The agreement came several weeks after a 10-member design, engineering and architectural team laid the groundwork for the stadium with the help of a Bahamian technical committee.
Flanked by members of The Bahamas Olympic Association, The Bahamian and Chinese technical teams, Prime Minister Perry Christie reiterated his government’s sentiments that the new stadium marks a new chapter in strengthening the relationship between the two countries.
Also present were Attorney General Alfred Sears, Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell and Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Neville Wisdom.
“This will provide a major spark of excitement and motivation to become the wind behind a new generation of Bahamian champions,” Mr. Christie said.
“The new stadium will form the heart of a national sporting complex at Oakes Field and its construction will include ancillary works which together will transform the entire complex into a set of facilities second to none in the region in both functionality and appearance.”
Unveiling the details of the master plan, Mr. Christie said the multiphase project’s first section would include the National Stadium, the Baseball Stadium and the present Thomas A. Robinson stadium, the new softball stadium and the Aquatic Centre.
“All of these facilities will receive attention in keeping with their role and function in the new complex envisioned by the master plan, which will provide for instance, a new diving pool in the existing Aquatic Centre – among other things – a new green space park and adequate parking for each sporting facility,” the Prime Minister explained.
Section two of the Master Plan will deal with the Kendal G.L. Isaacs gymnasium, the National Tennis Centre and the Sports Heroes Hall of Fame. Section two also anticipates the construction of a new multi-purpose indoor facility, which would accommodate up to 10,000 spectators at one time.
According to the Prime Minister, the project’s third section will include the Cycling Track, the soccer facility and an outdoor upgraded facility for recreational sports, now located at the Baillou Hill Sporting Complex.
Sports like netball and field hockey will also be accommodated.
“One of the things of which I am most proud is that the master plan makes provision for the integration into the Sports Complex of that body of water known as Big Pond,” he said.
The government anticipates that the construction of the stadium will proceed with the approval of the technical preliminary design by mid-August 2005.
The detailed drawings are expected to be completed and submitted by the Chinese architectural team by early December 2005 and approved that same month.
“After that, the Chinese government will select an appropriate construction company from China, whose principals will then come to The Bahamas for the formal signing of a construction agreement with the government of The Bahamas,” the Prime Minister said.
“We expect that equipment, supplies and Bahamian labour would be mobilized.”
The Chinese government has already agreed to use whatever number of Bahamian workers available for the project.
Construction of the stadium is expected to begin no later than February 2006 and completed as early as June 2007 “but no later than January 2008.”
The stadium will be designed to seat 15,000, but with a potential to seat up to 30,000.
“This is a worthwhile gift that will benefit the Bahamian people for generations,” the Prime Minister said.
“Though it did not come without negotiation and planning, which will be ongoing, its impact will reverberate far beyond the $30 million value of its construction. It will become a lasting monument to the friendship between our peoples and will be key in the continued march of The Bahamas as a renowned and respected power in sports on the world stage.”
Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas Li Yuanming said that while everyone would like to see the stadium completed sooner than later, it is a huge project with still much work to be done.
By: Macushla N. Pinder, The Bahama Journal
