The new Integrity Commission

St Cyr heads new Integrity Commission

Watch out Calder, the new Integrity Commission may soon be on your case. As long as it does not fall apart.

Dr Eric St Cyr, known throughout the Caribbean as a leading economist and academic, is he new head of the Integrity Commission, which an obviously relieved President Max Richards swore in at President’s House this morning.

Gladys Gafoor, a member of the ill-fated Commission which was appointed almost one year ago, is back and is Deputy Chairman.

Other members are Neil Rolingston, who worked with Republic Bank as an economist and was also Chief Executive Officer of PLIDECO and National Flour Mills; Sieunarine Johkoo, former Director of State Enterprises, and academic Dr Anna Maria Bissessar.

Gafoor is a former Industrial Court Judge and has been promoted to Deputy Chairman.

St Cyr spent over a decade in the Senate and piloted motions dealing with the country’s economic development and has published works in this area.

The appointments, hopefully, bring  closure to a disturbing phase in the country’s history where amidst allegations of impropriety in the public sector the country is without an Integrity. The membership of one Commission had to resign in ignominy when they were severely castigated by a High Court judge in the Keith Rowley Landate affair.

When the President assembled another Commission it also fell apart.

The new Commission may very well have to deal with the Calder Hart issue as a matter of priority

Aming, who was in his 80s, was a bandleader in the heady era of the 1940s when there were great bands like Bob Wilson and the Wilsonians, Sel Duncan, John Buddy Williams, Fitz Vaughn Bryan, Johnny Gomez, Tom Durham, Norman Tex Williams et al. That was a time when the presence of the United States marine base at Chaguaramas gave a boost to show business.

Port of Spain became one of the Caribbean flesh pots with lots of night clubs, particularly along Wrightson Road which was nicknamed, “The Gaza Strip”.

In this milieu Choy Aming formed his band in the 1940s. It was said that famed London bandleader Edmundo Ros, who was born in Port of Spain, played with his band.

Aming, a drummer, was usually introduced by the master of ceremonies, as “Choy Aming, his drums and his orchestra”..

In 1961, Aming opened a popular nightclub “Penthouse” on the top floor of the Salvatori Building, then the tallest structure in the country.

It was a successful venture which featured top local and international artistes but he left it in the hands of relatives and migrated to Bermuda where he also had successful entertainment and tourism businesses.

He will be buried on Wednesday.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

By COREY CONNELLY, SUNDAY NEWSDAY

Already faced with a depleting flock and mounting concerns about a persistent lack o candidates

for the priesthood, the local Roman Catholic Church is said to be in the hunt for $40

milllion….Read more….

Already faced with a depleting flock and
mounting concerns about a persistent lack of candidates for the
priesthood, the local Roman Catholic Church is said to be on the hunt for
some $40 million to restore/renovate two of its historical churches in
Port-of-Spain, including the majestic Cathedral of the Immaculate
Conception.
And while a formal decision is yet to be taken on the way forward for both
structures, Sunday Newsday understands that the huge cost of
rehabilitating the Cathedral to its pristine glory, in particular, stunned
several priests when the issue emerged during meetings of the clergy at
Tunapuna and Curepe within recent months.

Initial estimates were in the vicinity of about $28 million, but several
priests were concerned about how much of that sum would ultimately go
toward consultancy fees as opposed to the actual project, Sunday Newsday
learnt.

High-ranking church officials told Sunday Newsday that some priests
wondered whether it was prudent to repair a church at that cost or rebuild
a cheaper one.

They indicated, though, that the overall figure for rehabilitating the
Cathedral and Sacred Heart RC Church, at the corner of Sackville and
Richmond Streets, needed to be re-calculated at a follow-up meeting with a
view to itemising the specific tasks to be carried out and the anticipated
cost for each job.

This had not been done at the last meeting, sources said.

“It is understood that the clergy discussed this proposal and some priests
raised questions about it because it did not have with it a breakdown.

“It came to them as a ‘guestimate,’ rather than an estimate. There was too
much garrulous chatter without facts,”one church official said in an
interview on Wednesday.

