By Akeem Greene
Community grounds in Buxton, Enterprise and Success have been allocated G$10 million each by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport for enhancement works.
Minister Charles Ramson Jr. visited all three East Coast of Demerara grounds on Wednesday afternoon where he made the revelation to the administrators.
This follows allocations for similar works to grounds on the Essequibo Coast and in Berbice recently.
The Buxton Community Centre ground would have already benefitted significantly with regards to the refurbishing of stands and improving the outfield, and now the Minister explained that the expenditure for the first half of the allocated sum will go towards the purchase of eight 50-foot concrete poles for the mounting of lights.
Apart from works on improving the washroom facilities, which can allow for more tournaments and comfort for patrons, the next step would be the construction of additional stands.
The Sport Minister indicated that through partnerships with the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), they will look to rollout programmes for the community, which could be linked to the Ministry’s plan for an Elite Training Programme.
Additionally, he said he had consultations with Ministers from the Public Works Ministry for the paving of the access road to the ground.
At Enterprise, the Minister expressed delight that the administrators have begun to do restoration works with the initial assistance given last year. They will also receive a Lawnmower to aid in the maintenance of the outfield.
Over at Success, the first major project will be the construction of a galvanised chain-link fence, followed by the refurbishing of the washroom and stands.
The Minister said they will install lights and benches on the ground for it to be a user-friendly facility, given its location in the community, allowing all persons to access it for recreational purposes. He further promised to return with cricket gear.
After following the procurement process, Ramson Jr. promised that over the next few days, funds will be available and further progress will begin to show in the coming weeks.
Making an impact
According to the Minister, since taking office in August 2020, visiting these community grounds and making the assessment has been a great revelation.
“Having gone around, and be able to assess how important it is, you can really tell that community grounds have serious and profound meaning to people in that community,” Ramson Jr. expressed.
The effort to ensure that persons spend the money most prudently so they can achieve the development objective caused the Minister to conduct numerous consultations.
Minister Ramson Jr. said the government is not in the business of supporting any one particular area or group, but is rather keen on fostering holistic growth, as he made reference to President Irfaan Ali’s vision of being a leader for all.
The idea behind making the grounds more family and leisure-oriented is to get more partners on board to assist in the maintenance of these facilities, in addition to the caretaking of machinery the Ministry will supply to some grounds.
Out of the $1.5 billion budgeted to facilitate the development programmes throughout the country, $915.5 million is allocated for the improvement of community grounds countrywide, to expand their use as parks, and create premium, multi-purpose, sporting facilities of international standards in Regions Two, Six and 10.
