Chag tracking station damaged by quake

A concrete counter-weight attached to the Chaguaramas tracking station dish fell off as a result of last month's 6.9 magnitude earthquake and some hikers fear other parts are now at risk of falling, posing a hazard to those who visit the area.

The station's giant dish, on a hilltop overlooking the sea near Macqueripe, once tracked missiles for the US government during the Cold War.

A Newsday team visited the tracking station yesterday and saw that a large chunk of concrete which operated as a counter-weight for the dish, which used to rotate, had collapsed.

The Chaguaramas Development Authorities (CDA) had cordoned off part of the area using caution tape, but it was still accessible to hikers using the road in Tucker Valley leading through the Bamboo Cathedral.

One hiker expressed concern, saying even before the earthquake the structure was poorly maintained and feared that it would one day collapse.

"They (the CDA) in the past tried to market it as a tourist attraction, but it's rusted so badly that nobody wants to go near it. Look at all the graffiti on it when you get there. The bush is overflowing and its in terrible shape. Hikers try to avoid it, especially now that parts of it are collapsing."

The facility was built by the US military in 1958 and functioned as an early-warning radar system to detect hostilities from the former Soviet Union. It was officially decommissioned in 1971.

Newsday sent e-mails to acting general manager of the CDA Deowatte Dilraj-Batoosingh, but had receivd no response up until press time.