And, to compound the problem, several lay people were reportedly peeved
that they had not been consulted about the plans to restore the Cathedral
during the meetings, it was also learnt.

“Some of them said the Cathedral belongs not only to the clergy but to all
of us,” the official said.

The meetings, which dealt with several issues, were said to have been
organised by Roman Catholic Archbishop Edward Gilbert. He also attended
the sessions.

“Once there are meetings of national importance, particularly regarding
the restoration of churches such as the Cathedral, the Bishop is in
continual consultation with the clergy,” said the official, who did not
want to be named. Noting that speakers were very vocal in their
contributions, the official said during the deliberations, several priests
raised concerns about whether the Cathedral was in the right place or
should be relocated or even sold. Sunday Newsday understands that
Chaguanas had been suggested as one of the possible relocation sites.

The official was shocked by this suggestion. “Chaguanas? Where in
Chaguanas? That area is congested,” the official declared.

“The people who talk really do not know the country. Talk is cheap. Talk
is free.” For the most part, the official said, attendees agreed that the
Cathedral should remain in its existing location, downtown Port-of-Spain.

One group, he said, felt that they were happy that the Cathedral was
situated in what may be considered to be the poorer section of
Port-of-Spain “because the church always has to identify with the poor
from the gospel.”

“And, if our Cathedral was not in that part of the city, we will be easily
identified with the rich and take plenty licks,” he said.

People could say it is noisy for worship or there are vagrants that
disturb. They feel that Catholics have to take all that in their stride
because the church is where it meets a need.”

Well-known Roman Catholic priest Fr Garfield Rochard endorses the view
that the Cathedral is a source of refuge and solace to many people working
in the capital city.

“Therefore, to relocate it might be to put the church in a nice, quiet
place insignificant to people’s needs,” he argued in an interview on
Wednesday.

“The Cathedral is a place where the people can go in and out because it
meets their needs. The majority of the people in Port-of-Spain have to
pass near that Cathedral. It touches them, even externally. They don’t
even have to go inside. It is a landmark.”

An imposing sight at the eastern end of the Brian Lara Promenade on
Independence Square, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is perhaps
the most enduring symbol of Roman Catholic life in Trinidad and Tobago.

Steeped in history, the church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was
constructed by the British in a new gothic style between 1815 and 1832.

Designed by architect Philip Reinagle, it was built in the form of a Latin
cross with limestone from the nearby Laventille hills and is adorned with
beautiful stained glass windows, a distinctive peach-coloured facade and
unique pentagonal altar.

This signalled a marked departure from what obtained previously.

The first church in the capital city was a wooden structure built in 1781
at Tamarind Square. It had a capacity to seat 500 people.

Later, at the turn of the century, it became evident that the church was
too small and a decision was taken to replace it with a more permanent and
larger structure.

The foundation stone for the Cathedral was laid on March 24, 1816. And on
February 23, 1851, it was consecrated by the first Archbishop of
Port-of-Spain, The Most Reverend Patrick Smith.

In the 1860s, there was no other church in Port-of-Spain but the
Cathedral. As a result, it encompassed Roman Catholic faithful as far as
Newtown, St Ann’s and Maraval

Since that time, several churches have been constructed to cater to the
respective Catholic communities in and around Port-of-Spain, but the
Cathedral remains the preferred choice for many significant Roman Catholic
celebrations and other major spiritual events.

For example, the funeral services of several prominent nationals -
including the country’s first and only local Archbishop Anthony Pantin and
prolific Laventille pan man Rudolph Charles – were also conducted at the
church. In fact, Pantin’s remains have been stored beneath the Cathedral,
in a crypt designated for bishops, since his death on March 12, 2000.

Although the Cathedral has withstood many trials, the ravages of the years
have taken its toll.

Rochard, who served as administrator of the Cathedral almost two decades
ago, recalled that the church had first been renovated in the 1960’s
during the tenure of then parish priest Fr Norman Gray.

