Lara Recreation Ground nearing completion

Trinidad Express article.

Port of Spain, Trinidad - Minister of Sport Brent Sancho visited the Brian Lara Recreation Ground Wednesday in effort to understand the scope of construction being undertaken by the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago.

Accompanied by West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara, Minister Sancho viewed drawings and was updated by contractors on the progress at the Ground, which when completed will feature a 500-seat pavilion with change rooms and storage areas, car park, cricket nets, an outdoor basketball court and a children’s play park.

Brian Lara concurred with Minister Sancho about the facility’s potential to earn revenue with the installation of concession stands and advertising boards.

Inspecting: Minister Brent Sancho, centre, looks over drawings for the Brian Lara Recreation Ground with project contractors,CG Construction, at the site in Cantaro village, Santa Cruz yesterday. At left is former West Indies captain Brain Lara. —Photo courtesy Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago

The Sport Minister is very keen on exploring income-generating opportunities for regional recreation grounds across the country, which will serve as a boost to the community’s business prospects as well as contribute to the country’s sport tourism product. Minister Sancho indicated that he was grateful to have input from Lara and is of the view that elite athletes should be consulted when facilities are being built, as their experiences of competing at international venues was invaluable to the development of the local sporting infrastructure.

As such, the former West Indies captain pointed out that in his view, the outfield and pitch at the Ground were of a high enough quality to permit warm-up, practice and training sessions for visiting regional and international teams as well as community level interventions for football and cricket.

The contractor on the project CG Construction estimated a 14-week timeline for completion of the ground.