Sporting complex for Buccament Valley

RESIDENTS OF the Buccament Valley will soon have the playing field and sporting complex they have been calling for for over 17 years.

The sporting complex is being developed on a fouracre portion of land acquired by government nearly three years ago. The site was part of the Penniston Golf Course.{{more}}

The site is going through major transformation under a partnership of the community, private developers and the Social Investment Fund.

The Master Plan makes provision for a full size playing field, a hard court, and a players’ pavilion.

Every weekend over the past month or so heavy equipment has been involved in the clearing and grading of the cricket and football field with the assistance of community members in an effort to complete the site clearance and grass seeding works before the end of the dry season.

According to Nazim Browne, spokesperson for the Committee spearheading the effort, “the intention is to complete the hard court by August 2007 and to have the grassed playing field ready for November 2007′”.

The process for the playing field development began in 2004 when community leaders challenged the government to acquire the lands, promising to use community resources to develop the field.

Browne said “the Government kept their promise and delivered and we as community leaders formed a nine member playing field management Committee in 2005 and signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Sports Council (NSC) to develop and manage the sporting facility”.

Browne says the process of raising funds has been lengthy and difficult. He was very thankful to the Buccament Hotel developers and Ridgeview construction Company for the tremendous contribution they have pledged and are making to the development of the sporting facility. The Management Committee has been able to access funds through the Alba-Caribe Fund under the management of Social Investment Fund (SIF).

Browne believes that community participation is crucial to the completion of the project by February next year. The committee sees mobilization as a challenge and is appealing to the community to become involved at different stages as the project develops.

Despite these challenges, the Management Committee continues to work on the realisation of their vision and mission and their next big event will be a fund raising barbecue on Friday 4th May at the Vermont Community Centre.