Kejan Haynes
Beverly Ramsey-Moore insists she can tackle one of the country’s longest running construction projects, the Pan Trinbago Headquarters in Trincity. Speaking on Freedom 106.5fm yesterday morning, Ramsey-Moore promised construction would begin before the end of the year.
“What I can declare yet today is that work will commence on that structure in 2023,” she said.
The Pan Trinbago president did not give a timeline for completion, but she did acknowledge it would not be before the end of the year. Ramsey-Moore, who has never officially declared how much the organisation made from gate receipts for Panorama, said part of proceeds will go toward construction.
“I want to assure you that a part of our gate receipts, our revenue will be going towards the completion of that facility. It will not be completed this year but we can commence,” she said.
The abandoned headquarters has been a long standing eyesore, located just after the Trincity intersection. The land, at the time valued at $8.5 million, was handed over in 2001 to Pan Trinbago by then Prime Minister Basdeo Panday. At the time he hoped the headquarters would be used as a year-round facility for people to hear pan. It would have formed part of a commercial and industrial city near Piarco International Airport.
Ramsey-Moore said she too has been pained to see its deterioration over the years.
“I mean that is why Trinidad and Tobago people are so upset because every time you see it I am also upset,” she lamented.
The new push to complete the headquarters comes as Pan Trinbago’s new executive has gone through rounds of audits which clear the way to finally access and utilise its funds. Ramsey-Moore said when she took over the organisation she found almost empty coffers.
“We now can say that for the very first time in about 13 or 14, 15, 16 years Pan Trinbago has clean audits,” she said. “We took night to make day to ensure that we put proper structure, procedures and processes in place to rebuild and to rebrand the organisation.”
She said previously the NCC had full financial control of the organisation but as of 2023, her administration has regained full control of its finances.