The Ministry of Public Works  budget is being cut  by  $26.9 million which the  Minister Desmond Bannister acknowledged will pose severe challenges to capital works initiatives .  This he said is  as a result  of  the former administration’s runaway spending.

Some  $53.5 million of  the $ 93.7 million for the Ministry this fiscal year is already committed to ongoing capital projects,  one of them the Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium.

“The Stadium was planned and construction was started by the former administration. The total cost was to be $16,500,000  plus design fees of $1,443,750  for a total cost of $17,943,750.

“Under the former administration,  the cost continued to mushroom completely out of control. 

“To date the government has already spent $25,910,347.20 on the stadium and we estimate that it will take close to $11 million more to finish this stadium,” Minister Bannister said.  

Minister Bannister, who at the time was contributing to ongoing debate on the 2019/2020 budget debate, added that the total cost of the stadium will run the government into more than twice its original cost.

Then,  there is Star Academy which he described as  an even more sordid project the former administration never properly planned. 

“They started out  by allocating $6,891,333.60. A few months later they increased this by $20,098,452.33.” 

“Now  the total cost will exceed $30 million. The challenge is not only that government does not own the land; government does not even have a lease on the land,” he said.

The delay to both projects he said,  is the result of the former administration’s dysfunction and poor planning.

That aside, the Minister’s confident that 260 works projects will continue this year.