Skinner Park upgrade

A major upgrade is coming for Skinner Park in San Fernando.

Finance Minister Colm Imbert spoke of the project in his 2019 budget speech on Monday, even as the Urban Development Corporation of TT (Udecott) published advertisements for expressions of interest in the landmark in the southern capital.

"The redevelopment of Skinner Park will ensure that our national community will have access to the premier multi-purpose complex which will be used by schools and communities to host numerous sporting and cultural activities," Imbert declared in his budget statement.

Udecott was engaged by the Sport and Youth Affairs Ministry to provide project management services for the project. Udecott is inviting suitably qualified and experienced firms to submit proposals for design-construct services, which include but are not limited to the demolition and removal of existing stands and refurbishment of the park’s track and field infrastructure.

Prospective entities, Udecott said, may associate to enhance their team but must indicate whether they are a joint venture, consortium or sub-consultancy.

Udecott said, “All members of such associations must have real and well defined inputs to the assignment and their contribution must be detailed in the submission."

The deadline for submissions was Tuesday.

Built in 1926, the grounds were first called Usine Park because of their connection with the sugar belt in Usine Ste Madeleine. It was later renamed Skinner Park after GC Skinner, then manager of the Ste Madeleine Sugar Company.

One of the many historical landmarks in San Fernando, Skinner Park is also the perennial site of the Calypso Monarch semi-finals. The national steelband Panorama finals were held there on February 17, 2007. This was the first time that the event was held somewhere other than the Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain, as that location was unavailable owing to planned construction of a Carnival complex on its grounds.

The park’s role as a sporting venue has largely been supplanted by the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella, and Guaracara Park in Pointe-a-Pierre. The people of San Fernando predominantly use Skinner Park for recreational purposes such as football, cricket and other athletic events and training.

As someone coming from the “bowels of San Fernando” through his involvement with Skiffle Bunch steelband, San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello said he is “very excited" that Udecott will be redeveloping Skinner Park. Regrello said the project is timely because it comes when San Fernando is on the cusp of development with several other projects, and there will be direct employment through the engagement of contractors and other workers at the site.

Referring to the phased closure of Petrotrin’s refinery at Pointe-a-Pierre, which began on Monday, Regrello hoped the redevelopment of the park and other projects in San Fernando could provide opportunities for some of the workers.

Imbert too spoke of the wider development plans, principally the waterfront project, which centres on a modernised King's Wharf, due for completion in 2020 at a cost of $144 million. Also in line are the construction of medium-income housing at Lady Hailes Avenue utilising public-private partnership arrangements. and the development of the Chancery Lane administrative complex.

"These two projects in San Fernando (the waterfront and Skinner Park) will create employment opportunism for nearby communities, such as Pointe-a-Pierre," Imbert said.

In a similar vein, Regrello was optimistic that the redeveloped park will be a revenue-earner for the city and also stimulate business activity, particularly in the immediate area.

Noting the cycling track there was built in 1966, Regrello said the park has been “crying out” for many years for an improvement of its sporting facilities. In addition, the park also has facilities for football, cricket, basketball and other sports.

Regrello said a proposed multi-tiered stand will significantly increase the park's ability to accommodate more people for various events, andcorporate boxes, similar to those at the Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, were being considered.

Regrello said a redeveloped Skinner Park will also provide a proper location for many football teams in south Trinidad to play matches and hold training sessions. Along with Manny Ramjohn Stadium and the Brian Lara Stadium and Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Regrello said it is possibleSkinner Park could play a role in boosting sport tourism.