“The Dominicans were living there and the Cathedral was under renovation.
They did the floor. They did over the roof and then, subsequently, an
earthquake threw the cross off the structure,” recalled Rochard, parish
priest at the Church of the Assumption in Maraval.

He noted that the Cathedral had been closed for about two years to
facilitate the renovations.

Later, Rochard recalled that during his term, a thorough facelift had been
done within the interior of the building.

This included repainting and a general upgrade to its signature stained
glass windows. Electronic organs were also introduced at that time, he
recalled.

Now, the Cathedral is said to be in need of extensive renovation work,
which may include altering the structure of the roof.

“A decision has to be made on whether or not to change the structure of
the roof to take slates. They must also examine the benefits of putting a
slate roof,” one source said.

The large amount of water that accumulates in the guttering during heavy
rainfall has also been a lingering concern over the years, he said.

“The guttering cannot take the amount of water so it is destined to fall
alongside the outside of the walls or the inside of the walls of the
structure. And one of the biggest problems with this is the limestone. So,
they may have to use a new material to repaste the walls,” the source
added.

According to the official, the interior of the Cathedral must be
modernised to address the problem of the homeless, who sometimes saunter
obliviously through the church during masses and other activities.

“Every church has vagrants, some more than others,” he argued.

“If we had to run from the vagrants we might as well close down. Jesus
said, “The poor you will always have.”

As for the potential for violence and crime, he insisted: “You cannot
escape it. One has to work towards the society we knew before. It can
happen.”

Preservation of the crypt also received some focus during the discussions.

“They may have to redesign the crypt for the burial of bishops. The water
level downtown is high and there are only about six crypts left. The rest
we cannot see them because they disappeared with time,” an official said.

Any overall plan for the restoration/renovation of the Cathedral has to be
done within the context of a heritage building, the official suggested.

“The State may only give eight percent or about $2 million and the
archdiocese may have to raise a certain figure every year. It seems that
the archdiocese may have to budget an annual sum and the work has to
become piecemeal,” he said.

“But, at this point, you still have not heard what has to be done and a
little cost estimate of each. That has not been said. All we have are
guestimates at this point.”

The question that must be asked, according to the official, is whether the
projects were being viewed as museum pieces or as catering to a living
community that worhips frequently.

“You have to have a certain degree of relevance. One has to follow the
rules of church worship,” he said

He recalled that the Vatican, 40 years ago, had ruled that certain
institutions be carried out.

“These were things that were done 400 years ago and they have not
changed,” the official said.

“You restore your church but you have to make it modern and relevant. You
don’t restore things of antiquity that have no use.”

He said one also had to admit that restorations of churches and heritage
buildings can never be completed in one year.

“It goes over a long period of time and you do piece by piece. The
building is not falling down,” he said of the Cathedral.

Outspoken priest Fr Clyde Harvey agreed.

As parish priest of another historic church, Our Lady of the Rosary, at
the corner of Park and Henry Streets in Port-of-Spain, Harvey can speak
with some authority about the length of time it takes to rehabilitate such
structures.

“When you think about a restoration, a lot of Cathedrals took centuries to
build. Restoration always takes time,” he said in an interview on
Thursday.

Harvey, who also served at Maloney and San Fernando in the past, learnt
this lesson the hard way.

He was assigned to Rosary Church in December 2006 at a time when
renovation work on the structure was supposed to have been completed.

To date, Harvey said, the church, which was originally expected to cost
$15 million, is far from complete “and I don’t know what the figure is
now.”

“It is nowhere near completion. I don’t have a date and I am very
disappointed,” he stressed.

“I accepted the job thinking it would have been completed and that it
would not have been my problem.”

Harvey said the project, which began in 2005, was being undertaken by
Construction Restoration Maintenance Services Limited (CRMS).

Built by the French with labour from descendants of African slaves in the
1800s, the church has been a stabilising force for some of the most
depressed communites in East Port-of-Spain “over the bridge” and remains a
powerful symbol of that era, said Harvey.

Its rehabilitation, Harvey said, includes complete restoration work to the
exterior, a new roof, cleaning and treatment of the external walls and a
complete interior upgrade.

