YASCO On Target For Year-End Finish

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By Neto Baptiste

Work at the country’s lone track & field facility, the YASCO Sports Complex, continues to progress with an end-of-year completion goal.

This is according to Minister of Sports Daryll Matthew who assured that the facility will be completed by the end of December as work is currently ongoing.

“As recently as last week, the pits for the long jump and steeplechase, all of these were being put in. The field was being prepared, and I know they brought in a barge of sand to do the laying of the field. Last week, might have been Tuesday or Wednesday, with the rains that came – and rain came for a good reason sometimes with this sort of work – but one of the things they found is that there was water coming up under one portion at the eastern side of the track which was compromising the track, so they are excavating that area out to re-compact it and pack it and that should be done by this week,” he said. 

The project, which has gone past several completion dates, will see the facility house an IAAF- certified surface alongside other amenities like a steeplechase, long jump pit and regulation size football field.

Matthew said they are closer to engaging a Mondo technician for the final laying of the surface.

“The next area of the work is to put on a layer of asphalt after which Mondo [technicians] will come and a final layer of asphalt goes on, but everything continues. They stopped working on the infield last week because of the rain and so on, and the work continues,” he said. 

According to the Sports Minister, plans for the erection of stands and the completion of the structure intended to house the bathrooms are also in the works.

“We’ve sent the Tenders Board a document requesting an invitation for persons to bid to do the seating inside of YASCO. I have not seen it going out as yet. I believe they may have asked for additional information which we provided; so I am keeping my fingers crossed that the Tenders Board sends that out sometime soon and the bathroom facilities will be undertaken by Public Works,” Matthew said.

YASCO has been under repairs for over a year, suffering several setbacks and unscheduled stoppages. It has forced the postponing of several track and field school championships.

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