Neil Richards | National Stadium renewal approaches starting line

The government ministry with responsibility for sports announced recently that a stage-by-stage programme will lead to completion of renewal of the National Stadium. That schedule appears to be guided by the reality that a ‘quick fix’ would not be a practical option.

Even with the deteriorated state of the National Stadium, there is no other convenient and satisfactory alternative venue for staging particular critical performance activities – not even Sabina Park!

The ‘triple-jump’ early stages of the implementation process is somewhat equivalent to a hop, then a step followed by a jump. “Phase Four will involve construction, and Phase Five will be operational-readiness and handover”. The overall projected time frame from start to completion is 36 months.

It is noteworthy, that in ‘high-income’ countries with consistent robust economies, nearly all stadiums are owned and operated by private entities – which, more often than not, enables the construction of brand new stadiums to be fast-tracked. It is perhaps common knowledge that for Jamaica as a ‘middle-income’ country, there are very impactful national budget consequences related to implementation of publicly financed projects.

WHY RETROFIT

A good question is – why retrofit the flawed National Stadium at Independence Park, instead of opting to build a brand new stadium elsewhere? Jamaica’s feeble economic muscle seem to be one major reason. It is indeed a great pity that other national priorities grab such a significant portion of the public purse, causing injury to the nation’s ability to pursue the most ideal and well-deserved options including, for example, – construction of a state-of-the-art stadium in one quick uninterrupted phase.

Jamaica Information Service news of October 16 indicated that ‘the Government has accepted a proposal from two United Kingdom firms – for redevelopment of the National Stadium in Kingston”. A news-release from that source also states that ‘the selected entities (referring to the UK firms) have been associated with other stadium-projects around the world – such as Wembley, Arsenal’s Emirates, the 02 Arena and Stamford Bridge in London and Stadia Roma and San Siro in Italy”.

That official news release further states that the proposal (by the architects) “not only addresses the shortcomings of the existing stadium, but identifies the full potential of the venue”. It also stated that ‘the renewal will entail dispensing with the existing bleachers, providing new seating options, establishing new facilities for media, a modern sports museum, modern lighting, conference facilities” and other significant upgrades.

The National Stadium is 62 years old; and, when its renewal is complete, all that may be recognisable of its original features may be the statue that represents Jamaica’s relay team that won a gold medal at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki.

TEST

The renewal project will ‘test’ essential monitoring, scheduling and programming skills. Smooth integration of the work of the British consultants with Jamaican managerial and technical expertise is highly desirable. In that regard, proper collaborative engagements should be arranged.

A vastly improved stadium will almost certainly meet the standards stipulated by World Athletics, FIFA, CONCACAF and the health and safety requirements of Jamaican regulators.

Commercial benefits that will be derived from the upgraded facility ought to contribute substantially to the maintenance and operational costs of the stadium.

A good-looking stadium will certainly generate pride as an attractive urban feature. The promise of a world-class stadium on completion of the renewal process is ‘good hope’ for an entity that will cradle, develop and showcase extraordinary talent.

Neil Richards is an architect and town planner. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.