Contract signed for roof repairs on Windsor Park Sports Stadium

Repair works are expected to begin in July
Repair works are expected to begin in July

The Government of Dominica on Thursday signed a contract with local contractor, Fortify Construction amounting to $404,765 for roof repair works on the Windsor Park Sports Stadium.

The contract was signed by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Culture & Constituency Empowerment, Mandra Fagan and Brian Guye of Fortify Construction at a ceremony held at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium conference room.

Works will include the removal of 100 percent of the galvanize sheeting of the Irving and Grayson Shillingford Stand and the removal of the affected galvanize sheeting of the roofs of both the Clem John and Kelleb Laurent stand (the northern stand) as well as the Norbert Phillip and Adam Sanford (the southern stand).

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said at the signing ceremony that Ministry of Sports is putting together a maintenance plan for the stadium.

“The hope is to spend some money every year on maintaining the stadium,” he said.

Skerrit said he intends, with the approval of cabinet, to set up a separate account where a percentage of the proceeds for the use of the stadium will go into and that the stadium committee can have access to maintain the stadium.

PM SKerrit addressing the ceremony on Thursday
PM Skerrit addressing the ceremony on Thursday

“I am hoping that very soon we will take a decision to set aside some funds from all activities into a special fund so that they can use for the maintenance of the stadium,” he noted.

Sports Minister, Justina Charles said works on the stadium is government’s way of saying that, “We are committed to the development of sports, development of our athletes, development of our elite cricketers, our footballers and all people who are involved in the sports field.”

“It is also a way of ensuring that we can have some place to recreate, our young people can be engaged somehow in some sporting activity so that we can also engage our international community in sporting activity,” she said.

Charles said when the facility is repaired, it should be maintained in order for it be internationally appealing for matches and other such activities.

The contract was signed on Thursday
The contract was signed on Thursday

“Our maintenance plan is one of the things that we have to revisit very often and as a result of that the stadium board and the manager has a responsibility to ensure that they can look at the facility and draw to our attention the need for any repairs to be done,” Charles stated.

Furthermore, she stated that the Ministry of Sports has also engaged a Chinese technical team in transferring some of their skills to young technicians in Dominica.

“We had some training sessions with the technical team with our young electricians and plumbers in Dominica in the event that the team would have to recall their services, or at one time we expect them to leave, so there could be continuity for the development and maintenance of the facility ” she explained.

Charles indicated that following discussions with officials of Harris Paints, the company has agreed to partner with the government in the maintenance of the stadium.

She said to-date the stadium is being used in many areas other than sports.

Meantime Sports Coordinator Trevor Shillingford said he view the signing ceremony as a very significant one in the lives of the Dominican citizens and the country’s development as a whole.

He stated that maintenance of any structure is a key to its sustainability, “even more so structures which are exposed to constant wear and tear.”

“It is said that in order to keep a sports facility functional between seven to 15 percent of its total cost must be spent on it annually,” Shillingford explained.

On behalf of the sporting fraternity, he thanked the government of Dominica for its continued investment in the Windsor Park Sports Stadium.

Repair works are expected to begin in 2016.

Works began on the stadium on March 23, 2005 and the facility was opened on October 24, 2007.

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40 Comments

  1. May 8, 2016

    The report states that annual maintenance costs for the stadium will fall between 7% and 10% of its total cost. Given that the construction cost of stadium was EC$60,000,000, this amounts to over 4 million dollars to 9 million dollars annually! Can we really afford this astronomical cost of upkeep?

  2. Feteman
    May 6, 2016

    no sewo for the start? 8-O

  3. 2sense
    May 6, 2016

    why don’t the Government give the responsibility of maintenance of all public facilities, roads e.tc.c to the public works department?

    • Jaded
      May 6, 2016

      You DON’T want to allow public works dept. to repair buildings. Best done by the private sector.

  4. Noreen
    May 6, 2016

    )Come on guys, remember he’s
    the minister of finance,who else.

  5. Investigator
    May 5, 2016

    Have the speakers and the PA system fixed at the same time. Right now when they make announcements, we cannot hear anything

  6. Ittasi 2
    May 5, 2016

    Is this Ernest here signing the document above? It looks like Ernest, a good friend of Skerrit from Vielle case. If that is the case, then this contract signed would be like Bobbles telling us the villas are his when we all know whose it is. A person that signs a contract is not necessarily the owner of the contract. Let’s see

  7. Deegoldz
    May 5, 2016

    Isn’t the badly rusted roofs of the Sheds at the woodbridge Bay port more important than this? When cruise ships dock at the Port visitors are greeted to a sea of rusting roofs. Priorities… SMH

  8. Just saying
    May 5, 2016

    I’ve been watching contracts being singed all over Dominica.what about sent Joe? R we not apart of Dominica/or r we being punished for the incompetence of our pal rep? I’ve voted dlp from 2000 till 2014 and dats d worse I’ve seen st Joe in my young life.lack of representation arrogant pal rep/youth unemployment is sky high.can someone plz explain to me y a constituency dat voted dlp is neglected so badly? A few years it was said by d opposition dat st Joe was d poorest village in d/ca witch I defended vigorously now I’m starting to believe they were righ.I know I’m goons get some blowse from dlp supporters for talking my mind, it don’t matter just staying.

