Campden Park Playing Field pavilion still ‘eyesore’

Head of the South Leeward Sports Association Paul Boucher says the Campden Park Playing Field pavilion remains an “eyesore,” thus affecting sports in the area, as well as the aesthetics of the facility.{{more}}

Boucher again spoke to SEARCHLIGHT on the matter at the opening of the All Leeward Football Tournament, last Sunday at the venue.

“For some time now, we have been hearing that it is in the Estimates, yet the pavilion is in the same state, nothing is being done,” Boucher contended.

“It is affecting sports in the area… We have four schools which use the facility, plus the general usage by the community and for national competitions, namely football,” Boucher added.

In listing the debilitating effects of the pavilion, Boucher lamented, “We host football competitions for females – the All Leeward Netball competition, the South Leeward Inter-village Netball Competition, and we have to be sensitive to their needs… Sometimes, we have to ask permission from the Bethel High School, which is nearby, for the use of the washrooms, but that is not always forthcoming.”

At the opening of the 2014 Women’s National Football Club Competition last November, one team had to form a human barricade to allow some of its members to change into their uniforms.

Boucher recalled that a proposal was made some years ago during the time of the Social Invest Fund programme, but nothing came to fruition.

“A great opportunity was missed, as many other playing fields which are not as heavily used as here in Campden Park were refurbished,” Boucher explained.

He made another call on the authorities to address the issue of the pavilion and its sorrowful sight.

One year ago, Minister of Tourism, Sports and Culture Cecil Mc Kie told SEARCHLIGHT that the Campden Park upgrade would cost $420,000.

This involved the work on the pavilion and the perimeter fencing.

He said then that $200,000 was allocated for 2013 and the remaining $220,000 in 2014.

Mc Kie told Parliament in May 2012, that the pavilion at the Campden Park Playing Field was in dire need of attention and referred to it as an “eyesore”.(RT)