Communities to repair any vandalism

KINNESHA GEORGE-HARRY

Jomo Pitt, Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Secretary for Sport and Youth Affairs, says communities whose sporting facilities have been vandalised will have to take responsibility for rehabilitating them.

Speaking at a People’s National Movement (PNM) meeting on Thursday in Patience Hill, Pitt said communities would be held responsible for any acts of vandalism at any sporting facility across the island.

“It is quite regrettable. However, we have gone ahead and sent notices to the governing bodies and the NGOs in those communities, letting them know that once we repair your facilities, any repairs needed as a result of vandalism, you the community will have to take the responsibility for that,” he said, highlighting that even in trying economic times, the assembly is doing as much as it can with little resources.

“It would be unfair for us to take funding from another community to fix something that we just fixed. So I’d like you to spread that word out there, but we’ve already sent them formal letters.”

Pitt, who is also the representative for Lambeau/Signal Hill said this also applies to the electricity at the hard courts.

“I beseech to you all, spread the word. If you’re not using the facility, if you’re not using the lights, just turn it off, because these things do incur a cost, and regrettably we have to pay that cost, and something will have to be sacrificed to pay off a bill."

Pitt said his stewardship as Secretary of Sport and Youth Affairs has had its fair set of challenges, “But no challenge (arose) that we could not overcome, because as a division, we have worked hand in hand with other divisions to make things happen.”