Dear Editor,
There was a deep sense of relief when it was reported that President Granger had appointed Minister of Public Infrastructure Mr. David Patterson to take over the management, and completion, of the D’urban Park (DP) project. Minister Patterson has thus far proven to be a competent and capable individual relative to the responsibilities entrusted to him under his portfolio.
While I’m not in favour of this short-term project being executed just for the 50th Independence celebrations, the works have already commenced and it is in the nation’s best interest to see it completed as competently and satisfactorily as possible.
The decision to use wood to construct a temporary facility, which will be dismantled after the Independence activities are completed, was not well thought out.
There were the issues of the time constraint to erect the structure, the use of the building materials afterward and the cost involved for the entire construction, demolition, and disposal of the wood materials.
It would have been better suited if the government had considered the use of mobile and temporary stands for this purpose.
Many stadiums and large event managers are using what is called modular seating systems made out of metal. These systems are solid, efficient, moveable and can be designed according to the exact specifications as required for a particular event. Many global private sector companies offer this service and can either rent for short-term periods or sell to event organizers. Additionally, most would also offer installation services. One such company, Switzerland-based Nussli, constructed a temporary 50,000 seat system in just seven weeks.
This modular system would have been better suited for the DP project since it would have ensured quality, saved time on construction and the government could have opted to just rent the approximately 20,000 seating capacity or purchased the system since the government has announced its intention to construct a stadium at the site. The same modular seating could have been re-used for the stadium or for any other activity the government might have had planned in the future.
Yours faithfully,
Clinton Urling
