By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

WORKS and Utilities Minister Alfred Sears revealed yesterday that the government has approved funding for construction works to resume at the Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium.

Speaking in the House of Assembly yesterday, Mr Sears told parliamentarians he was recently informed that some $5m was transferred to the project’s contractor.

He made the remarks as St Anne’s MP Adrian White was praising the work done on the stadium by the former administration during his contribution to the mid-year budget debate.

However, Mr Sears took issue with Mr White’s comments yesterday, insisting that little progress was made to the project under the Minnis administration.

Mr Sears said: “The honourable member would be quite aware that for essentially four years, the Andre Rogers Baseball Stadium that you just referred to, $24m would’ve been invested on the ground and for the past four years, it has basically been at a standstill but I am happy to announce, Mr Deputy that the Cabinet has just approved funding and I have just received a notice today, in fact within the hour, from the contractor that he is now in receipt of $5m which will enable him to move forward.”

This prompted a response from Marco City MP Michael Pintard, who told parliamentarians that Mr Sears’ assertions were simply not true.

The Free National Movement leader said not only did the Minnis administration carry out works on the project, but said they also resolved several “outstanding issues” left in place by the Christie administration.

“Mr Deputy, the member for Fort Charlotte spoke on this matter some time ago and what he omitted to say, and I correct him on the record of this House with no objection from him, and that is the escalating cost for the stadium occurred under the Progressive Liberal Party prior to 2017,” Mr Pintard said in the House of Assembly.

“So, the figure that he referenced and the ballooning figure as a result of some of the omissions in the design again occurred prior to 2017. It is not true that for four and a half years nothing happened with the stadium.

“Even what he said is an amendment to what he said originally wasn’t good enough. Work did in fact occur, including settling some of the outstanding issues that were left undone by the PLP and it was advanced in the years leading up to, the two years in particular, leading up to the election and so we have present, the most recent minister of youth, sports and culture who can lay out those items that were done but it is wrong for him to continue to come here and say that nothing was done in four and a half years because it’s not factual.”

However, Mr Sears fired back and said Mr Pintard had misunderstood what he initially said.

“Marco City has contradicted St Anne’s by stating that some work was done but he said the $24m was on the ground and his allegation was that there were certain things under the previous PLP. I never said nothing was done in the past four years. I said very little was done,” Mr Sears added.

Construction began on the stadium in September 2016 and was supposed to end in November 2017, Mr Sears said in January.

However, he said the project was greatly delayed and impacted by a number of issues, including an escalation in the cost of materials, equipment and labour because of the transition between administrations.

The works minister also revealed earlier this year that more than $31m will be needed to complete the Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium.