All’s ‘well’ that ends ‘well’
New water source helping to rejuvenate Caymanas Park
Published:Sunday | April 24, 2022 | 12:11 AMRobert Bailey - Gleaner Writer
SUPREME VENTURES Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL) activated a new well at Caymanas Park just in time for the start of Jamaica’s dry season.
Aldane Anderson, manager of racetrack operations at SVREL, said the new well will greatly assist with the operations of the track.
“The well was commissioned in March and we have started to extract water from it,” said Anderson.
“All the equipment has been connected and we are getting some good output from the new well,” he said.
While the official cost of construction has not been disclosed, The Gleaner understands that more than $50 million was spent.
Importantly, the output from the new well has allowed the betting company to begin repair work on another well which has been operating below its capacity for several years.
NEEDED UPGRADE WORK
“What this allows us to do is to now target some needed upgrade work to our existing well and storage tanks,” said Anderson.
“Now that we are getting new water sources, we can shut down and do some upgrading work to our existing tanks. This started in March and is a process that will go on until the end of May,” Anderson said.
“We have been having challenges, especially in the drought season, in terms of the water output that is required for the horsemen, the track maintenance and general operations and so this is very important in providing the necessary water that is required for the track,” Anderson said. SVREL currently pays an extraction fee to the Water Resources Authority of Jamaica.
Patrick Smellie, president of United Racehorse Trainers Association of Jamaica (URTAJ), said his organisation welcomes the new well, but wants no delays for the completion of upgrades to the other well on the premises.
“The commission of the well is a good thing but the gains that they have got are now gone because they have now taken down the three water tanks that were there and they are patching them,” Smellie said.
“As far as I understand from the track manager, the patching will be finished sometime at the end of May,” he said.
“We are still having the water problems and so by the end of May, we should be in good stead.”