More than $80 million spent, and close to seven years after the official opening of the North Eastern Regional Multipurpose Sport Facility on Ojoe Road, Sangre Grande, in August 2016, many residents say the facility has been a waste of taxpayers’ money.
The Sunday Guardian visited the area on Thursday and spoke with several people from the community, including three people living opposite the facility.
The project’s initial estimated cost was $79.6 million, but there have also been further unknown costs linked to repair work still ongoing on the flooring of the facility’s indoor surface.
The sporting complex, which started under the People’s Partnership government, consists of facilities for basketball, badminton, netball, volleyball, gymnastics, tennis and football.
However, residents said that the facility is not achieving what it was designed to do–provide a facility for the development of sports among the community’s youth.
“That thing is like a white elephant. Waste of taxpayers’ money. Once they had a meeting there when the villagers had a town hall meeting inside. Plenty of money paid, and I don’t know what it is there for. I don’t see any young people inside there. That is supposed to be for the young people or the community.
“There are not enough opportunities for young people. There’s plenty of unemployment. Plenty. That’s why we have plenty of crime. But you know once one government do something, the next one does blank it. These politicians are so illiterate,” 70-year-old Justine said while walking past the facility.
“It never opened to have anything inside of it. This facility has been here for about five or six years. It just standstill there. Waste of time and money, and real money spend there,” Jafayat, who lives opposite the facility, said.
“I’m not sure but the security usually on the compound, but we don’t see any activity … It looks like it’s been a waste of money because it’s not really in use,” Nora, who lives in another house opposite, said.
At least ten other residents the Sunday Guardian spoke with also believed the facility was a waste of money, saying they have seen little to no activity taking place inside.
They said they had all heard that the indoor facility contains quality infrastructure, but they were yet to see it for themselves or attend a sporting event there.
“It doesn’t make sense having a facility and it not in use. For instance, there’s a Mother’s Day concert coming up, and it’s in a facility on the other side, they could have kept it here,” a resident named Dora said.
“They don’t keep nothing there. The other day I see they keep a little football thing, but nothing regular. It has nice courts in there wasting. There are plenty of delinquent children around,” a man in his early 40s from the area said.
When the Sunday Guardian visited the facility on Thursday, the main gate was closed, and we were told that the facility is not yet open.
To the front left of the building, the project’s sign with the name of the facility leaned upon the external structure of the building. The graphics and text of the sign were bleached by the sun.
The facility’s car park was empty except for a security guard’s vehicle.
It was not possible to get a glimpse of the indoor infrastructure, but there was a well-manicured football/hockey field in the distance.
The Sunday Guardian was told that there was an event last weekend.
SPORTT CEO expresses sympathy to the residents
The facility is managed by The Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (SPORTT).
Expressing sympathy for the concerns expressed by Sangre Grande residents about the North Eastern Regional Multipurpose Sports Facility, chief executive officer of the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago Jason Williams said SPORTT has been left to do repair work that the original contractors ought to have done.
He confirmed that repair work is still ongoing on the facility’s indoor surface, but is expected to be completed by November.
“Years ago, the issue was with the flooring because the flooring wasn’t level, and it wasn’t fit for purpose because it could cause injuries to the athletes, and it was a risk that we’d be taking. This is from the original work done, and with any original work, there’s a defect time to give the contractor time to see if they could repair the work. Now, unfortunately, it wasn’t done during the time the contractor could have done it, so we would have had to make provisions to do it.
“It wasn’t just a matter of ordering sports flooring and taking out the old one and putting in the new one. It goes beyond that because some of the issues came with the subsurface. Before you put on the flooring, you have to make sure the surface is properly well-prepared. Otherwise, you will just be spinning top in mud. We’ve done all this work in consultation with the national basketball federation
to get the right type of flooring for multipurpose and things like that,” Williams told the Sunday Guardian on Friday.
According to Williams, the electrical repair work is complete, and the external field is ready and available for public use.
He said residents can contact SPORTT and make a booking to use the facility.
“I understand the angst of the residents. Of course, you are living in the area, and you see this building up there, and they are not being able to use it. We are trying to do a repair job of what should have been done properly, to begin with.
“We were told the flooring was being sent by the original contractor, and it was in a boat coming to the country … and nothing came. We’ve already ordered the sports flooring. The contractors have been identified to do the work to install the sports flooring and get the certification,” Williams said.
In previous interviews with the press about the facility, Sports Company Chairman Douglas Camacho said repairs were necessary because of, what he called, the poor quality of flooring initially installed by contractor, Shanghai Construction Group.
He said, in 2018, that there were other defects not addressed by the contractor.
About the contract
In March 2013, the People’s Partnership government signed a loan with China Eximbank worth US$85 million for six national sporting facilities’ development projects. The loan had an interest rate of three per cent and a final maturity date of July 21, 2028.
It covered approximately 85 per cent of the Government’s $630 million (TT) sporting facilities project. The North Eastern Regional Multipurpose Sports Facility was one of the projects. The other projects included the George Bovell National Aquatic Centre, the National Cycling Velodrome, and the National Tennis Centre, as well as the upgrading and development of parks, spaces and grounds throughout the country.
At the official opening of the Sports Facility at Ojoe Road in August 2016, former Toco/Sangre Grande MP Glenda Jennings-Smith said the facility will help youths achieve their dreams and will also provide further employment.
