After being closed since 2019, Skinner Park renovation works are nearing completion and the park should be reopened by the end of the year.
This was revealed by San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello and San Fernando West MP Faris Al-Rawi over the weekend.
Speaking to reporters, Regrello said the project faced numerous setbacks.
“I am happy to say Skinner Park should be ready by October. We were setback by the COVID lockdown. All those issues, including the shortages of materials, as you know, ships were not in the sea, hardwares were not getting materials and all of that slowed down the progress. Now, we are being challenged by inclement weather,” he said.
Regrello said the project is 70 or 80 per cent complete so that by November, the park should be ready for use.
Meanwhile, Al-Rawi said a second project is also being considered.
“This involves the secondary grounds. We want to set up car parking and we hope to engage in consultation. The bridge that has been erected from Embacadere to Ramsaran Street end, imagine that stretching to the food strip and becoming a night-time attraction with parking across the road. The beginning of the waterfront starts there,” Al-Rawi said.
Saying the consultations will take place in the upcoming weeks, Al-Rawi said the nearby schools and community will have access to the grounds. He also said a Certificate of Environmental Clearance has already been granted by the EMA.
Told that the waterfront was supposed to finish in April, Al-Rawi said: “We had modifications based on the projected plans for the secondary grounds.”
He could not give a projected time frame for the completion of works but said he will speak to Udecott and give this information at another time.
Skinner Park has been the centre of leisure and sporting activities for over a century. It was closed on May 18 last year for upgrades. However, since April, various sporting groups have been calling for the project to be completed. The project involves the replacement of the pavilion, an underground car park and a food strip for vendors who are now at Cross Crossing.