The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

It was in September 2016 that construction got underway on the new national baseball stadium with the view that it would be completed by November, 2017 at a budgeted cost of around $24.9 million.

Six years later, the edifice is up, but there’s some more cosmetic work to be done along with an additional $31m before it’s finally completed before the end of the year, according to Minister of Works Alfred Sears in the House of Assembly on Wednesday.

Yesterday, as plans were unveiled for the refurbishment of the four softball fields at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg said while roughly $27m has already been pumped into the stadium, they are committed to completing the job for more reasons than one.

“We know the revenue stream that can come from that place based on the interest we have already received from the international baseball world,” Bowleg said.

“So we just want to complete it as soon as possible so we can bring that revenue into the country and also to bring the exposure for those who play baseball so that they can get the opportunity for scholarships or continue to get the professional contracts that many are receiving without a proper facility here in place for them to play on.”

Despite the noise in the market from one national government dignitary to the next over the years, Bowleg said he can assure the Bahamian public that the Progressive Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, is committed to completing the facility.

“The Prime Minister and myself and the Minister of Works have met and the Prime Minister told both of us that it must be completed and it must be completed within this year,” Bowleg charged.

“Unless something happens beyond our control like a natural disaster, we will finish off this stadium and name it.”

In its present state, Bowleg said the majority of the work left is on the preparation of the field and also re-signing the road that passes through the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex because the plan for the stadium calls for the creation of a lake to help with the irrigation of the field. “The structure itself is about 55-70 percent completed,” Bowleg revealed. “They have to finish the locker rooms and the dugouts, but they are minor stuff, compared to what we have to pump into it to get the field ready.”

Bowleg said the government has signed off on the payment of about $3m that is owed and based on their agreement with Woslee Construction, they anticipate that work will commence on the stadium in short order.

Bahamas Baseball Association secretary general Teddy Sweeting said while they have a number of projects in the pipeline to be staged at the stadium, they are in full support of the government in getting the work done. “This stadium will support the development of the young men in our country,” Sweeting said.

“We want them to be able to continue to receive all that baseball has to offer. So we support them 100 percent.”

As it pertains to the inflated cost of the completion of the stadium, Sweeting said one has to take into consideration the fact that every time work on a project is stopped, it incurs more expenses, especially when items have to be purchased overseas and shipped in a timely manner. “When you budget for a period of time and you don’t meet those deadlines, the cost is impacted,” he said. “We understand that the cost to the taxpayers is tremendous, but that should not be a question now. “We have to look at the benefits that will be derived by the country once the stadium is completed. We will be able to host international events. We already have events on the agenda once the stadium is completed.”

In the meantime, Sweeting said the BBA will continue to work with its international partners with the view of getting those events to be staged here in the country as soon as the stadium is up and running.