By Paul A. Reid, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE INTER-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) is considering a number of proposals that it hopes will reduce the cost of staging the annual Boys and Girls National track and field Championships to be held from April 1-5.
Among the proposals being considered, Branford Gayle, chairman of ISSA's track and field committee, told The Gleaner was the staging of the first three days at other venues and also the reduction of the number of days the event is staged.
The drastic increase in the rental fees of the recently refurbished National Stadium and the cost to use the floodlights would push the budget way past the $6 million mark and that has forced ISSA to try and find ways of cutting costs.
At the new cost of $750,000 per day for rental of the facilities, it would cost ISSA nearly $4 million just to get into the gates. This cost would not include the use of flood lights and the myriad other bills that are associated with one of the biggest and best high school track and field meets in the world.
Gayle said that hopefully by next Tuesday, the association would be able to make some "concrete decisions".
One of the factors holding up the association, he said, was that it was still "anxiously awaiting" a contract from the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), the owners of the facilities. Upon receipt of the contract, it could approach the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) to find out what it would cost to use the lights at the stadium for an average of two hours each night the event is staged there.
To this end, Gayle said, the ISSA committee was "keeping close tabs on the Gibson Relays committee" because as soon as it has been given a contract for the use of the place, it would mean that at least "a generic" contract for ISSA would also be ready.
The Gibson Relays will be held February 22.
While he would not say what other venues were being considered, it is understood that Stadium East and G.C. Foster College, which hosted the five days of the championships last year while the stadium was being refurbished for the IAAF World Junior Championships, were being considered.
While it had cost them just $100,000 per day to use G.C. Foster last year, Gayle said the cost compared to the National Stadium was almost on par as there were other costs that would not come into effect if they were to use the stadium.
The Manchester High principal said that they were hoping to use the stadium for at least the last two days of the championships but if they agreed to reduce it to four days in total - and including the use of the floodlights - that cost, he said, would be about $3.6 million. This, he said, would be "a workable budget".
He was quick to add however that they would then have to revisit a number of areas to "reduce excess". These would include the cost of attending the meet and "a drastic reduction in the allocation of complimentary tickets".
Up two 2001, they had given out up to 1,000 complimentary tickets for the last day of Champs. This year, he said, the total for the five days would not exceed 150.
