The Guyana Olympic Association (GOA)is a step closer to obtaining its own building after signing the contracts with contractors for their multimillion dollar complex which they are referring to at this stage as the Golden Project.
GOA president K A Juman Yassin said yesterday that construction work on the facility was expected to begin almost immediately. The complex, which is expected to cost the GOA about US$1 million (G$200,000,0000), will be constructed at Tract ‘GOA Block’ XXX Plantation Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara. It will be located behind the Project Dawn Building in the vicinity of the National Conference Centre and the CARICOM Secretariat.
Juman Yassin also mentioned that there is no projected date of completion for the complex at the moment as that will depend on how the GOA is able to generate funding. At this stage, the GOA was only able to afford the cost of the first phase, which entails construction of the foundation of the building. That phase costs the GOA just close to G$48 million ($47, 678,750) or about a quarter of the total cost according to Juman Yassin.
“The GOA does not have that sort of money… We have to take it in modules, we have to take in stages,” Yassin said.
“We could have easily have put down a building for 10-15 but the association and its members decided that if we are going to do something we should do it right and strive for excellence… this will be better in the long run,” Juman Yassin added.
Juman Yassin also implored members of the corporate sector as well as the Government of Guyana to help them offset the remaining cost of constructing their facility.
According to the architectural designs of Kurt Gonzales, the GOA Complex is expected to be a two-storied, fully modern facility comprising boardrooms, offices and a conference hall.
Juman Yassin said that the conference hall will be capable of hosting close to 350 persons and he hopes that the GOA can generate funding by renting out the facility to various organisations including neighbours CARICOM.
The contracting firm that will be working on the project is C.Deokie and Sons General Contracting Services.
John Lewis, who is the president of the Guyana Rugby Football Association (an affiliate of the GOA) is an engineer by profession and will also be assisting with the project.
The GOA currently rents an office in High Street Kingston and according to Juman Yassin, acquiring their own building will be of enormous assistance to the GOA and its 22 member federations. Juman Yassin envisaged that federations will be able to host several events including course for sports personalities as well as fundraising activities there.