Despite the setbacks, he said he has managed to have regular services
“under difficult conditions.”

Sacred Heart Church, also due for upgrade at a projected cost of $12
million, is said to be in dire need of a complete structural overhaul,
involving a change in the roof – since the last one was replaced in the
1980s – and the refurbishment of its classic stained glass windows.

The Gothic-styled church, situated in a cramped space along Richmond
Street, was constructed for English- speaking Catholics in 1882, but is
served, at present, from the Cathedral.

However, its foundation stone was laid in 1880 by then Archbishop Louis
Joachim Gonin.

The church’s stained glass windows coupled with its Stations of the Cross
are said to be among the best in the country.

The church’s grotto, which is visible to passers-by, is dedicated to Our
Lady. And, to the right hand side of the main entrance, one can find a
shrine dedicated to the saints.

The official said architects may have to play a key role in determining
how the rehabilitation efforts were to proceed.

“In essence, it is a battle between architects and their view about
retaining structures that have created problems for management and the
decision to either restore or renovate,” an official said.

Calder Hart

Where is Calder Hart? The Fraud Squad may want to have a word with him.

Nervous moments for former State Board heavyweight who is holed out abroad as reports are that Interpol is on his trail and investigations into allegations of nepotism are to be concluded by the Fraud Squad tomorrow.

Congress of the People (COP) lawyer Vernon De Lima revealed yesterday that of the Fraud Squad had a two- hour meeting on Friday with Carl Khan, former husband of Sherinne Hart, he, De Lima and Timothy Hamel-Smith, another COP lawyer, in Port of Spain and they were told that investigations would be concluded by today or tomorrow.

Investigations were also been done police in Malaysia.

Khan swore to an affidavit that the principals of C.H. Development were close relatives of Hart’s wife. CH Development, of course, were awarded a $368 million contract to build the Legal Affairs Towers. The company got the contract a mere three weeks after it was formed. It had no track record in construction and its price was $60 million above the lowest bidder.

Significantly, Khan’s affidavit was not challenged at the Uff Commission of Enquiry by any of UDECOTT’s battery of high-priced lawyers.

Incredibly, Prime Minister Patrick Manning, who has steadfastly defended and also praised Hart, described Khan as”a jilted lover”.

The COP contracted a Malysian legal firm, Skrine, at a US$3,000 fee to obtain the requisite documents to establish the family links between Hart and CH Development.

Citizens who were described by Information Minister Neil Parsanlal as “very, very angry” at the whole affair await the next development.

The question remains: where is Hart who fled the country with his family after he was sacked from the State boards?

by Siddarth Monga, CRICINFO

On a beautiful sunny day at Arnos Vale and ona pitch that offered good bounce the Zimbabwe