    • Floridian Diaspora
      May 5, 2016

      You voted them in 2000, by 2005 you should have realized that they weren’t good enough. Take what you get. St. Joe people have to stay ridding on the ramp before the Hillsborough bridge for years to come. What Kelva giving all you? Tablets, tablets, and more tablets. Technology at its best!!!

  9. Doctor of Corruption
    May 5, 2016

    DNO I wish I could see the terms of the contract you know. With Skerrit …..’, it is not good enough to show us a photo of somebody signing a document without showing us what exactly was signed. I mean Skerrit is involved and one will remember him signing a document in Macau with friends like Lap Seng, John Ashe, Francisco larenzo and others, and two weeks later five of them were arrested by FBI. Also, not too long Skerrit himself told us how he and a Chinese group signed an agreement for some $300K, for which an international airport was part of the package, only to hear Skerrit tell us last week he wants to relocate the airport. So unless I see what was signed and the terms, I will pay it no mind, even if it is built. ……………. So I want to see

  10. vanessa
    May 5, 2016

    Is that a priority right now? What about all the rehabilitation, building and rebuilding after Tropical Storm Erika? What is the status of the so called 13 million that was collected on behalf of storm Erika?

  11. perfect idiot, period!
    May 5, 2016

    “Charles said when the facility is repaired, it should be maintained in order for it be internationally appealing for matches and other such activities.”

    I am no doubt the perfect idiot and therefore I need someone to explain to me what the minister meant by the above statement. As the perfect Idiot here are my questions to the minister: Ma Charles, are you indirectly inferring that the stadium WAS NOT appealing to international teams or organizations? Could this be the reason why we did not get a test match or international game this year, especially since the world knows that Dominica is the island with the largest crowd? Also Ma Charles, is that part of the bad international reviews by tourists?

  12. BEB
    May 5, 2016

    I think that there should be something in place to collect some form of revenue when events are being held at the stadium, it should not be a place for loafers to go in and out, some homeless people even use there to sleep. dogs are wandering all over the seats and dirtying them.
    I can remember once I was in Barbados , I was in the vicinity of the stadium along with my wife. so I wanted to take her inside to show her around ,as I had been there to view matches already, I couldn’t enter without paying a fee. Something like this in Dominica would assist in the renovation.

    • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
      May 8, 2016

      BEB, don’t you find it strange or something is radically wrong that there are homeless people in a small island like Dominica, with less than seventy thousand people?

      I know you are in support of that Mountain Chicken Crapo mentality Sly Eye Indian doctor of nothing waste of time communist dictator; Roosevelt Skerrit. It is people like you who help him to retain power to keep you and the rest of the people of the country backwards, poor!

      Now you Mr. X police man; who once carried an empty gun, and a rusty knife, and never catch a crook in your entire life oui!

      Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahaahaha,

      Even when you were shown where the crooks were hiding you could not capture them all you did was tremble,and shake in your boots eh! Why do wish to bleed poor to pay to go and Sleep outside

  13. Fryfish
    May 5, 2016

    A damn labourite that signing that contract wi… That Padner there not from vielle case ner? But wat is that ner in that country…

  14. May 5, 2016

    Roof repairs already on Windsor park already? What kind of cheap work Skerrit getting from those Chinese nou? My roof is 30 yrs old and I live close to the Atlantic and only now I start to do repairs. .. Villas is about 14 years, plus they are right in the nose of the Caribbean Ocean and he is yet to do repairs on the roof and a stadium that is not even ten years already needs repair to the tune of over $400? Something is desperately wrong with our made in China investment

    • Face the Facts
      May 5, 2016

      You are not intelligent. This is an open stadium. What with all the rain and wind and then TS Erica. Use your head.

  15. The Real Thing
    May 5, 2016

    The stadium has been in operation nine years and no maintenance programme in place?
    THAT IS WHAT YOU CALL INAPPROPRIATE MANAGEMENT OR THE LACK OF SKILLS.
    The rest of the statement is a load of rubbish to cover up the useless ministers.

  16. Wow
    May 5, 2016

    Are Ace Engineering and the builders-contractors association going to protest against that too since they are planning big protest action against the bridge contract next week?

