Stands to be dismantled after Independence celebrations

D’Urban Park development

– to be distributed to community grounds

By Devina Samaroo

The seating arrangements at the D’Urban Park facility will be dismantled and distributed to community centre grounds across the country when the 50th Independence anniversary celebrations are over.

Stakeholders and members of the public have raised concerns over the apparent wastage of taxpayers’ monies to construct temporary bleachers at D’Urban Park, only to disassemble it after the jubilee festivities.
However, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson explained that the temporary stands will be put to good use after the celebrations.
“They’re constructed like Lego so we can unscrew them and carry them to the grounds,” he told media operatives on Wednesday.
The initiative will be spearheaded by the Education Ministry, which will be tasked with developing suitable criteria to determine which grounds will receive the stands.
The final development of the D’Urban Park area is to construct a state-of-the-art, world-class arena to seat 30,000 persons.
Businessman Clinton Urling is one of a large number of individuals who expressed concerns over what they termed as the poor decision to develop temporary seating facilities made of wood at D’Urban Park.
“The decision to use wood to construct a temporary facility, which will be dismantled after the Independence activities are completed, was not well thought out. There were the issues of the time constraint to erect the structure, the use of the building materials afterward and the cost involved for the entire construction, demolition, and disposal of the wood materials. It would have been better suited if the Government had considered the use of mobile and temporary stands for this purpose,” he posited in a letter to the editor.
Meanwhile, in providing a general update on the progress of the D’Urban Park development, the Minister happily reported that the phase one project is now 57 per cent completed.
It is the expectation of the Government that the entire phase one project be completed in time for the imminent jubilee celebrations on May 26.
The outstanding works cover six areas which are the roofing and remedial works for spectator bleachers; completion of superstructure, walls and roof for VIP stand; electrical wiring, lighting and power supply; access driveways and bridges; creation of sanitary facilities; and drainage works.
The set deadline for competition is May 12, two weeks before Independence Day.
The D’Urban Park arena is expected to accommodate over 28,000 individuals as opposed to the National Stadium which can accommodate 16,000.