batsmen found the going too tough….Read more…

On a beautiful sunny day at Arnos Vale and on a pitch that offered good bounce,
the Zimbabwe batsmen found the going too tough, and managed another below-par
total that was chased not without huff and puff despite Chris Gayle’s explosive
start. But for a fighting fifty from Charles Coventry, who was inexplicably left
out of the XIs so far, Zimbabwe would have struggled to get past even 100.
Gayle started St Vincent’s National Heroes’ Day celebrations in earnest with an
onslaught at the start of the chase, but in a bizarre collapse the West Indies
middle order managed to wipe the smiles off the faces of the partying crowd.
Gayle smacked a 41-ball 63 out of the 96 runs scored while he was in the middle,
but the next three batsmen threw their wickets away, bringing Zimbabwe right
back in at 104 for 5. Keiron Pollard, though, came in and struck two fours and
two sixes in eight balls to bring the smiles back.
It shouldn’t even have gone close after the way the Zimbabwe batsmen
capitulated. What will hurt Zimbabwe, who are aiming for a Test return, is that
the failure came on a day Kemar Roach was rested. There was no disconcerting
seam movement either, just good carry. In their fast bowler’s absence, Darren
Sammy and Ravi Rampaul produced the wicket-taking deliveries to leave Zimbabwe
in tatters at 25 for 5. The fifth wicket fell in the 16th over, by which time
Zimbabwe had hit just one boundary, and had failed to score off 87 deliveries -
25 of them at a stretch. None of the top five reached double-figures, and
Zimbabwe were flirting with their own record for the lowest total in ODIs – 35.
As soon as Hamilton Masakadza fell without troubling the scorers, Zimbabwe were
looking at a long struggle. Even before Masakadza top-edged Rampaul while
pulling a delivery slightly too full, another important blow had been struck by
Dave Bernard. Bowling a free-hit in the first over of the innings, Bernard hit
Vusi Sibanda in the right glove, and since then Sibanda’s 49-ball stay for eight
runs was painful in more ways than one.
Sibanda and Timycen Maruma shut shop like it was a national holiday, and went
more than four overs without scoring a run. When they did get a run, though,
there was no time for celebrations. Four balls later, Rampaul got Maruma to edge
one that bounced at him. At 11 for 1 after eight overs, Brendan Taylor brought
some intent to the middle, even managing a boundary in the 13th over,
off-driving a Dwayne Bravo half-volley, but Sammy pushed them back further.
In the next over, he removed the two keepers, Taylor and Tatenda Taibu. Taylor
was dismissed by a full delivery that moved in ever so slightly, and Taibu by
one that shot up. Sibanda followed the exodus, pulling Sammy to deep square leg.

Elton Chigumbura, easily Zimbabwe’s most confident batsman on the tour, started
to loosen the shackles with a 23-ball 19, and Coventry carried on, accelerating
from 21 off 42 to end up with 57 off 88. Chigumbura became the first man to go
past single-figures, but he cut Pollard’s first delivery into point’s lap.
Along with Greg Lamb, Coventry added 57 for the seventh wicket. The fast bowlers
were taken off, scoring became easier, and both batted sensibly. It took a
freakish bit of work from Bravo to get rid of Coventry: off his own bowling, he
kicked the ball from almost short cover to hit the stumps direct. With eight
wickets gone in 42.1 overs, there wasn’t much the tail could do.
When he came out for the chase, Gayle waited for about four overs and Adrian
Barath’s wicket before he opened up. For the first time on the tour, Zimbabwe
were forced to take Ray Price out of the attack. Finally Gayle had got the
better of him, and also hit the successful Chigumbura out of the attack.
Gayle cut, drove and lofted with aplomb; one of his two sixes nearly made it to
the nearby airport’s parking lot. When he holed out going for a third six, he
had left the rest 62 runs to get in 34.4 overs. Then came the West Indies twist:
the Bravo brothers got stumped and Narsingh Deonarine hit straight down
long-off’s throat. Pollard, though, went on to provide merit to the price bid
for him in the IPL by striking big and clean, and scoring 36 off 20 balls to
finish the match with 22.2 overs to spare.

Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at
Cricinfo

Kenwyne Jones

He’s big and strong but cannot finish. However, his goal on Sunday earned an important point for Sunderland.

He is not a footballer that you would label “bound to score”.

However, now and then Trinidad and Tobago and English Premier League striker Kenwyne Jones sticks in an important goal- like yesterday when he put his side in the lead with a ninth minute header in a league match against Manchester City.

Jones out-jumped the defence to head in the cross provided by Frenchman Steed Malbranque and beat goalkeeper Shay Given. It was his eighth goal for the season.

Sunderland held on for dear life but had to share a point when Adam Johnson scored in extra time.

However, Jones’ goal gave Sunderland a seven goal cushion from the relegation zone and they are now in 14^th place with 31 points.

Good show, Kenwyne. How about another goal in the next game?

Dr Eric St Cyr

At last, an Integrity Commission is appointed. Perhaps, its first job is to go after Calder Hart.

Noted economist and former senator Dr Eric St Cyr is one of the five citizens good and true that will be sworn in on the Integrity Commission at 10a.m today.

