Adrian Frater, News Editor

WESTERN BUREAU:

AN ACTIVE hurricane season is unlikely to significantly impact the new multipurpose stadium in Florence Hall, Trelawny, as the roofing of both stands and the other external buildings are scheduled for a July 31 completion date.

Speaking during a media tour of the facility yesterday, Venue Development Manager Christopher Smith said much emphasis was now being placed on having all the earthwork and roofing, which are the areas most likely to be affected by a hurricane, completed as quickly as possible.

"As you might have noticed, we are trying to advance the external works and earthwork because once those are completed, it will allow us to continue working if it rains," said Smith. "In addition, we are moving quickly to get all the buildings covered so we can work inside if we are having rains."

PLEASED WITH PACE

While the two permanent stands (north and south) are only between 70-80 per cent ready, Smith said the developers were quite pleased with the pace of the work. He said they remain confident that the overall project will be completed within budget, well ahead of the November 30 deadline.

With regard to the playing surface, which is now lush green and picturesque, Smith said the stadium would be in a position to host cricket within the next four weeks.

According to him, the only areas of concern surround a few bare patches on the outfield, which were now being worked on in a bid to get it up to the required standard.

"The plan is to have the playing surface ready for cricket by the end of July, but we think it will be ready within four weeks," said Smith. "Although we had some down time during the recent cement crisis, we are now back up to speed."

FRICTION BETWEEN WORKERS

In relation to the friction between the Chinese and Jamaican workers which resulted in a one-day shutdown of the project in April, Kevin Chen, the project manager for COMPLANT, said the incident was now behind them.

"All is well between the Jamaican and Chinese workers and as you can see, they are now working side by side," said Chen. "What happened was a misunderstanding, which was quickly sorted out."

Come next month, the two permanent stands, which will be complemented by two movable stands, will begin to take shape as the first set of the 11,300 stadium seats are slated to start arriving in the island by June 28. Installation work will commence as soon as the seats arrive at the facility.

"The seats are going to be lovely," said Smith. "From the air they are going to project the formation of the national flag. It is going to be a lovely sight."

SUPPORT STRUCTURE

In terms of support structure, the construction of the east and west berm, the two-bridge structures to facilitate drainage, generator facilities, water tanks, pump room and the internal and external road network are all at an advanced stage.

"The Daniel Town main road, leading from the highway to the entrance of the venue, is being upgraded by the addition of two lanes along the eastern side of the existing alignment," said Smith. "Landscaping activities will commence within another few weeks."