation proposal,” the ministry revealed.
The MSCD stated that some pools did not have a fee structure in place “as directed by the Office of the Prime Minister. This was not a decision of the ministry.”
Once the review of fees is completed, the ministry stated a note will be sent to Cabinet.