The assembling of this new Integrity Commission has probably been President Maxwell Richards most difficult task in the seven years he has been in office. It comes amidst court action by Devant Maharaj, self-appointed guardian of East Indian affairs and founder of one-man organisations, and also calls from several quarters for the President to resign.

The Commission which the President appointed also one year ago following the resignation of the previous one in February 2009 collapsed after the resignation of several members in the wake of the Father Henri Charles scandal.

The President vacationed abroad while all this happened and later said that he was encountering difficulties with some not wanting to be on the body.

Perhaps, the new Commission’s first job should be to probe former UDECOTT Chairman Calder Hart for possible perjury and allegations of nepotism.

by Sidharth Monga, Cricinfo

On a beautiful sunny day at Arnos Vale, on a pitch that offered good bounce, Zimbabwe batsmen

found the going too touch….Read more…

On a beautiful sunny day at Arnos Vale, on a pitch that offered good bounce, the
Zimbabwe batsmen found the going too tough, took scoring out of their system for
long durations, and managed another below-par total. But for a fighting fifty
from Charles Coventry, who was inexplicably left out of the XIs so far, Zimbabwe
would have struggled to cross even 100.
What will hurt Zimbabwe, who are aiming for a Test return, more is that the
capitulation came on a day that Kemar Roach was rested. There was no
disconcerting seam movement either, just good carry. In home side’s fast
bowler’s absence, Darren Sammy and Ravi Rampaul produced the wicket-taking
deliveries to leave Zimbabwe in tatters at 25 for 5. The fifth wicket fell in
the 16th over, by which time Zimbabwe had hit just one boundary, and had failed
to score off 87 deliveries – 25 of them at a stretch. None of the top five
reached double figures, and Zimbabwe were flirting with their own record for the
lowest total in ODIs – 35.
Elton Chigumbura, easily Zimbabwe’s most confident batsman on the tour, started
to loosen the shackles with a 23-ball 19, and Coventry carried on, accelerating
from 21 off 42 to end up with 57 off 88.
As soon as Zimbabwe’s other confident batsman, Hamilton Masakadza, fell without
troubling the scorers, they were looking at a long struggle. Even before
Masakadza top-edged Rampaul while pulling a delivery slightly too full, another
important blow had been struck by Dave Bernard. Bowling a free-hit in the first
over of the innings, Bernard hit Vusi Sibanda in the right glove, and after that
Sibanda’s 49-ball stay for eight runs was painful in more ways than one.
Sibanda and Timycen Maruma shut shop like it was a national holiday, and went
more than four overs without scoring a run. When they did get a run, though,
there was no time for celebrations. Four balls later, Rampaul got Maruma to edge
one that bounced at him. At 11 for 1 after eight overs, Brendan Taylor brought
some intent to the middle, even managing a boundary in the 13th over,
off-driving a Dwayne Bravo half-volley, but Sammy pushed them back further in
the next few overs.
In the next over, he removed the two keepers, Taylor and Tatenda Taibu. Taylor
with a full delivery that moved in ever so slightly, and Taibu with the rising
delivery. Sibanda followed the exodus, pulling Sammy to deep square leg.
Chigumbura’s outlook was completely different, and so were the results. The
third ball he faced he cut powerfully. Even though he got an edge, the edge flew
over the slips because he had hit hard at it. Two important milestones were
crossed in the 18th and 19th overs: when Sammy bowled a wide down the leg side,
Zimbabwe reached 36, and with a push for a single Chigumbura became the first
man to cross single figures.
Slightly more free-flowing batting followed. Chigumbura smashed Sammy past cover
for four, Coventry lofted Bravo over mid-off. But with Coventry still
struggling, Chigumbura cut Keiron Pollard’s first delivery into point’s lap.
Along with Greg Lamb, Coventry added 57 for the seventh wicket. The fast bowlers
were taken off, scoring became easier, and both batted sensibly. It took a
freakish bit of work from Bravo to get rid of Coventry: off his own bowling he
kicked the ball from almost short cover to hit the stumps direct.
Inexplicably, too, Zimbabwe hadn’t made use of the batting Powerplay by then. In
fact they took it in the last five overs with the last two wickets left, and
only Graeme Cremer’s 25-ball 19 carried them past 150.

