Work on unsatisfactory stadium areas moving apace
-Willis
By Miranda La Rose
Stabroek News
December 23, 2006
Conditions on the pitch, outfield and the practice nets of the Guyana National Stadium at Providence, East Bank Demerara have improved with additional work since the ICC CWC venue tour made its observations and recommendations on November 16, Ministry of Public Works and Communication engineer Walter Willis says.
Speaking at the CWC 2007 Local Organising Committee (LOC) end-of-year press briefing at the LOC office on Middle Street on Thursday, Willis said the officials had deemed the pitch unsatisfactory with poor ground-keeping; the outfield as having sparse grass covering and being very sandy and soft; and the sightscreens as being too low and had recommend movable sightscreens closer to the boundary.
The team had also said that the practice nets which were under construction at the time were unsatisfactory.
During the venue tour of the 28 areas listed for inspection, the four mentioned above were listed as unsatisfactory; five areas were listed as satisfactory and the remaining areas were listed as good, which is the highest rating.
Willis said the Ministry of Public Works agreed that there was no grass on the pitch and there was poor ground-keeping and took steps to bring back the Trinidadian firm, Terra Firma Design and Construction Company to have the situation corrected.
Terra Firma also corrected the problem of sparse grass covering on the outfield as well as the texture of the very sandy and soft soil. He said that the outfield was very sandy and soft at the time because there was poor husbandry. "Four days before the visit, although it was dry, there was no irrigation done on the field. The irrigation schedules have been set up and given to the curators," he said.
He added that at the time, the workers were awaiting proper grass-cutting equipment which has now arrived.
Willis does not agree that the sightscreens are too low. He said around 16 inches of the windows in the players' dining area would have to be covered to give proper sightlines to the players.
In relation to the practice nets, he said that at the time of the visit they were under construction. Since the visit the clay pitches have been grassed from cuttings or sprigs taken from the main arena and not from seedlings.
Willis is optimistic that when the ICC pitch and field team visits again on January 16, the stadium would pass the test.
As regards the work being done by the government, he said the drains are 70% completed, the roadway 65% completed and the fencing 45% completed. He said the landscaping contractor was on site with work material but was awaiting the release of the road shoulder to start.
He expects that by the time of the final venue tour by the ICC CWC officials on February 6 the work being undertaken by the government would be 90% complete which would include a completed parking area.
With regard to the work being undertaken by the Indian contractor Sharpoorji Pallonji, Willis said there was "substantial completion and the contractors are now in the process of correcting a number of defects…" brought to their attention by the ICC, the LOC, the consultants and the staff of the Ministry of Public Works and Communication.
He said the practical completion certificate has not yet been issued but when it is it would come directly under the government in terms of security and some other issues.
Speaking about the road from the Demerara Harbour Bridge to the stadium, he said they had anticipated substantial completion by December 31 but based on discussions with the contractors that would not be possible before February 28 at which time traffic lights, street lights, carriageway, sidewalks and drainage would all be in place.
Speaking about the enhancement and improvement along the East Bank Demerara, Minister of Public Works and Communication, Robeson Benn said workers have begun cleaning the verges, removing old vehicle shells and parts and unauthorized advertisements.
He said these activities did not start in his term which began recently but started even before with official notices. He noted that in Central Georgetown there was unauthorized ramshackle encumbrances "which we are dealing with."
While the ministry was not involved in the beautification exercise per se, he said, it is working towards improving the overall appearance to bring the environment to a certain standard.
He noted that the Georgetown municipality, John Fernandes Ltd and others were involved in the general beautification of the city and other parts of the country.
Benn said his ministry was also working along with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport to create a museum garden next to the National Museum. That project is to come on stream for the CWC 2007 championships.