Roseau, Dominica – Monday, April 27, 2015 – Parliamentary Representative for the Soufriere Constituency and Minister for Public Works and Ports – Honourable Ian Pinard is satisfied with the progress of work on the rehabilitation of the Soufriere Playing Field. Minister Pinard has described the project as necessary to safeguard the playing field from flooding associated with heavy rainfall.
“So after this project is complete we expect that the playing field to be in top shape. We would not expect that when we have heavy rains that the banks of the drains would be overflowing any more. We expect this project to now enhance the playing field and to really give it the gloss that it has in the Brooklyn Playing Field,” Minister Pinard stated.
Minister Pinard also announced to introduce hardcourt facilities at the Soufriere Playing field.
“We also intend to transfer the basketball court and also construct it right there on the Brooklyn Playing field so we will have this area being a playing or sporting area in the St. Marks because we only have one playing field in St. Marks. That area will now be a multipurpose area with basketball, volleyball, lawn tennis, football, cricket, rounders and that is the plan for the Brooklyn area and to start it, the first thing we had to do was do the drainage,” Minister Pinard stated.
The project also lends to protecting the compound of the Soufriere Primary School. Minister Pinard is delighted to ensure a safer environment for the near one hundred students at the school.
“There is going to be more protection for the school and for our children and this is also a big for us. The Soufriere Primary School is the main primary school in the St. Marks area and it is where our children have been doing very well,” Minister Pinard stated.
Principal of the Soufriere Primary School Ericson Degallerie has welcomed the rehabilitation of the Soufriere Playing Field.
“Certainly the school welcomes this latest development. It will no doubt help in protecting the school and its compound. What we have seen over the years is due to heavy rainfall; quite a lot of water went into the schoolyard, causing a lot of damage. So, with the advent of this wall, I am sure that it will help to keep the water out, thereby making the school a safer place in terms of disasters which are likely to occur. So, all in all, I must say it is something that we are very excited about and it will add to the ambience of the school,” Mr Degallerie stated.
Minister for Youth, Sports, Culture and Constituency Empowerment – Honourable Justina Charles has encouraged residents of Soufriere to take ownership of the Project. Minister Charles has highlighted the high cost of maintaining playing fields across the island.
“…because if we, Government, spend so much money in upgrading the fields, we want to see people claim ownership and assist in maintenance of those things. And even as we do the inventory, one of our plans is to ensure that we can put strategies in place for the maintenance and upkeep of those playing fields. So, definitely, over the next few years we will see improvements in quite a bit of our sports facilities across the island but we also want to create that level of partnership with communities so that this thing can really be of worth to us as a country. With all of that I want to wish you well. We will be happy at the end of it that our Soufriere people will be able to engage themselves more deeply in sporting activities and definitely it will benefit us all,” Minister Charles stated.
The Soufriere Playing Field Rehabilitation Project is being done at a cost of two hundred and thirty-four thousand, six hundred and two dollars and ninety-nine cents ($234,602.99). The project includes the construction of 155m concrete box drains on the southern side of the Soufriere Playing Field. The project contractor is Mr. Ignace Detouche and the project is expected to be completed in twelve weeks.
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