Sidharth Monga is a staff
writer at Cricinfo

By Andre Bagoo, Sunday Newsday

$80 million to correct flaws in the design of the

National Academy for the Perdorming Arts (NAPA)….

Read more in Sunday Newsday….

$80 million to correct flaws in the design of the

National Academy for the
Performing Arts (NAPA), Port-of-Spain, the

interim President of the
Artists Coalition of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT)

Rubadiri Victor, estimated
yesterday.
While Prime Minister Patrick Manning last week

praised the NAPA as being
“world class,” Victor yesterday begged to

differ, saying the facility is
plagued with technical problems and argued that

it does not compare in any
form with Queen’s Hall, St Ann’s.

Discussing a dossier on the NAPA prepared by the

ACTT which has been
circulating on the internet this month, Victor,

a multi-media artist,
said, “$80 million is a realistic estimate of

the costs that would be
involved to correct the defects.”

“It appears as though the firm which built and

designed the facility
(Shanghai Construction Group) may not have been

experienced in building
facilities of this kind,” he said.

The ACTT in their dossier, entitled, “The

Tragedy and Hidden History of
the NAPA”, the coalition of artists also

estimate that maintenance of the
building like the NAPA, which has an estimated

budget of about $500
million, can approach as much as ten per cent of

building cost.
Architects, though, noted that maintenance costs

are difficult to estimate
due to the variables involved, such as the

quality of original materials
used.

Among the defects noted in the ACTT dossier are:

There is no loading area for the main stage;

The stage is “ill-matched” to the 1,500 seating

capacity of the hall;

The orchestra pit is defective;

The light and sound boards are analogue and not

digital (the industry
standard for the last decade);

There are “hundreds of problems with lighting

and sound fixtures and
equipment” The stage floor is “ribbed and is not

a sprung floor so is
ill-suited for dancing and thus will damage

dancers”.

Dance studios are flawed;

There are “no costume rooms, no set construction

rooms and no warehousing
rooms”;

One architect not involved in the ACTT report,

who has been inside the
NAPA yesterday confirmed the flaws identified in

the report and added,
“the floors are laminated and they have begun to

chip already. Because of
materials used, there are also creases on the

stage, which will be a
challenge for dancer.”

“A loading area’s dimensions are normally about

16 feet x 10 feet- NAPA
has a normal door! This means that sets,

costumes of a certain size,
certain musical instruments (hint- one of them

is our national one) cannot
fit through NAPA’s doors to get backstage!” the

report, compiled from a
site visit and other sources, notes.

“The two rooms that have been trumpeted as the

two smaller theatres are in
fact just two rooms. Flat rooms with no seats.

It would cost tens of
millions of dollars to convert these rooms into

theatres.”

“All the light and sound boards are analogue not

digital. They are also
mid-standard and not high-end,” the report

continues. “Most of the
fixtures are completely wrong: There are

literally hundreds of problems
with lighting and sound fixtures and equipment.

Some may sound small to
laypeople but they mean everything to the

technicians entrusted to make
sure shows go on.”

“For instance: the bars that the hundreds of

light fixtures are on are
square and not round. This means that lights can

only be pointed in four
directions (two of them up to the roof!) and not

in gradated choice as on
a round bar.”

Tellingly, signage for technical parts of the

building is in Chinese, an
indication that the design—heavily trumped as

being inspired by the
Chaconia flower—may not have been original to

Trinidad and Tobago.

Additionally, “There are no dressing rooms

within reach of the backstage,
and no clothing racks, showers and a host of

other amenities in the
dressing rooms that do exist. This probably can

be rectified but it will
cost.”

“There are no monitors for backstage and for the

stage manager. This
probably too can be rectified — but it will

cost.”

“The stage-floor is ribbed and is not a sprung

floor so is ill-suited for
dancing and thus will damage dancers. Theatrical

floors are ‘rigged’ so
that dancers can dance on then — they have a

bounce to absorb and cushion
dancers — otherwise it’s like you are dancing on

concrete.”

