Sport Ministry to upgrade Line Path Community Centre

-community involvement crucial

Residents of Line Path, Skeldon, Region Six will soon be able to use their community centre again as the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) initiate steps to rehabilitate it.

Chairman of the community centre, Mr. Pooran Pillay said it was left to deteriorate, despite pleas for assistance.

“For the past 10 years, we had no help from businesses, hardly got assistance from the (New Amsterdam) Town Council or even support from the Government. Now is the time for development because we all fought for the right people for the job and we deserve to get help now,” he said.

The centre boasts 30 members, but it needs many upgrades before it can be properly utilised.  The ground needs maintenance works, which will require two hand slashers to clear it, and five floodlights to host activities at nights. The washroom facilities also have to be rehabilitated.

In response to the request, Minister Hon. Charles Ramson Jr. said he intends to establish the centre as a friendlier, better functioning space, but community involvement is crucial.

“The nature of its usage may have to change because looking at the various aspect of the ground display that you have unorganised activities, everything is happening in an ad-hoc way and nothing can function like this,” he said.

The Minister said while he understood residents’ concerns, the works needed on the field exceed a simple enhancement. As such, the Ministry has partnered with the GDF to conduct an assessment before proceeding.

“We are going to be doing several grounds in the coming year, but we will also be identifying grounds where there are cases that the assistance through the army or other State agencies would be required,” Minister Ramson added.

The Ministry is teaming up with the GDF in keeping with the army’s new mandate that it must become more community-oriented by being actively involved in the development at the local level.

The Ministry and GDF recently started their first project at the Port Mourant Community Centre, which will be done in phases.

During a visit to the East Berbice-Corentyne Region on October 11, President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali announced that $2M was earmarked for the development of Line Path Community Centre Ground.