Former amateur champion and boxing promoter Keith Bazilio is elated that the Andrew `Six Head' Lewis Boxing Gym is now officially open. But he is not too pleased about the board appointed to oversee the preservation of the facility.
Speaking to Stabroek Sport shortly after the official opening ceremony on Saturday in Callender Street, Albouystown, Bazilio said: "I don't see the people from the Albouystown community directly involved in the committee. [A perusal of the board reveals that a number of its members are in fact from the Albouystown community.] So I can foresee that some days youths from the community will turn up to use the facility and there might not be anyone around to open it. We'll have to wait and see what kind of support we'll get from the committee."
Bazilio, who gave of his time physically, especially during the final week leading up to Saturday's opening, added: "Everything has started good, but we'll have to wait and see… We haven't seen them work as yet and we don't know what to expect, but if there is reason for compliment later on I'll give it, and if there is reason for criticism I will give that also."
Former mayor of Georgetown Compton Young who grew up in King Edward Street, Albouystown said: "It's a good thing to have such a facility in this community, since it will be a boost, but that's if it is used for what it is meant."
Young said when he was mayor, Albouystown was his ward and he paid a lot of interest to the area.
"Other people can help by doing things for the community whether it is sports or anything else, and I will lend my support to the community and the gym," Young stated.
Young, who said the formation of his life was in the Albouystown area, also said he would like to see organisations assist other depressed areas.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors is current Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green, who also grew up in the Albouystown community.
During the opening ceremony on Saturday, Greene had said the building was not only for boxing, but for academic studies. "When Odinga [Lumumba, presidential adviser on empowerment] and I discussed the matter, we agreed that the building must go beyond physical exercise and importance must be paid to rounded personalities," Green had said.
According to Green, the board plans on acquiring trained teachers and other resource personnel to give academic training to members of the community at the gym.
The other members of the board are: Lumumba (secretary) Stanford Solomon (treasurer) Philomena Sahoye-Shury, MP (assistant secretary/treasurer), Guyana Olympic Association President K.A. Juman-Yassin; Guyana Boxing Board of Control Secretary Trevor Arno; Lt Col Francis Abraham; Assistant Police Commissioner Laurie George; Director of Sports Neil Kumar;, former boxers Marcell Daniels and Michael Parris; Vic Insanally; Andre Howard; Maurice `Bizzy' Boyce, Michael Goodman; Randolph Thorne;, Maurice Pile, Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL) Marketing Manager Anthonius Raghubansie; and Vaulda Lawrence MP.
Parris, Guyana's only Olympic medallist has been named manager of the facility and DDL has pledged to pay half of his salary for the remainder of the year. According to Lumumba, the construction of the facility cost in excess of $24 million.