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Feb 20, 2010 Sports
– says Minister Anthony in Budget Presentation
By Edison Jefford
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony has revealed that the erection of a Synthetic Athletics Track is the Ministry’s 2010 “flagship infrastructure project” when he made his Budget Presentation earlier this week.
The construction of Guyana’s first synthetic athletic facility was included in the budgeted amount of $392,500,000M for four areas. It was unclear how much was specifically made out solely for the construction of the athletics track.
According to the budget, the other three aspects that the sum is expected to cover include the completion of the Olympic-size swimming pool, upgrading of sports facilities and the purchasing of sports gear and equipment.
“In 2010, our flagship infrastructure project will be the development of the synthetic athletics track,” Anthony said in his presentation. The primary project for 2008 and 2009 has been the construction of the swimming pool.
Anthony informed that a local firm lacked the “technical expertise required” to complete the pool in the initially allotted time period. He said that a local and international firm are now collaborating to finish the pool by mid-year.
While no time period was allotted for the completion of the synthetic facility, the minister stated that consultations are being held with the Athletic Association of Guyana. Kaieteur Sport was the first to break these meetings last year.
“A design firm has been hired, a feasibility study for four sites has been conducted and a recommendation has been made of the best site. The athletics community is fully supportive this venture,” Anthony continued in his presentation.
Details have remained sketchy since news broke of the mulling over the construction of a modern athletics facility between those two factions, but this newspaper understands that the Uitvlugt Community Centre Ground is to house the facility.
The Capital Expenditure that was set aside last year was M$270,000,000 for three special projects that were all repeated in the budget this year. Generally, ‘Capital Expenditure’ is money set aside annually in the budget for projects.
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