By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

OVER $5m will be spent on building a new Pinewood Community Centre that is intended to double as a hurricane shelter, as residents continue to endure repeated flooding during heavy rains.

The $5.09m facility is to be constructed at Pinewood Park on Pigeon Plum Street and is expected to take about 12 months to complete. It will form part of a broader upgrade of the park that also includes refurbishing the baseball diamond, tennis court and children’s playground.

The announcement comes months after Tropical Storm Imelda flooded homes, toppled power lines and rendered roads impassable across Pinewood, forcing several residents to evacuate to the Nassau Village Community Centre.

Member of Parliament for Pinewood and Minister of Social Services Myles Laroda said the new centre will significantly strengthen the community’s ability to respond during hurricanes. He said the building will feature an industrial-sized kitchen, bathrooms, National Insurance Board services and Social Services support, and will also be available for private rentals.

“This community center will go a long way in letting the people of Pinewood know that there is a place where you could all go,” Mr Laroda said during a press conference at the Ministry of National Security.

“Heaven forbid, we able to assist other areas or other islands if there are evacuees, that there's a one stop place that is safe, that we don't have to worry about food being prepared, or people in great numbers using restrooms.”

Flooding has plagued Pinewood for decades, with residents repeatedly raising concerns about inadequate drainage. In October, government officials unveiled a $20m drainage plan at a Ministry of Works town hall meeting, an initiative prompted by long-standing complaints and again underscored by the damage caused by Tropical Storm Imelda.

Asked for an update on those mitigation efforts, Mr Laroda said $20m was allocated in this year’s budget and that the Inter-American Development Bank has approved funding for the remediation project. He said residents should begin to see tangible progress in the new year.

Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe said community centres also play a role beyond disaster response, forming part of the government’s broader crime-prevention strategy.

There are currently four functioning community centres on New Providence, including facilities at Edmond Moxey in Fox Hill, Quahkoo Street and the recently completed Nassau Village Community Centre. Construction of the Englerston Community Centre is expected to begin soon, while work is already under way on the Mount Moriah Community Centre.

Chris Leida, chief executive officer of Premier Importers, will spearhead construction of the Pinewood Community Centre.