Shaw Park Cultural Complex Opening

Shaw Park Cultural Complex-Tobago
Photo by: Anthony R. Hector

A gala ceremony is being planned for the official commissioning of the multi-million dollar Shaw Park cultural facility in March 2015.

The official commissioning will be preceded by a thanksgiving entitled: "United in Praise" at 6.30 p.m. on February 3 to which all religions and their followers will be invited to attend; as well as the Inter-department personality and calypso show on February 5.

It is going to be the largest such facility in this part of the Caribbean seating 5,000 and is expected to bring significant benefits to Tobago through the hosting of all carnival-type and cultural activities, facilitate entertainment and convention tourism and indoor sport activities.

Following the commissioning the facility will be the venue for a sports festival in March, a jazz festival event in April and the heritage festival in July, all hosted by the Assembly. Other organisations have already booked the use of the facility the weeks following the commissioning.

An interim management committee headed by former Tourism Division events coordinator John Arnold has been appointed to operate the facility.

There will be restrictions on the consumption of food and drink within the large air conditioned auditorium which is also a no smoking environment. Special food and drink bars will be established for use by patrons at certain events.

Source:THA

Multi-Million Shaw Park Cultural Complex Fails Fire inspection

Unfinished: Shaw Park Cultural Complex.
Photo Courtesy TobagoNews

THE multi-million dollar Shaw Park Cultural Complex has failed its fire inspection.

Media Groups have learnt that fire officers toured the structure last weekend and found it lacked adequate lighting and storage space and that there were no proper directional signage in the case of an emergency. The complex, which was started in 2005, will seat up to 5,000 people when it is finished.

There will now be a re-inspection by the fire service. NIPDEC, which manages the project, now has three months to address the failures, and to get the facility ready for public use.

The Divisional Fire Officer, David Thomas, says, “We are almost very happy with what was done. There are some areas in which we need to partner with the contractor to have rectified so everyone can be happy.”

Millions of dollars in taxpayers’ money has been already spent on the complex. In September, the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) announced that it would be putting pressure on NIPDEC to complete the complex by early 2014. As of 2008, the project’s estimated cost was $196 million and was to have been completed in 2010 at a cost of $250 million. Last year, the estimated cost of the project stood at $400 million.

No Date Given for Completion of Scarborough Library: Early 2014 for Shaw Park Complex.

Assembly Man Hilton Sandy.photo courtesy THA

The Division of Infrastructure and Public Utilities will push to have the Scarborough Library and the Shaw Park Cultural Complex completed in the shortest possible time, despite technical issues and budgetary shortfalls.

Speaking at the THA's Face to Face meeting at the Signal Hill Secondary School on Thursday 12th September, DIPU Secretary Hilton Sandy indicated that the Complex is facing technical issues with the contractor Nipdec, since the desired results are not being achieved. The THA had requested $75M to complete the Complex but was only allocated $8M in the national budget read earlier this week. Despite this, Mr. Sandy says the Assembly will put pressure on Nipdec to have the Complex completed in early 2014.

With respect to the Library, Mr. Sandy says the structure is 95% completed and should be handed over soon to the Division of Education, Youth Affairs and Sport for outfitting. He says when completed, the Scarborough Library will be a state of the art facility which patrons can access from remote locations.

In reporting on the DIPU's road and building maintenance programme, Mr. Sandy says the division has the manpower to complete tasks but not the amount of money that is required. However he says rehabilitation of the Claude Noel Highway, Milford Road, Lambeau Road and the L'Anse Fourmi Road will continue apace, along with construction of the Smithfield Road to Sangster's Hill bypass and the Shaw Park Roundabout. Mr. Sandy indicated as well that the Division's road paving exercise throughout Tobago's twelve constituencies will continue, along with the reconstruction of the bridges along Milford Road.

The Secretary says the Division's next major projects will be construction of the Shirvan Roundabout, the Roxborough Plaza which will provide administrative services for east Tobago, and the Charlotteville mini-mall.

Source:THA