  17. street side
    May 5, 2016

    The Govt of Dominica has monies hidden somewhere wow…loads of contracts from morning till night…lol

    at the end of it all these are short terms aspects won’t turn the economy around it’s better if he lifts the duty on building materials etc, which will have a bigger impact…

    Dominica’s economy will never grow as the regime lacks knowledge of engines which fast track things..

    Where is the task force he put in place after Ericka any reports? how much funds to date from agencies and other friendly Governments etc?

    There must be some kinda of transparency in running a island…
    While doing all that Dominica is still and will remain the Poorest in the Eastern Caribbean as he fails to understand what leadership and governance is about…

    Dominica noted worldwide as the…..Fools Paradise..

    • Barbara Saunders
      May 6, 2016

      Street side

      The whole world can consider Dominica a fools paradise, I will stand alone and say this is my country which I will love till death and I would not exchange it for anywhere else. I can go other places on a short holiday but nowhere else is like this little DA.

      You all can curse it till you turn blue or bluer in the face, you are sure welcome to do that. That is why my perspective on this site will always differ from that of the majority of you because the mentality just strikes me as being “sick”!

      How can people live that way? Negativity when you wake in the morning; negativity throughout the day! Negativity when you go to sleep at night and the cycle starts again the next day! All forms and degrees of insanity exist they say and whenever I visit this site and read how people think , I am more convinced that it is true!

      God has blessed this little rock and curse it as much as you like, but you will not take away God’s blessing! I rebuke you in His name!

  18. Doc. Love
    May 5, 2016

    Government can spend approximately $500,000 to repair the stadium. The money to renovate the Lindo Park playing field is available, Skeritt passes it by as though it has the Zika virus, he will not give the OK for work to start. I understood, Lindo park will not be touched until the new hospital is built. According to my sources close to the Government, the top northern part closest to the hospital will be used as a storing area for materials and equipment , while the hospital is being built. Lugay has indicated that he will resign from the committee because he believes politics has a part to play in it, as Skeritt will not give the OK. Whether Lugay resigns from the Goodwill Improvement Committee this week, this month or next year, the one man Government, as Angello would say, will still not give the Committee permission. The hospital comes first, whether the Goodwill Constituency is pleased or not.

    • Concern Citizen
      May 5, 2016

      Doc. Love you have nothing good to say for Once, I thought you would have given a thumps up for such project. Why so much hatred and negativity.

      • Doc. Love
        May 5, 2016

        Thumps up, are you serious. Are you not upset at the manner Skeritt has treated the people of Goodwill in particular the young people . If you resided in Goodwill and had a young boy or girl, I wonder how positive you would have been. :mrgreen:

  19. Zandoli
    May 5, 2016

    The roof of the stadium has to be replaced after just 9 years? This is a metal roof. I understand this is installed in the tropics and relatively close to the ocean, but 9 years seem like a very short time to have to replace that roof.

    I would have expected a solid 30 years before the roof needed to be maintained. But then of the roofing material was imported from China, it would not surprise me that it has to be replaced prematurely.

    You get what you pay for when you buy Chinese building materials.

    • AAGabriel
      May 5, 2016

      Quality made in China. Nothing more to be added.

    • BEB
      May 5, 2016

      I think that the roof is too flat, there is not a good run off. 9 yrs. is too soon for any repair to any roof

  20. Jahchild
    May 5, 2016

    thank you, every little counts – you decided to use a local company this time

    • IamanIdiot
      May 5, 2016

      Dude…You put skerrit there..you dont have to turn around and grovel…he isnt the masa…get rid of the slavery mentality

  21. MIA
    May 5, 2016

    Job well done MR. PM and others by sharing the wealth amount the local contractors.

  22. IamanIdiot
    May 5, 2016

    If people didnt talk, pretty sure a Barbadoes company would be getting that check

  23. May 5, 2016

    The Chinese used cheap materials to built this stadium,We are grateful for this gift so we appreciate that.The government soon have more maintenance work to do to this stadium,This stadium is important for our country,Its a revenue for Dominica,So the government should keep doing maintenance work.

  24. BETTER OF RED THAN DEAD
    May 5, 2016

    is that ERNEST from vielle case signing those papers?. boy if you not red you really dead… lol

    • MIA
      May 5, 2016

      what does that/who have to do with that? let us bypass the negative and move, at lease he is local that’s what important.

    • Faceup
      May 5, 2016

      If you blue you get …. 8-O

    • The truth
      May 5, 2016

      Read! Evil person

  25. cameron
    May 5, 2016

    So every contract this … has to be involved,why does he have cabinet ministers.SMH

    • Locs Girl
      May 5, 2016

      Cameron, I always ask the same question.

    • Annonymous Reader
      May 5, 2016

      But so long you don’t know is a one-man government we have there then?

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