Weekes (right) presenting an award to James Wedderburn.

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WORK on the National Stadium at Waterford should start before the year ends. This assurance was given by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports, Lionel Weekes, at the Freedom Striders Track and Field Clubs 31st and 32nd Awards Ceremony, on Tuesday night at Solidarity House.

Weekes was the guest speaker at the ceremony that showed appreciation for the clubs stalwarts and especially its founding member, Anthony Coach Lovell.

We hired Consulting Engineers Partnership, which is one of the oldest engineering firms in Barbados, and which has had an association with the national stadium from the late 1960s and early 1970s, and asked them to undertake a structural assessment of the national stadium, said Weekes.

When this assessment was concluded, CEP found that the stadium was in a bad state and they urged that remedial action be taken immediately. The ministry then decided not to hold any meets at the stadium where the public would occupy the stands, in the interest of public safety.

Weekes also noted that while the recent Jah Cure show was held at the venue, the organisers of the show utilised the eastern section, not the stands, as they didnt want to endanger any ones life.

We have instructed the CEP to pre-qualify about 4 or 5 construction firms. Those firms have been chosen and they have been invited to tender their bids in accordance with the specifications set out by the CEP, added Weekes.

He further stated that these bids would include all comments, assessments and recommendations and should be ready by the end of this week.

We should get these things by the end of this week and would be able to award a contract to the successful bidder by next week, said Weekes.

We want them to work through Christmas and into January to ensure that by the middle of February the repairs will be done and at least the finals of the primary and secondary schools programmes will be held at the National Stadium of Barbados.

Weekes also noted that his ministry was working with the netball, basketball, badminton, volleyball and boxing associations, to convert the nearby Netball Stadium into a world class facility.

We want to convert the netball stadium into a world class facility that will have a covered roof and a wooden floor, he said Weekes.

This is so that the athletes in those disciplines would be able to train under international standards. We have no doubt given the national athleticism persons in those disciplines, that if they are given the correct facilities and if they are given the right coaching, and their nutrition and mental attitudes are right, that we would see considerable improvement in those disciplines, added Weekes.

Weekes was also on hand to present special awards to some of the longstanding members of Freedom Striders, such as James Wedderburn and one the clubs patrons, Hamish McClurg.