By Charmaine Austin, Staff ReporterTHERE IS still uncertainty as to whether or not the new indoor netball court facility will be completed in time for Jamaica's staging of the 11th World Netball Championships despite a press conference hosted by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) to clear up the controversial issue yesterday.
At present, there is still no approved plan/design and no funding for the project. The UDC said it had sought funding from the Economic and Social Development Bank of Venezuela (BANDES) but that fell through.
BANDES encourages, develops and facilitates joint activities through lending and other forms of investment activity and supports projects and development programmes in eligible Association of Caribbean States (ACS) member countries like Jamaica.
The UDC's chairman Vin Lawrence said he was confident all this would be sorted out within the next four weeks.
"We don't have a funded plan for the new facility and we don't have an approved project but it is not safe to say the project is in doubt. It is however safe to say that we are looking at three other financing options and we feel reasonably confident that we will come up with an affordable plan, one that will meet the approval of the UDC's board within the next month," Lawrence said.
"We have a commitment to the championships but there are specifics to be sorted out. We have a great track record and we intend to live up and surpass all previous achievements," he said.
Lawrence did not provide a definite response when asked when work would start or what would happen if plans fell through for funding, but insisted that everyone remain optimistic about the project that should have originally started in June.
Ted Duncan, a project manager at the UDC with responsibility for G.C. Foster College and Independence Park, had submitted a detailed plan at a Cable & Wireless press conference in June but Lawrence and other officials of the company that were present at yesterday's briefing denied knowing that such a plan existed.
"We know nothing of that. We didn't give approval for any plan. Let me be clear ... there is no approved project at this time with the UDC. We had worked with local architects and came up with a concept for the facility but that was too expensive. We need something within budget and the figure we are looking at is between US$5 million and US$6m.
The "unveiled" plan for the enclosed facility was budgeted at US$6.25m and would have boasted air-conditioning throughout with world-class features like a spa.
Most of these 'luxuries' may not be part of any new plans.
Constructing a building with blocks and steel and with the tediousness of scaffolding and other construction equipment is out of the question at this point with the tournament just 10 months away so the only option at this point, Lawrence explained was to construct a pre-engineered building.
It is just as durable, he said, and takes less time to erect. Construction time using this method would be no longer than six months.
The buildings in Portmore Mall and the new blue building at the Bustamante Hospital for Children in Kingston were two local examples pointed out as buildings constructed using pre-engineered material.
Yesterday's press conference was held at the UDC's Ocean Boulevard office and attended by members of the local media and officials of the company.
