$5.5M rehab works completed on Windsor Forest community centre

– Region aims to establish committee for youth development

Residents of the Windsor Forest are now able to utilise their community centre following the completion of $5.5 million rehabilitation works undertaken by the Region Three Regional Democratic Council (RDC).

Speaking with DPI, recently, Regional Chairman Mr. Sheik Ayube said residents had abandoned the facility after it became dilapidated. They then engaged the Region to craft a plan for its restoration as previously it was used for family fun days, sporting activities and other programmes that fostered unity.

“It is our responsibility to maintain the facility with the assistance of La Jalousie/ Nouvelle Flanders Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), [which] is in charge of managing it as well. The facility needed a major facelift and I am glad we were able to do so in such a limited timeframe,” he said.

Works started on the facility in October and it was completed and handed over to the NDC on January 6.

Regional Engineer, Mr. Vaughn Solomon said the administration “did a complete rehab of the building since it was not in use for some time.  We decided to revamp the facility and so we painted, changed most of the windows, repaired the pavilion as well as the fencing.”

The works were done promptly to ensure that the Region’s youth had a safe space to exercise, even as the Covid pandemic continues.

Additionally, the administration also conducted minor repairs to the Farms Multipurpose Centre.

Moving forward, the Region intends to recommission a Sport and Youth Committee, which will help to empower and educate young people. The administration is currently looking for suitable personnel for the post, which Mr. Ayube hopes will yield better results than the previous years.

“When this Committee is activated, it will allow us to be aware of what is going on in the Region to be able to implement measures to assist our youths. His Excellency spoke about the importance of each child’s development and so the Region hopes that this approach will help to address that,” he said.

This initiative, he said, is in keeping with Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport’s efforts to build partnerships with stakeholders to push youth development. The Regional Chairman said this is just the beginning of the administration’s plans to mould its youth into nation-builders.