Major facelift for centre

(Ricardo Leacock)

Thu, July 12, 2012 - 12:02 AM

FROM LEFT: Ministry of Transport and Works senior architect Stanton Haynes; trustee with the Maria Holder Trust, Michael Russell; chairman of the St Michael South East Constituency Council, Patrick Tannis; Minister of Community Development Steve Blackett and Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Bruce Alleyne, viewing the area where the centre will be extended.

THE PARKINSON COMMUNITY CENTRE is to get a near $3 million makeover, thanks to the Maria Holder Memorial Trust.

Renovations are to include doubling its current size as well as the building of offices, adding a computer training room, storage room, new toilet facilities, ramps, changing rooms, a children’s playground, bar, auditorium and a revamped parking area.

Senior architect with the Ministry of Transport and Works, Stanton Haynes, said during a media briefing yesterday at the Pine, St Michael centre that the work would also include regrading “the pasture and changing the floors of the centre”.

“One of our main challenges is the floor; it really needs repairing so we will have to demolish it and rebuild. We will have to remove the floorboards as well and they too will be replaced,” he said.

September start

Trustee of the trust, Michael Russell, said the renovations should begin by September 1 at the very latest and last ten months.

Minister of Community Development Steve Blackett said the centre played an integral part in community outreach activities.

These had increased dramatically over the years, underscoring the need for greater space, he said.

According to Blackett, the new centre would also house the St Michael South East Constituency Council’s office, which is without a home base.

Chief Community Development Officer Sandra Greenidge said the centre had become inadequate for housing all the groups which required its use and often was too crowded.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Community Development, Bruce Alleyne, urged those who would use the revamped facility to treat it as their own. (CA)