Bird Rock Residents express CARIFTA concerns
By Ryan Haas
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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Hon. Dr. Asim Martin, Minister of Public Works, Utilities, Transportation and Postal Services
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts-BIRD Rock residents aired their concerns about parking and other traffic issues relating to the upcoming 2008 CARIFTA games being held at the Bird Rock Athletic Stadium to their constituency representative Hon. Asim Martin.
Martin and Ian Queeley, Director of Security and Safety for the CARIFTA games assured the residents that there “will be little to worry about come the Easter weekend event”.
“During the games, some measures may be put in place that upset the normal mode of travel around the facility, but we ask that the public cooperates with us,” said Queeley.
He ensured those who attended the town hall meeting on Monday evening at the Bird Rock Beach Hotel that “our traffic plan will facilitate travel in and out of Bird Rock by keeping vehicles flowing in only one direction around the Bird
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Ian Queeley, Director of Security and Safety for the CARIFTA games
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Rock Athletic Stadium. We will also be blocking off areas around the facility so people will not be allowed to park and impede the movement of traffic.”
Many of the Bird Rock residents wondered if they would be barred from the streets necessary to access their homes. “We have figured that into our traffic plan,” Queeley said, “and we will be issuing ‘resident access passes’ to those individuals who must travel on certain roads to reach their homes.”
Parking for the games was another issue raised, but Lester Hanley, spokesperson for the Local Organizing Committee, stated that the issue had been resolved. “The field north of the stadium will be cleared and should be able to accommodate approximately 500 vehicles. Only a select group of individuals who would have been issued VIP passes will be allowed to actually park at the stadium.”
Lloyd Lazar, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sports, said that it was imperative for residents, and the Federation as a whole, to embrace the CARIFTA games and future events to be held at the Bird Rock Athletic Stadium. “The stadium is a vehicle for the development of our young people and our sports tourism product. Therefore, we must be open to these events and we must maintain this facility.”
~~Adz:Left~~ The Minister responsible for Public Works said that he was glad to see the residents of Bird Rock had embraced the facility over time. “The facility didn’t come here just because we wanted it to be here. International organizers felt the best place to have the facility was in the Bird Rock area…and we are glad to see residents taking an active role in the management of the stadium.”
Referring to the several town hall meetings that have taken place since planning of the stadium began, one resident commented that “it is good to see democracy still at work.”
The CARIFTA games are scheduled to begin on Friday, March 21st, but a grand opening ceremony for the Bird Rock Athletic Stadium is scheduled for March 19th at 5p.m. The facility is expected to accommodate nearly 3000 individuals with spectators, athletes, and coaches hailing from all across the Caribbean.
