The contractor who built the under-utilised cricket hostel for the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) recently was once sanctioned by the Region Two administration for substandard work.
Persons close to the cricket board in the Cinderella County told this newspaper yesterday that the contractor had undertaken work for the region but the authorities under directives from the Local Government Ministry had “banned” the firm from undertaking works for the government over substandard work on projects in 2008.
A source in the region, who chose to remain anonymous, told Stabroek News yesterday that construction of the hostel, which is situated close to the cricket ground at Anna Regina, began in 2008 and was completed in February this year. He said the company, which “does not have a good track record”, started work that year with some $18 million being allocated to the project. He said the firm has “close ties” to the regional administration and it was persons there who recommended the contractor be given the nod for the project.
To date, some members of the board have not seen a Bill of Quantities for the project, the source said, adding that the company had requested additional sums of money, most of which was taken from the Stanford 20/20 monetary gains. In the end, some $35 million was expended on the project. But even as work was being undertaken, the board decided to utilize the facility, a move which left some board members disgruntled since according to the source, any ensuing liability would not have been chargeable to the contractor. In any case, the contract for the hostel had no defects liability clause.
The source said persons close to the board made several enquiries with reputable construction firms, and persons stated that the facility could have been built at a cost of some $20 million. The contractor is still demanding an additional $4.8 million from the board.
This newspaper visited the facility recently and observed that the gate was open while the locks on several doors appeared to have been broken. The fence was taken over with bushes and a nearby resident said bats have already made the roof of the facility their home. Closer examination of the verandah revealed a crack where it meets the wall of the building.
The building has been without security for several weeks as the board could not continue to foot the bill.
While this newspaper was unable to view the interior of the building, a source at the cricket board said “inferior” work had seen toilet seats broken, light fixtures damaged because of their “cheap quality” and that the tables and ceiling were constructed with soft wood. The source said the wood which was used to build the steps within the facility was of poor quality and appeared to only have been cut by chain saw and not dressed. It was also noted that the trestle adjoining the building was constructed at a low level where pipe connection to the building’s water system is concerned and as such limited water pressure is available to the building.
The facility, the source said, continues to be under-utilized save for the few cricket teams which are housed there “during cricket season”. It was noted that the facility is occasionally rented to persons who can afford it, the last being the army who utilized the building in March this year to undertake a training course for its ranks.
This newspaper understands that a section of the cricket community which makes up the ECB was not permitted to view or pronounce on the facility as it was being constructed.
During a meeting on Tuesday between executive members of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and Sports Minister Frank Anthony, a decision was taken to employ Design and Construction Services to examine the facility and another at Anna Regina.
According to sources, all members agreed that that the board went deeply over budget in constructing the two hostels. The construction firm will be mandated to examine the two hostels to establish whether the “board got value for its money.” All relevant documentation related to the hostels will have to be handed over to the firm.
Minister Anthony advised the board to seek assistance from the Ministry of Finance for examples of how a “proper contract is done.”
It is understood that when the board had taken a decision to build the two hostels a decision was also taken to build a training centre in Berbice and to renovate the board’s secretariat at Bourda.“But neither could be done because the finances dwindled following the construction of those two hostels,” a source told Stabroek News.
Meanwhile, the audited accounts of the ECB for 2009 have raised eyebrows with substantial sums being expended on activities such as meetings and administrative costs.
The audit report, which was compiled by the Audit Office of Guyana (AOG) for the year ended December 31, 2009 indicated that the club spent some $395,060 on meetings, while $762,260 was listed under administrative cost. At the time, the ECB had outstanding payments of $31,500 for security as well as $20000 for administrative stipends for that cricketing year.
Significantly, at the end of 2009 the ECB had a mere $6,739 at the bank while an outstanding sum of $460,000 was owed to the board from Busta sales. However the board had outstanding payments to the tune of $589,635 to reconcile.
At Tuesday’s meeting between the GCB and Minister Anthony, one of the decisions taken was to enlist the services of the AOG, the purpose being to establish whether there has been any mismanagement of the finances at the GCB and also to streamline its finances. The board was summoned by Anthony to the meeting following allegations of financial irregularities in the board’s business, such allegations coming on the heels of an acid attack on the GCB’s assistant treasurer Pretipaul Jaigobin, who remains hospitalized.
Jaigobin alleged soon after the incident that he believed it was a result of him speaking out on the many financial and other issues at the GCB and this was supported by other persons close to the board.