“The dance studios are completely unsuited for

dance. The dance-rooms have
concrete and terrazzo floors; have dance bars

too high; and have mirrors
on both walls creating a circus infinite-mirror

effect. This means there
are effectively no dance studio spaces in NAPA.

New properly constructed
dance floors will have to be built, one mirrored

wall will have to come
down and all the dance bars taken down and

re-hung.

To add to the litany of complaints, “there are

no costume rooms, no set
construction rooms and no warehousing rooms.”

Members of the ACTT include Fabien Alphonso,

president of the Recording
Industry Association of Trinidad and Tobago

(RIATT) and Andre Reyes,
president of the Artist Teachers Association.

“I don’t know how it could be that the firm that

got the contract has a
competency in building a performing arts

centre,” Victor, who appeared
before the Uff Commission of Inquiry into

Udecott, the state corporation
that built the facility, said. “This is a

tragedy of an immense
proportion.”

President of the Joint Consultative Council of

the local construction
industry Winston Riley yesterday noted that

aside from functional
problems, there have been concerns about the

construction materials used
for the project.

“There are serious concerns about it as an

academy,” he noted, “but we
have been concerned about the use of mild steel

in the building which we
believe would put the building under risk.”

The NAPA was reportedly built pursuant to a

Government to Government
agreement between Trinidad and Tobago and China,

at an estimated budget of
about $500 million. There was no competitive

tender for the project which
was handed to the Shanghai Construction Group,

the same company that built
the Prime Minister’s Residence and Diplomatic

Centre. Efforts to contact
SCG were unsuccessful.

When Manning, who had come under fire for his

constant defence of Udecott
in the face of compelling evidence of corruption

at the state enterprise,
opened the building last November, he called it,

“a masterpiece owned by
the people of Trinidad and Tobago.”

At a press briefing last week in London for

Commonwealth observances,
Manning, the chairman of the Commonwealth, noted

that the opening ceremony
for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

(CHOGM) took place at
NAPA. “All in all my dear friends, I think that

we were pleased with the
outcome. Of course, we were able to expose to

the international community
a new facility in Port-of-Spain: a National

Academy for the Performing
Arts (NAPA) which as everybody saw, we believe

is acknowledged to be a
world class facility in a small developing

country, seeking and striving
to take its place among the great countries of

the world,” Manning said.
Udecott has blocked attempts to have an open

media tour of the project.

“Taxpayers are going to have to live with this,”

Victor said yesterday.

Two vessels belonging to the Division of Agriculture, Marine Affairs, Marketing and

the Environment had to be fished out from the the waters of Scarborough last week. Read more in

the Tobago News….

Two vessels belonging to the Division of Agriculture, Marine
Affairs, Marketing and the Environment had to be fished from
the waters of Scarborough last week Thursday. The boats, which
were acquired by the Department for approximately $3 million
were moored at the jetty at the Coast Guard facility when the
incident occurred. The boats were moved prior to the incident
in order to facilitate a much larger coast guard vessel.
Secretary of the Division Hilton Sandy confirmed the incident
but declined to give too many details because the matter was
still under investigation. He did, however, tell Tobago News
that there was a dip in the tide resulting in one of the boats
being stuck under the jetty and in an attempt to prevent the
boat from sinking a second boat was tied to it. This move
proved unsuccessful since both boats sank.
The boats were purchased by the Division about two years ago
to assist in patrolling the reefs and other marine spaces.
Tobago News understands though, that the vessels were also
used by the Coast Guard. This was also confirmed by the
Secretary. The boats are now on land at Buccoo. Sandy
explained that they were being inspected thoroughly to
determine if there was any damage to the navigation or
electronic equipment on board. He was expecting that the boats
would be back in operation soon.
An investigation is presently being conducted by the police,
coast guard and staff of the Division of Agriculture, Marine
Affairs, Marketing and the Environment. The Secretary promised
that a report would be sent to the media upon the completion
of these investigations.