2014 VG B’ball League off due to incomplete facility!
A source from the Ministry of Education and Culture who is involved in the project speaking to our news room confirmed to this news site that the project will certainly not be completed this year as there were some issues that caused the delay including that of funding.
Speaking to this news site, Trevor ‘West’ Stevens, one of the organizers from the Virgin Gorda Basketball League Committee said that there is no telling when the Virgin Gorda Basketball League will begin as they are awaiting the completion of the roof for the facility being constructed.
“We are waiting on the roof and the building to be completed. We haven’t had an update from the people for a while,” he said, referring the persons responsible for the construction of the facilities.
Asked when the league supposed to start, he replied it should have started in August this year. This news site tried without success to reach others from the League for an update on the tournament.
He said that it will be started whenever the facility is completed.
When this news site called Acting Director of Youth Affairs and Sports Paul A. Hewlett for a comment on when the facility would be completed and when the VG Basketball League will get underway, he said that he had not been briefed of the situation and directed us to the Minister responsible for Sports, Minister for Education and Culture Honourable Myron V. Walwyn.
“You would have to speak to the Minister…I haven’t been privy to that so I really can’t comment,” he said.
What this again demonstrates is that the Minister continues to micro-manage all aspects of the Ministry leavening critical Heads of Department out of the loop. Efforts to reach the controversial Minister Hon Walwyn for a comment proved futile up to post time.
When this news site made contact with the President of the BVI Basketball Federation (BVIBF) Guy L. Malone, he said that he had no knowledge of when the VG League will be played since the BVIBF does not have any involvement in this league and others outside of the BVIBF.
He said that in the future it will be contemplated whether such leagues will come under the purview of the BVIBF.
Speaking to this news site, Project Manager of the work site for the basketball facility on Virgin Gorda Steve Augustine said that they have reached a point where the works on the interior of the basketball court is 80 to 90 percent done.
“This will take us to a point where we can start to look at completing the interior of the building. At present the basketball court which is the concrete slab that goes in the middle and this will soon get underway,” he said. “We have to look at the finalization of the compacting works which has to be completed before we can complete the paving of the perimeter [which would allow for the seating/stands],” he said.
He said that once these works are done, the task would be to put in the suspended basketball rims, which he said have to be custom fitted and precisely done.
“The Minister is pushing really hard to have the project completed prior to year end, but as it is right now we are running into some scheduling issues,” Augustine said, blaming these on the Thanksgiving and Christmas season.
“As to whether or not it will be exactly year end it might be a tad difficult to say at this time but within weeks of year end or the turn of the year I presume we should be somewhere near completion if not completed,” said Augustine.
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